Recap of Hurricanes 4-2 loss to the Ducks
Coach Bill Peters likes to use the word “heavy” to describe a difficult to play against style of hockey. Thursday’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks was a case study in the Canes struggle to play this 60 minutes of this brand of hockey. Against a physical, grinding type of team, the Hurricanes mostly had a tough time of it. Maybe even more so after playing night before, Anaheim’s plan was very simply to force the game to the walls where they had an advantage and leverage it. When the Ducks could get the puck behind the net they forechecked aggressively and took pucks from less physical Hurricanes players. Both of the first 2 goals came after the Canes lost puck battles on the boards and did not defend well. And if the Ducks could not get in early enough on the forecheck, they gave up the defensive blue line, stacked up between the center line and offensive blue and forced the Hurricanes to dump the puck where the battle again occurred on the boards. The Ducks won more than their fair share of the battles there too. In a man against man puck battle kind of game, the Canes were out-manned.
The game actually started okay for the Hurricanes. The good guys had the first 6 shots on goal. But they were still sluggish and unable to do much in the first period exiting it tied at 0-0. The first period was mostly slow rounds of taking turns moving the puck and then giving it up. There were no more than 6-7 even remotely decent scoring chances total in the first period.
The second period was 1 of the bad ones that we have seen a few too many of. In quick succession, Anaheim won a puck from Ryan Murphy behind the net and fed the puck right through Klas Dahlbeck to the front of the net to a waiting Ryan Kesler who finished. The second goal also saw the Dahlberg/Murphy pairing victimized when Murphy lost a puck on the boards and Jakob Silfverberg found a tap in rebound off the end boards when he got behind Dahlbeck, Murphy and Sebastian Aho who seemed to get stuck watching the puck. Then when Brett Pesce lost his footing and the puck at the offensive blue line Silfverberg was off to the races. Pesce made a nice recovery and minimized the shot attempt as best he could, but Silfverberg beat Cam Ward off the far side post and in with Ward appearing to be just enough off his angle.
But as has been the case a few other times this season, the Hurricanes road a goal to a momentum swing and change of fortune. Teuvo Teravainen scored on a nifty deflection of a Jaccob Slavin shot. The Teravainen was followed shortly thereafter by Viktor Stalberg dropping the gloves, and the Hurricanes suddenly had life heading into the third period down 3-1.
The Hurricanes climbed to within a goal when Lee Stempniak put forward a rare instance where the Hurricanes out big boy hockeyed the Ducks crashing into a Ducks player behind the net and separating the puck. Skinner picked it up and quickly fed Victor Rask who finished. From there the Hurricanes fought an uphill battle with the Ducks clogging the neutral zone and continuing to do a pretty good job retrieving and moving dump ins. The Hurricanes had some decent chances but never finished, ultimately losing 4-2 after a late empty-netter.
‘What I’m watching’ check in
If you missed and want to review the preview points in detail, you can find them HERE.
1) Jordan Staal’s line
They were not bad and were not on the ice for a goal against (except Staal for the empty-netter), but they were not able to control the puck and tilt the ice at the level they did last season.
2) Slavin/Pesce
The duo played a good game overall, but Pesce’s 1 unfortunate miscue was costly ending up in the Canes net. Like about everyone else, I continue to love their ongoing development, but part of the next step is to tighten things up just a bit more.
3) More sources of offense
Teuvo Teravainen scored a big goal at even strength which was a positive, but the Hurricanes in total struggled to generate much offensively for two-thirds of the game. Even when the Canes pushed forward aggressively in the third period, they mustered only a modest 8 shots on net.
4) The goaltending
While I would not hang this game on Cam Ward, it was another sub .900 save percentage night, and I think once Brett Pesce caught up and limited Silfverberg’s time and options on the third goal that it could have been saved. I would put this game in the category of borderline ‘good enough.’
Other notes
Jeff Skinner: While I was not thrilled overall with the Hurricanes ability to compete on the walls and in the trenches in front of the net, I actually like Jeff Skinner’s progress in this area. He is regularly going to dirty areas on offense and has become much better at using his lower body strength and low center of gravity to step into opponents on the boards instead of the old ‘swipe and go’ attempt from years past. His pretty assist was a positive as well of course.
Lee Stempniak: He was the other player who most showed some desperation and physical willngness throwing his body around a bit despite not being cut from a big, power forward type of mold. His aggressive forecheck sprung loose the puck that Skinner fed to Rask for the second goal.
Murphy over Nakladal?: I question Bill Peters’ decision to go with Dahlbeck/Murphy and leaving out the more physical Nakladal against the rugged Anaheim Ducks. Two of Anaheim’s goals immediately followed puck battle losses on the boards by Dahlbeck/Murphy and the duo had a hard time in general.
No one rose up: As noted above in my ‘what I’m watching points, I did not think Jordan Staal or Cam Ward were horrible, but sometimes a team needs someone to rise up and be a hero. Neither candidate to do so was really the difference-maker that the Canes needed on Thursday night.
After a loss to start the 5-game home stretch, the next game on Saturday against the Washington Capitals looms even larger.
Go Canes!
Wheres the Beef? Despite RFs intentions to get “bigger”, the team entering the 3rd year of the rebuild is still small at forward across most lines. The talent level is not yet high enough to overcome teams that play heavy. We will get another dose of that in each of the next 3 games. Buckle up.
1st and foremost.
The lack of support for our teams (across the state) during difficult times (past and present) – professional or college is – Pathetic!!!
Support has to change abs change now.
NC State football and basketball is laughable, but I go to games. Very few respect State football after first half if we are losing (which is most of the time), sitting in parking lot, eating and drinking, players come back to field to empty seats.
Panthers – historically, they are a bad team, many empty seats at many games, last year was a fluke, they are still a very bad teama and more empty seats.
Hornets, they have been awful forever, waste of money, never will go to a game.
Canes – understand they have not made playoffs in many years (thanks Rutherford!!), but it is literally embarrassing for “The Triangle and state when the lower bowl is practically empty on a Thursday night or any night!!!!
Last night was pathetic support (win or lose, support your teams).
An do not want to hear about prices, I go to games across the country, it is more expensive for all sports teams in other cities or at a minimum, the same.
How can Tampa and Nashiville (two cities with many transplants) support their teams and we do not!
Amazing.
Nashville has won “nothing” and they still support their team.
Now, to last night (was there again). Do not know what some people watched, but Peters needs to start pointing finger at himself.
Screw the Workd Cup, should have been here with your team during pre-season.
Ward should be fired.
The most overrated goalie, EVER.
Murphy is pathetic – was a wasted 1st round pick, he is awful, PERIOD!!!
Get rid of him today – do not care about expansion draft.
Faulk – always getting injured, every year now.
Lindholm – will NEVER be a scorer. At best, a forth line guy. Trade him and Ward and Murphy for one player, anyone with passion.
Skinner is Captain, no one else.
Staal – time to trade him.
Trade him for someone who plays 60 minutes and is a physical player (6’4″ and he plays like his brother Eric, a soft game).
Fire Marcuex (spelling), goalie coach, why are we keeping this awful coach. This is the worst goalie coach in the league, our stats prove that!!
They do not win the next 4 home games, season is over.
We need a true “super star” on this team (we have never had a scoring super star), we need a leader in the mold of Rod Brind’ Amour and for once, we need a great/very good “consistent” goalie, year in and year out.
Ron, really, you signed a pathetic one hit wonder goalie for two years.
Bring up Leitonen NOW!!’n
Agree with you across the board with one exception. Jordan Staal is playing his heart out game in and game out. My concern is that at some point he is going to get frustrated with the lack of talent around him (as it now appears Eric did…look at Eric’s Minnesota statistics).
Ronnie couldve at least got a NICE TRY… BUT… he didn’t even touch his piggy-bank…!! This is what you get WHEN YOU’RE CHEAP!
Agree wholeheartedly with surgalt and this isn’t a new problem, its just been exacerbated with the drafting and playing of so many kids who physically will not be able to compete until they can mature and add some muscle. Talent can overcome some of the discrepancy with special players but sadly, it doesn’t appear as if any of the Canes selections are “those” types of player. Again, Aho, Hanifan, Teravinenenenenenen, et.al may turn out to be decent players but with a 2 – 4 year wait until they are truly steady NHL players, it is going to be a painful process. The second period last night was telling….they lost virtually every one on one battle and not because they didn’t compete, they just were outmuscled and out positioned (body position). To make matters worse these younger, talented guys are expected to balance out their deficiencies on the power play where skill trumps size but they’re struggling their at the moment as well. It is still early in the season, but you have to think these physical mismatches are only going to get worse as teams come after them even more with the physical game.
This team will not be able to score as long as the coaching staff (Peters and Brindamor)do not make some changes. Peters needs to stop PLAYING COACH by shuffling lines. The problem is not player mix, it is how the players are playing on the ice. When Canes players get the puck they stand and look for a place to pass it or if the other team’s player is anywhere in the vicinity they throw it away with errant passes. No longer do the Canes transition to offense by immediately SKATING with the puck. SKATING is supposed to be our forte. Last year when we got the puck the defensemen started up the ice with it. This forced the opponents defense to fall back. If they did not and attacked the puck carrier, they would then dish the puck off to the man left open because of the pressure. In addition, we lose virtually every race to the puck this year because our players are starting to skate from a standing still position while the other team is moving its feet and skating.
Last year this team played with aggression and speed and skating was our game. It was an identity that PETERS brought to the team. This year the coaching staff has allowed the team to abandon that style which is what is causing most of our futility on the ice, and instead have gone back to the strategy all the previous UNSUCESSFUL coaches have done. Muller, etc. team’s had no identity and now Peters has allowed our team to sacrifice its identity.
After the game I listened to Peters on the Aftermath. Based upon his comments you would have thought we won the game. Pointing out small victories (so and so made a good play, etc.) and failing to see a few good plays in a game is not a way to winning hockey. IMO the only coach doing his job on this team right now is Smith who continues to produce excellent penalty kill results and to develop the young defensemen.
The Murphy experiment must END. Good passer and skater but he just can’t compete well in his own end. Slavin is the real deal. Jay McClement has O POINTS, is minus seven and wins 50% of his FO. Time to give someone else a chance to fill this role.
Best wishes to Bryan Bickell and family.