On December 14, I wrote a post entitled “Setting Carolina Hurricanes goals’ goals for the next month.” The article broke down the next month of the NHL season into 3 chunks and set targets points-wise to keep the Hurricanes moving up the standings and into the playoff chase. The Hurricanes met the targets (adjusted for the Red Wings cancellation) for the first 2 chunks. I said that the team needed to go 3-1 in the 4-game home stand at the beginning. The team went 2-0-1 with a postponement. I then said that the team needed to go 3-2 in the next tough stretch of 3 of 5 on the road and the top-tier competition. The Hurricanes did exactly that.
That sets the stage for the final and arguably most important third chunk of games. Starting with Tuesday’s home match up against the New Jersey Devils, the Hurricanes play 5 of the next 7 games at home. In my December 14 article, I set a challenging 5-2 goal for this 7-game stretch. Based on the Hurricanes 10-0-1 domination at home recently it seems possible. Tuesday’s game is the all-important first game of the set. Games 2 and 3 of the set are a tough back-to-back in St. Louis followed by Chicago making a good start even more important.
‘What I’m watching’ for the Carolina Hurricanes versus the New Jersey Devils
1) Return to a skating and attacking brand of hockey
Wednesday and Friday match ups against elite teams last week saw the Canes skate and attack for a full 60 minutes. The Hurricanes did yield some chances and had some issues with attention to detail defensively, but at the same time they matched good opponents in terms of playing fast and generating chances. The result was a game that the team probably should have won but did not against the Penguins and a win against the Blackhawks. On Saturday in Tampa in the second half of a back-to-back, the Canes did not have hte same hop. Back on home ice and with 2 days rest, I will be watching from the opening face-off to see if the Canes can return to the fast, attacking brand of hockey from the front part of last week.
2) Aho/Teravainen/Stempniak
The latest version of the TSA line has recently staked a solid claim to being the Hurricanes’ best line. The trio has been generating offense in bunches of late with a consistent formula of Teravainen and Aho navigating the neutral to gain the offensive zone with possession then finding each other in space with heady veteran Stempniak driving the front of the net to cash in on rebound chances. The line is worth watching simply because it is flat out fun with the level of skill but also because it has been a leader for the offense of late.
3) Predators’ mentality
The New Jersey Devils represent a beatable opponent with a home ice advantage to boot. New Jersey is below the Hurricanes at 15-16-7 and is limping a bit right now with a 3-9-1 record in their last 13 games. If the Hurricanes are to push up in the standings, they need to have an attacking mentality in games like this and aggressively seize wins.
The puck drops a little bit after 7pm at PNC Arena.
Go Canes!
January is not a kind schedule for the Canes opponent-wise, except for the fact that we play most of this stiff competition at home. And tonight’s game is perhaps the weakest opponent we have as a home game this month. So you’re right – we need this one and need it bad. And I agree that we need to go 5-2 during this heavy home stretch. To add to what you’d like to see – this is what I’d like to see: Jeff Skinner rounding back into the form he was showing prior to his last 3 games – the form where he was attacking the crease relentlessly, was hard on the puck, and was forechecking to the point where he was actually winning wall puck battles. My gut-feeling is if we hit your 5-2 home mark this month, we’ll finally be above the line in the wild card race.
Too early to call anything must-win, but like you said Canes need to get a game like this one. The positive is that they have been consistently doing that at home.
Agree on your comment on Skinner. He and his line had a stretch of a couple games in which they were phenomenal but were not justly rewarded on the score sheet. Key is for Skinner to just stick with it and stay the course and avoid the frustration path that in that past could lead to some combination of “gambling for goals” and getting sidetracked with officials and opponents. I think/hope he has matured past that, but it is worth watching.
I think Skinner took himself out of the Tampa Bay game – he was visibly frustrated. But that happens from time to time with any competitive player – the question is whether he gets back on his game. I bet he delivers tonight.