Penguins hold slight edge in all-time record against Hurricanes

by FrankD on May 16, 2009 8:00 AM EDT in News

Since the Carolina Hurricanes' inception into the NHL in 1997, the Penguins have more or less played them to a stalemate. Out of 110 games played over 11 seasons, the Penguins hold the slight edge with a 50-46-3 record. There's also 11 ties on record which, given the new NHL rules, may lack consideration in today's day and age.

Of course, back in the early days Carolina was a (Edit: relocated) team ripe with goaltending talent along the likes of Sean Burke, Kirk McLean and Trevor Kidd. (Note sarcasm)

Pitt, on the other hand, was still riding on the heels of the goalie tandem of Tom Barrasso and Ken Wregget. Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr were holding it down on offense at the time, but now two of those four guys are bountifully employed by Carolina.

If that doesn't put the current insignificance of this stat into perspective for you than not much else will. It obviously doesn't play a huge factor in this series, the first ever postseason meeting between the two teams. Fact is I was bored, looked into a few stats and decided to share.

Tally another one in the "how to kill time before a series" category.

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Comments

Hello there Frank D, sorry this being first from a ’Caniac, but glad to see people not over looking us like the Bruins did……May we have a series for the ages……and may the better team win!

by lrcaniac on May 16, 2009 8:44 AM EDT reply actions

The regular season matches

were all pretty excellent hockey. I’m a huge fan of Cam Ward, think he’s one of the most underrated and overlooked goalies out there. Granted I’ll still be rooting for Pittsburgh (Crosby’s from my hometown), but I hope for an excellent series. Like the Caps/Pens series. Maybe even better.

Look upon my 62% faceoff win rate, ye mortals, and despair!

by Orion Moony on May 16, 2009 8:58 AM EDT up reply actions

This just in from the weather desk

A giant Igloo is expected to melt due to the sizzling Hurricane that is approaching which is expected to reach Category 5 in intensity.

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 16, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions

This just in.....

Sid the Kid Crosby is not, repeat not growing a playoff beard. The darker areas of his face where a man would have a beard has been revealed to being his mother taking her eye liner and darkening the peach fuzz that is growing there.

When asked for a comment, the kid responded, “That’s (squeak) not true (squeak)”, in a high, whining voice that is peppered with additional and unwanted high pitch cracking.

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 16, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

The sad thing is

he grows a better playoff beard than I do. I think that’s why my amateur team flamed out last year.

Look upon my 62% faceoff win rate, ye mortals, and despair!

by Orion Moony on May 17, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions

I know before the playoffs officially kicked off I read a few pieces that suggested Carolina would be swept in the first round. Even then I thought that was about as far from the truth as you could get. Many readers here, myself included, knew Carolina was a big deal and not a team that should be taken lightly. Personally, this is the Conference Finals I had suspected would happen.

Should be fun, no doubt. Don’t be a stranger during the run. We’re happy to banter with fans of the opposition.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on May 16, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Overlooking?

2 words: Cam Ward.

That guy can carry a team on his back. Add that Staal line, and it’s going to be a war.

Very much looking forward to the Game 1 match up.

PensBurgh penalty - Lavender - 2 minutes for hijynxing.

by Lavender on May 16, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m surprised noone else said this: Carolina wasn’t an expansion team. Just thought I’d throw that out there. So they have no such excuse for Burke, Kidd, and Jason Muzzatti.

by Geoff Detweiler on May 16, 2009 11:15 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah, Shagg beat me to it…they were the Hartford Whalers previously. Who can forget the Hartford Whalers fight song?

by Bassomatic on May 16, 2009 11:18 AM EDT reply actions

yeah you’re right but I didn’t say they were an expansion team I just said 1997 was their inception year.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on May 16, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions

er never mind, just caught my own mistake. Drag

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on May 16, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Before I posted this I was actually looking for all-time stats against the Whalers but couldn’t find any. Wanted to see if maybe the win percentage was better against Hartford than Carolina. Of course that wouldn’t matter much anyway but I was curiously none the less…

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on May 16, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions

“Breakfast, shmreakfast. Look at the score, for Christ’s sake. It’s only the second period and I’m up 12 to 2. Breakfasts come and go, Rene, but Hartford, “the Whale,” they only beat Vancouver once, maybe twice in a lifetime."

"A month before the season I stop putting ketchup on my french fries."
-Mario Lemieux

by IRBilldozer on May 16, 2009 11:28 AM EDT reply actions

well played sir, you took the quote right out of my mouth

by jeremystyle on May 16, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

I miss the Whalers...

…they used to be one of the great sources of talent to both the Pens and Caps:

To the Pens: Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson, etc.
To the Caps: Mike Liut, Andrei Nikolishin, etc.

Astonishing how much talent drained from the Whale to play head to head in the playoffs in the 1990s…

Let's go Caps!

by MikeL-Pivonka on May 16, 2009 3:24 PM EDT reply actions

and that is one of the reasons they became the Hurricanes……and do not worry, I am a fan of both teams, the ’Canes being my first choice of course………

by lrcaniac on May 16, 2009 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Canes...........

I am sure Pens fans have no idea what they are in for. Carolina is not just Cam and Staal. This is the best team left. Pittsburgh is top heavy and overrated. We saw the last game in Raleigh. The Canes are deeper and will prevail in the end.

Hey this looks more like the Canes blog than Pittsburgh’s. Good luck. The best team will win. Canes in 6.

by KenRab on May 17, 2009 11:09 AM EDT reply actions

Hey this looks more like the Canes blog than Pittsburgh’s

Uh. Hardly

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on May 17, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah, not so much

You’ll hear from us come game time, don’t worry.

As far as the matchup, you might be surprised at how much attention Pens fans have paid to your Canes since it became obvious (down the stretch in the regular season) that they were not a team to take lightly. We aren’t Devils fans, and we aren’t Bruins fans (i.e., we understand the sport, and understand that good teams play west of I-95). We realize your boys are more than a goalie and a center, and that winning 2 straight game 7’s on the road is not an accomplishment to be laughed at (to say nothing of the 2006 Stanley Cup).

But you might also be surprised to discover that the Pens are more than Crosby and Malkin, even if those two get all the press. Our team finished the season on a tear as well, and Carolina hasn’t had to match up against a team like that yet (Boston and Jersey played like crap to finish the season, and did not bring their A game in the playoffs). Also, I think the Pens are playing slightly better hockey right now, beating a very game Philadelphia squad in round 1, and not playing a bad game in the Washington series. The Canes have been a little up and down; they were lucky to escape the Devils, and their strong performances against the Bruins (games 2, 4, and 7) were somewhat offset by lousy performances in games 5 and 6.

I think the Pens have enough to beat Carolina, but I do expect that it’ll take 7 games. Your boys are a dangerous team that Pittsburgh would be foolish to take lightly. But if the Pens bring their A game, I think they have the top-to-bottom depth to carry them through.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on May 17, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I partially agree. This series will definitely be won in the trenches by the likes of Staal (the younger), Kennedy, samsonov, jokkinen, larose etc. Which ever group of second tier players has the more productive, mistake free series will win.

Crosby will likely have a hat trick game. Eric Staal will have a good solid series. Ward will make outstanding saves.

I was hoping for a Washington win as they are oveckin and a bunch of guys watching him skate, whereas PIttsburgh seems to be led to playing harder by Crosby. A much easier nut to crack.

Canes in seven, with the series winning goal scored with less than five to go. (probably with 32 seconds left, allowing for five on six hockey and six great pens shots)

Whoever wins the series, I hope they destroy the Wings in the finals.

by EricinSC on May 18, 2009 6:32 AM EDT up reply actions

…top heavy and over-rated. hmm. They have had some balance issues in the past but I’d say overall at this point it’s a pretty well-balanced roster. Jordan Staal would be a first-liner on at least half the teams in the league, and Tyler Kennedy is due for a big series. The emotional leader of the team is Max Talbot, who usually centers the fourth line, although lately he’s been playing on Malkin’s wing.

Also, over-rated is generally not a term that can be realistically applied to a team that was two wins away from a world championship. I hear people say the Wings are over-rated all the time. The Wings aren’t over-rated, they are that good, and their record in Stanley Cup Finals is indicative of that. In the same respect, the Penguins aren’t over-rated. They are the defending Eastern Conference Champs. You don’t have to like it, but the Penguins have what you want, and they are well aware of the ‘Canes capabilities I’m sure.

The overconfidence you are spewing is exactly the type that washed out New Jersey and Boston.
Penguins in 4.

-David
sixminutecynic.blogspot.com
www.piratesmix.com.

by pascaldupweevil on May 17, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Pens in 4

and the ’Canes fans are overconfident?

Interesting.

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 17, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions

I suspected this response, because I suspected that you haven’t a very strong understanding of dramatic irony.

-David
sixminutecynic.blogspot.com
www.piratesmix.com.

by pascaldupweevil on May 17, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't know you

therefore I take you on what you write.

Sarcasm, without additional items like smiley face or knowing the other person, is most often lost as it was on me.

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 17, 2009 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions

On the Internet,

I’ve found it’s a safe bet that when someone sounds like they’re saying something really stupid, it’s probably sarcasm.

At least I tell myself that, because it keeps me sane. It also means I never miss sarcasm, even if I occasionally give people way too much credit! Anyway, I think it’ll be the Pens, and I hope it goes 7 games. The more good hockey we have, the happier I am.

Pascaldupweevil is an amazing screenname. I envy it.

Look upon my 62% faceoff win rate, ye mortals, and despair!

by Orion Moony on May 17, 2009 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I’ve found it’s a safe bet that when someone sounds like they’re saying something really stupid, it’s probably sarcasm.

A lot of idiots just breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing you believe that…

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on May 17, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Obviously

you’ve never been to a Creation vs Evolution website.

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 18, 2009 7:18 AM EDT up reply actions

well deserving of a rolfcopter

" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run

by oldtimehockey09 on May 27, 2009 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I think that was meant sarcastically. Seriously, if you think the Pens are top-heavy and overrated, you may be very surprised by what happens in this series. I, on the other hand, will not be surprised, because I already know that Carolina is a solid, experienced team. I just have a lot of confidence in this Penguins team.

I live in Boston, and as soon as the first round ended all the Bruin fans I knew were immediately talking conference finals. I was the only person in town who kept insisting that the Canes were a good team, and that the B’s were not playing as well as they had in December in January. And I’m very, very grateful to Carolina for allowing me to spread the trash-talking with the Boston fans over 7 games, and for eliminating the Bruins in the most cruel, completely hilarious fashion possible. And it goes without saying that we all like you for eliminating the Devils.

Here’s hoping for an awesome series, and may the better team win. If nothing else, I know that the Pens will be supremely ready for the Finals if they can get past the Canes. You can’t be the best without beating the best.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on May 17, 2009 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions

this coming from a team that a whopping 2 defenseman with goal, never mind the fact that they only have3 guys in doulbe digits in scoring if my memory serves. top heavy? not hardley

" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run

by oldtimehockey09 on May 18, 2009 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Canes are going down

canes suck, cam ward will lose his first series, staal is nothing compared to ovie, and ovie not #1. This wont even be a competitive series. 5 games – pens, if it even lasts that long. Crosby, as everyone with an ounce of knowledge about hockey can see, is truly the best player in the world. Carolina lacks depth and has simply been very lucky in the first two series. They were overlooked by their opponents thus far, something Pittsburgh does not do. Have all the hope you want, but the only the team that may beat the pens is detroit, and that doesn’t appear to be as true as it was last year. Plus he negative you have is far bigger than any Pittsburgh negative. You have Bill Cowher in your corner. HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

by Boffer on May 17, 2009 12:29 PM EDT reply actions

Let me guess....

Caps/Bruins/Habs/Montreal fan who is trying to stir up trouble?

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 17, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions

ding ding ding!

Winner!

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on May 17, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions

You know...

I really appreciate Montreal fans, in a perverse sort of way. They riot and set things on fire when their team loses, and they riot and set things on fire when their team wins. May not be the most prescient behavior, but damn if it’s not entertaining.

Look upon my 62% faceoff win rate, ye mortals, and despair!

by Orion Moony on May 17, 2009 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions