“No rest for the weary” would be an apt decision for being a Hurricanes fan right now. Despite being very much in the middle of a three team (probably four with the Florida Panthers gaining fast and with games in hand) race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the situation is anything but fun for the Hurricanes faithful right now. Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings marked five straight with only a single overtime loss point to show for the stretch.
The game was better than Friday’s abysmal 6-1 home loss to the Penguins, but still all too much more of the same in terms of 2017-18 struggles. The game reverted back to the more normal pattern of the Hurricanes winning the shot and possession metric battles but unable to make that count on the scoreboard. The game also saw a handful of bad break downs generate enough grade A scoring chances to aid the opponent who was otherwise being outplayed. And along the way, there seemed to be enough opportunities to score two or even three goals but still only one on the scoreboard at the end.
The game started well enough with the Canes pushing up to 10 shots while holding the Wings to a handful. And the Hurricanes even seemed to get on the scoreboard first when a puck found Justin Faulk in the crease. But two tries with his stick were unsuccessful and the potential goal was eventually overruled because he kicked the puck into the net. Then, sure enough, Detroit scored first when Jeff Skinner lost track of Danny Dekeyser who had all kinds of time and room to skate in to the face-off dot, tee up a shot and beat Scott Darling off his glove and into the net. The Hurricanes exited the first period in familiar territory with a lead in terms of shots on goal but a 1-0 deficit on the scoreboard.
The Hurricanes struck back in the second period when Victor Rask made a strong play with the puck on his stick in the middle of the offensive zone finding Noah Hanifin. Hanifin received the pass moving forward and fired a well-placed shot bar in to tie the game at 1-1. But Detroit struck next when Gustav Nyquist threaded a pass right between Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin for a nifty power play tip goal by Henrik Zetterberg. The second period ended with Detroit still up a goal at 2-1.
With the Hurricanes recent scoring woes, the game seemed to drift away when Detroit climbed out to a 3-1 lead on a Trevor Daley goal. The goal was the second of the game that saw Jeff Skinner floating loosely around the defensive zone without a cover who eventually stepped into a shooting area and scored. The Hurricanes threw 12 shots at the net in the third period but true to recent form, it was mostly unproductive, and the game finished with a 3-1 Red Wings win.
Notes from the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings
1) Scott Darling
I would not say that Scott Darling was outstanding on Saturday night, but I think it could be fair to count it as a small step forward. His three goals against on only 22 shots do not look great. But the Daley goal was bar in from close range, and Zetterberg’s goal was a deflection from in close. In looking for Darling to get his feet under him and start climbing upward, this game at least has the potential to be a start.
2) Elias Lindholm and the power play
Despite not scoring, I thought the power play had a strong night. The first unit especially was good in terms of puck possession and even getting shots. Lindholm had a post on a tip, and Faulk almost a goal on the kick in. One positive development continues to be Lindholm’s willingness and consistency to not just go to the front of the net on the power play but equally importantly to stay there. He is not prairie dogging in and out such that he is rarely there or is often to the side of the goalie. Rather, he is parking in front of the goalie in true Tuomo Ruutu fashion and being a valuable screen.
3) Defensive zone coverage lapses by Jeff Skinner (and regularly by other wings)
With the team pressing to score and win, Jeff Skinner has regressed to a much lower level of defensive play from a few years back. He too often seems to float around in the general area where he would be expected to cover a defenseman playing the point. But twice on Saturday for goals against, he lost contact with the actual player he was defending for long enough such that the defenseman stepped up into a scoring area for a point blank chance mostly undefended. It is almost as if Skinner goes into a mode where he is cheating offense mentally looking for a chance to break up the ice. As a veteran and a player that Tripp Tracy watches like a hawk for this kind of miscue, Skinner is the player who stands out for this problem, but Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen have also had their fair share of issues losing track of their marks either off the rush or defending in their own end. The Hurricanes have had their share of troubles with goaltending and also intermittent break downs by the defensemen, but there are also issues with the forwards failing to mark specific players. All of Skinner, Aho and Teravainen have a tendency to report to the general area where they should find a defenseman to defend.
4) 31 shots blocked by Detroit
On Saturday, the Hurricanes had a whopping 31 shots blocked by Detroit compared to 29 shots that were on net. Part of that was the Canes having the puck in the offensive zone and showing a bias toward shooting the puck (both good things), but part of that is also the Hurricanes offensive playing so much on the exterior such that they are usually playing hockey and trying to shoot with defenders in position between them and the net. Via some combination of just playing in straight lines toward the net, desire and commitment to get there and playmaking that can find passing seams into the middle of the defense, the Hurricanes need to become better at penetrating the defense for scoring chances inside of the defense.
5) Falling behind
The Blue Jackets won to push three points head of the Hurricanes. Also worth noting is that the Florida Panthers passed the Hurricanes as measured by games above .500 but look to be back a ways in the standings simply because they have played three fewer games than the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets.
Next up is the NHL trade deadline on Monday and then a game in Boston on Tuesday.
Go Canes!
Copy and paste what I said last night. What an abject disaster. The absolute best thing that can happen to this team is a massive deadline sell of the entire core, zero points in the standings the rest of the year, and a coaching change to a fresh voice that has SOME level of impact on his locker room. I’m not watching another Canes game until October. This is insane for the team to keep doing the same thing and for me to keep getting my hopes up. Baseball and draft prospects time!
Just sad all around. Sporadic 10 minutes or so of decent play (but too slow to get shots through), defensive miscues, questionable goaltending. Trip was constantly questioning the coaching decisions towards the end (takinga timeout on a Red Wings icing call, not pulling Darling with more time to play, for once I agree with him).
I did not notice Walmark much in this game, maybe he didn’t play great but I suspect he got only another 5 or 6 minutes on 4th line duty.
Now it is time to sel off everything that can be pry loosed (unless it is a total giveaway) and purposely head for the bottom and a high draft pick.
Also time to take the Cs of the co captains and give them to JW and, yes, I advocate for a coaching/management change, we need guys that work according to the same plan and with a new owner who is ambitious and wants to win I think change is needed.
Well, I’ve thought so for a long time this latest disaster just support my opinion (and I wish it hadn’t).
Onto Boston next, will we improve our record this time and only lose 6 to 1?
breezy has covered all the significant points. I’m tired from watching the futility on the ice. Thanks breezy for taking care of things tonight.
BP is crystal clear that he wants additions before the trade deadline. He realizes the current group has serious deficiencies. It should be a no-brainer for RF to pull the trigger on a MAJOR deal(s) after 5 losses and minimal scoring. Let’s get rid of some of our pea-shooters for some cannons. It’s the perfect time for some BOLD and possibly risky moves. We need difference-makers, not more mediocrity. Increased scoring can effectively cover other weaknesses (the Canes vs. Pens team GOALS AGAINST both this season and last are almost identical!). As frustrating as the current situation is, it’s still not too late to make a run.
Whoa guys, a five game losing streak does not mean tear everything down and rebuild. Seriously, back off the edge for a second, all will be okay.
Bwstanley, you said the same thing two weeks ago, breezy, I agree that the coaching needs to be seriously evaluated, but there is no way we should get rid of our still LARGELY UNDER 25 CORE.
The defensemen are clearly struggling this year, and while it is not what we want to see, it’s likely just growing pains for all. I hate this stretch of hockey as much as the next fan, but I think some of you might seriously need some counseling after this season lol.
Yes plus one for your patient mindset. I completely agree don’t tear it down.
I don’t understand you guys. You want Ronnie to get you some cannons by getting some really stupid GM to take peashooters in return? And that presumes that the cannon will let himself be traded to what is likely the least desirable team in the NHL. If anyone wants to know why I say that, just look around. Are we winning? Do we have any grit? Is management united in its plan for success? Are the players motivated to implement our unified management’s plan? I could go on, but I hope you get the point. There is no way that we can get any value for our assets at this point in time. No way. No how! And if you haven’t been paying attention, let me bring you up to date. Remember Matt Duchene? He was the most sought after player this year. Whoever got him was going to be willing to pay a couple of quarts of blood and a vital organ or two. Remember? But oh! Whoever got him would be converted to a scoring and winning machine. How has that been working for Ottawa? I still trust Ronnie to not make any rash or desperate decisions.
1. I don’t expect RF to hoodwink any other GM and steal a super star scorer for a peashooter or two. But looking at your comment, why do we just have peashooters to offer. Someone brought these peashooters to Raleigh and someone said they are better than anyone else we have in the organization. Those someones are RF AND BP. Right now, who cares though. Let’s focus on what we need to do now to get better.
2. Answering your questions: We are not winning nor are we getting better relative to the rest of the conference. We play with a minimum amount of grit most games, but we play our best games when we are hitting the opponents. These players can play with grit, but just don’t on a regular basis. I never advocated getting Duchene. My target in the offseason if we were going after a Colorado asset was Nathan MacKinnon. If we could have gotten him for Faulk or Fleury + some combination of draft picks and/or prospects, we would have solved our number one need of a first line scoring center who plays a hardnosed game. Since that did not occur, I assume from the Colorado side they weren’t interested in giving up such an important asset for any reasonable offer. I don’t assume that my “great idea” was even reasonable to start with and RF just failed. What I do ask, is if we do not play with any grit, are not winning, management is not on the same wavelength with each other, etc. as you state, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE AND WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?
Just to set the record straight:
1. Earlier this month and even previous to that Peters stated he liked the team that we had and that it was capable of making the playoffs as is. Now he is crying that he needs players. I believe he is correct now, but he’s making it look like he’s been pushing for them all along and shifting all the “blame” for not making the playoffs to RF. To come up a couple of days before the trade deadline and say you need help indicates BP oversold himself on the capabilities of his roster. IMO BP is dumping on RF using him as an excuse for the on ice collapse.
RF on the other hand, should have evaluated this roster on his own and should have concluded it was not capable of making the playoffs as is. At the same time he would have determined his coach was not in touch with reality as far as evaluating his roster. Watching New Jersey snatch up Grabner for a couple of mid-round draft picks really hurts when for that price he would have been a big help to remedy our scoring woes.
2. I am not in favor of tearing down the team. I (and I think breezy) believe we need to get what we can for some of our current players if it will help in the long run. Stempniak for example. He is a proven veteran who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year. He can help a playoff team and his place can be taken by a young prospect here. Kruger, Jooris, Nordstrom, and Ryan if there is any demand for them should be moved on to make way for some of our younger prospects. Leave the defensemen alone UNLESS Faulk can be moved for a Pacioretty (example) caliber forward. We also need a Hainsey type defenseman. In the STM breakfast Smith mentioned how Hainsey was such a good on ice coach for all our young defensemen. That he mentored the young players on and off the ice.
3. The team needs to have a fresh approach to playing the game. It appears TO ME that this team plays timid, overly afraid to make mistakes. The forwards need to be more aggressive (tenacious) on offense (their primary responsibility…no goals…no wins for sure). More net presence and more shooting at the net and on the net. It is the defensemen’s and goalies primary responsibility to keep the puck out of our net. That means the defensemen need to be responsibly aggressive and prudent (have good judgement when to jump in)on offense and be aggressive on defense and box out (force shots to the outside) in front of our goalie. The goaltenders (Ward and Darling) need to play well and be able to make the difficult save when called upon. They just shouldn’t be left to hang out to dry as often as our current defense in front of them does. We not only play poor defense, we commit blatant unforced breakdowns in front of our goalies that result in high percentage shots (shots that can only be stopped if the shooter shoots it into the goalies body or misses the net) for the opponents.
4. fogger 794 is right IMO about how we should proceed with our team development.
I wanted to make a long comment that more or less said the same thing as what you have said here. I believed the time to buy was two months ago for this team – the offensive problems were clear enough then and now with the deadline so close and so few games remaining there really isn’t any point in buying.
Now the focus should be on selling, but none of the core players. I would be happy to see all of – Nordstrom, Kruger (impossible with his contract probably), Stempniak, Ryan, and even for a great offer Williams go for more assets.
The second tier players need some grit and physical play if the top forwards and defensemen don’t possess it. They are are the easiest team to play against.
To clarify, I said offload the players that can be offloaded, I didn’t say tear down the team. So I am largely in agreement with y’all.
We have too many players with the same skill set, talented passers, we need more pure scoring and we need more grit. We won’t get that from within the current group.
So we can either trade for it or draft it.
We need at least one veteran defenseman to help out with the young core, we could have had a handful of decent such defenseman from the free agent pool and for nothing throughout the season but RF didn’t do that, instead he got two unnecessary forwards last summer that block our development and make the team worse.
WE need better goaltending, we saw two teams upgrade their goaltending for peanuts recently, we didn’t do that.
I believe the team has promising pieces, but I don’t believe the team, as is, has any chance of becoming a playoff caliber team, in fact I believe this is one of the bottom 10 teams in the NHL (it is the best team per dollar probably, but that won’t get you fans or acalades).
I realize it’d be hard for any other team to take Canes players, they have bad stats and come from a losing culture, but we still could trade one player like faulk or skinner (or Jordan Staal) for a key piece in the rebuild.
But by doing our best to tank now the team could get into a desireable draft position to either draft a player who could make an impact in a year or two or get to a position of strength for trades in the summer.
I’ve passed on this year 9th year in a row, and I don’t see playoffs happening. I think it is too late to make the big trade or addition to kickstart the team, so we have to go the other direction, to evaluate what we got down in Charlotte and try to offload some of the nonperforming players (they are good complementary players or role players on playoff teams so there is some value in some of them, like Kruger),.
Also I think it is clear that either the RF or BP era in Raleigh is over, which one, or who should replace them is probably an off-season decision, but something has to change in the coaching/management ranks.
If I get to see some Checkers come up for tryouts, Darling put on an extended run, and a team that is actively building towards next season, I’d be happy to attend a few games in April, especially if the weather is good. But if the team does virtually nothing, plays out the rest of the season with the same core, I will find it increasingly difficult, even boring, to watch the games, because there is no future in this group as currently composed and managed.
We’re all on the same team dudes, let’s hope we’ll be gloating over our awesome Canes next year and boasting how we predicted the drastic changes that were made.
At least we have the coolest website in the NHL, the canes and Coffee community rocks, with cream or sugar, or just straight up!
understand and agree some… but what about this… it is still possible for this team to make the playoffs. I know we are not trending that way, but we are closer than we have been in many years at this point in time.
So again, I don’t think it is clear that the BP or the RF era is over.
But then, I’m a NCSU fan and I liked coach Gotfry… the last few years of his tenure the team was stale and stood around watching others play. Look what the coaching change has done for them. Maybe Keatts knows something about hockey 🙂
Chris, you are right. We need grit. We have players like McGinn and DiGiuseppe who have it. But they feel alone. They need someone to lead in that department. We need to make a modest change to our defense corps. Slavin and Pesce? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Faulk and Fleury? Send Fleury home to be with his mommy. Bring up Dahlbeck. With a gritty, gutsy stay at home partner, Faulk can go back to what he does so well. Without having to chase Fleury around with a mop and bucket, Faulk can start thinking offense. Trust me, we don’t want to trade Faulk. TVR and Hanifin? Hanifin is making too many errors. But his offensive upside is being felt and will it get better. TVR is primarily a defensive type. A good fit.
I have always said that Ronnie has put together an impressive lineup of scoring talent. I thought we had it complete with Bickell. He planted himself in front of the enemy goalkeepers and our power play worked. Skinner was scoring. And then Bickell couldn’t play anymore.so what we need is a big scoring forward. A winger. We have plenty of scoring centers; Necas, Aho, Rask, etc. We need a Maroon, Lucic, Kane, Archibald, etc. We need the type of player who can cause confusion and panic wherever he goes; the boards, behind the net, in front of the net. With all of the enemy’s hostile attention drawn to him, our scorers can go to work with impunity. Our other gritty players will be inspired. And maybe, with our defense and offense working, our goalkeepers can finally show us what they have. The way we have been playing, Roberto Luongo would look like a sieve.
That’s just my not very humble opinion.
I think yes and no to this sort of thinking. When I look at the best teams in the league I hate to say it but it’s not that they have this balance of ‘soft skilled guys’ playing with ‘gritty scoring-lite workers’ – their skill guys already play hard nosed and heavy hockey. If anything some of the best ‘depth players’ in the league might be skilled-specialist players like Grabner etc. I think the Canes have enough of those guys – Skinner, Terevainen, and Lindholm fit the mould as guys who would excel as 3rd/2nd liners. Staal plays heavy but isn’t the most skilled guy, but other than him this team lacks players who have both skill and strength. I think skill + speed is more important than strength, but if you can have all 3 you’ll do better than any combination of less.
And now, comes the devastating news about Jordan Staal and his family. And suddenly, all the concerns about this team becomes trivial. May everyone’s thoughts and prayers be sent their way.
So sorry to hear of Jordan’s and his wife’s loss. This news overrides everything else. We (my wife and I) really are very saddened by this event.
Oh my god. I am so sorry about what I said about Jordan Staal. I was provided with incorrect information. This season doesn’t matter anymore. I am at a loss for words.
Nothing personal intended with this, but now you know the risk of uber-negativity.
The criticism in this post does not change with the tradegy we just found out about. Yes, this is a reminder that we are all human beings dealing with our trials and tribulations, even if we play hockey, are super stars and make more in a year than most people make in a lifetime. That does not change the problems with the team, the performance, and it was not the first reason one would think of when a player is absent, especially this time of year.
So I am against relating Jordan Staal’s family to the discussion in this post. Let’s give him the time and space to recover on the personal front, send him good thoughts and remember he is a human being.
Who knows, maybe we can chip in for a signed Canes and Coffee mug with a little message from the community.
It is a really tragic situation. Feel real bad about it. Kind of makes our hockey talk irrelevant. There are things far more important. There are no words for it.
What happened?
Infant daughter passed away. Not sure exactly why/what happened.
I am so sorry to hear about Jordan and Heather’s loss. There is no pain like a parent’s after losing a child. There is no claim I can make to understanding how they feel. I couldn’t possibly know unless I too had suffered such a loss. All I can offer is my prayers and sadness.
“fiftymissioncap” said “When I look at the best teams in the league, I hate to say it but it’s not that they have this balance of ‘soft-skilled guys’ playing with gritty, scoring-lite workers’ – their skill guys already play hard nosed and heavy hockey.”
Really?
Let’s see about that. Let’s take the leader in the east, Tampa Bay.
Their top seven scorers range from 44 to 82 points. Kucherov is 5’11” and weighs about 178. Stamos is 6’1″ and weighs 194. Point is 5′ 10″ and weighs about 166. Gourde is 5′ 9″ and weighs 172. Namestnikov is 5′ 11″ and weighs about 180. Johnson is 5′ 8″ and weighs 183. Hedman is the seventh scorer and is 6′ 6″ and weighs 223. He is the only one among these who plays what anyone would call a “heavy game”.
It is a very rare player who has the three qualities you say are ideal. I would like to find him. Jordan Staal is one. But more than strength, we need players who will act as lighting rods to draw away enemy hostility, cause panic and confusion. This kind of player makes it possible for our scorers to score.
Somewhere forever ago, I wrote an article that had Chicago and Tampa Bay pegged as two of the smallest teams in the NHL at forward in the year they played for the Cup. It’s not about size in today’s NHL. It’s about willingness and habit. Tampa continues to be a good example and Tyler Johnson is probably the poster player for it.
You listed many small players but I was not referring to physical size – it is about that term Peters used “hockey strength” combined with exactly what Matt is discussing – willingness. Lindholm fits well for my example in the sense that everyone has seen the two sides to Lindholm’s game – he is by no means large and imposing but when he has ‘willingness’ he can play very mean and fiesty exactly that heavy style I am referring to. Aho can do this – and Necas in his small sample sizes including preseason games showed willingness to physically engage despite his physical shortcomings.
I think skill and speed is more important than physicality, but a teams skilled players need to be committed to playing hard and heavy. Tampa Bay’s small forwards that you mention all play way ‘bigger’ than their size. Kucherov I will be the first to admit I had no idea he was that light but he plays like a damn tank! No offense to Terevainen who is a good player but he really is perimeter oriented. Victor Rask seems utterly afraid of the physical style of play we are referring to. Lindholm can do it – but I think he is at his best offensively when he is actually a perimeter-wall passer so i’ll give him a pass for not going to the net as much.
It’s only speculation for us to guess at the problems that lay with the roster aside from objective statistics like scoring. Adding both a combination of skill and toughness would be ideal in my opinion, but hey i’m also more than happy to see them add more ‘skill’ players regardless of toughness because I’m just a believer the roster needs 1-3 top 9 caliber players before they can compete for a top 3 spot in the metro.
What feels very different during this season’s meltdown is the clear sense of division. The team has done a good job in the past of not playing out their fights/disagreements through the media. BP is clearly frustrated. RF doesn’t get the same time in front of the microphone so it’s more difficult to pinpoint where he’s at. If I had to guess why this is I’d say it’s because of how close we actually are this year to the playoffs. I like seeing the passion and desire to win even with the cracked house moments. However, I hope it is not indicative of a seismic fracture in their relationship because, if so, one or both will have to go.
And neither Skinner nor Faulk are read for letters. To be a true leader of your peers in sports requires your play to command the respect of your teammates. Y’all, Faulk is a -21. Read that again. His play this year has been terrible and I don’t want to hear about who is linesmate is; just watch him on the ice. Out of position; gaps bigger than the entire retail chain; slow; and he has a C on his sweater. Terrible.
Trade Rask,Ryan,Stempniak and Skinner. I am not happy with Faulk but he is salvageable.
How about Rask for Galchenyuk
Both need new scenery Simular numbers.
2nd/3RD pick for Ryan
4th RD for Stempniak
Max Domi for 2nd round pick and Darling and his contract
Skinner needs to go not sure what we can get Maybe a player and a 1st round pick. Maybe Toronto?
I wonder how long staal is going to be out, whether he is done for the season, or whether players can be put on LITR due to family emergencies (I hope so).
It depends. Some people actually need work to help get through personal difficulties, other players just need to reset completely.
I hope Jordan will have the freedom to do what’s best for him and his family.
But the canes need to know what that is and plan accordingly. I think losing him puts the nail in the season coffin for sure, so a full plunge to draft picks is in order (not losing deliberately, but trading away players that yield acceptable returns, giving the future a chance, playing darling as a starter regardless of outcomes, hoping for positives to develop).
I know, I’ve been on record as believing the season is done for awhile, but also on record as always hoping to be wrong.
In terms of trade, what about skinner + Darling + second round pick for Max and Alex.
Then we can hopefully trade one of Rask or Kruger to some team that need a safe bet bottom 6 center man and look into signing a decent goalie with experience.
Or Skinner and Rask to Montreal for Alex and Max (less desireable), then try to get Domi somehow.
I think Bos grossly overpaid for Nash, I”m shocked to see how much they gave up. I’m glad we weren’t in on that deal.
I said on one of the last posts that I felt we are probably a sellers now. Just like last year, we had the potential to be buyer and then we decided not to play any more. Trading for a winger or center that helps us to the playoffs will cost a lot and we still would not get very far. Better to wait and get a high end UFA in the off season where we do not have to trade our future away. TD has deeper pockets and it could actually happen this time around in the off season.
Now for selling: I do not believe we should blow up the team. There are players we could move. I am talking making room for our prospects to get some NHL experience. Faulk has been terrible this year and we could get a return. I do not believe loosing him will hurt much. We have D waiting for an opportunity. I would also trade Rask. A team may want him. At this trade deadline teams are looking for the player that will help them. Our only UFA that somebody would want is Stempniak. I am afraid we are stick with Darling. The RFAs teams would want are Lindholm, Hanifin and TVR. I would not trade any of them. Staal, TT and Aho are do not trade.
Skinner is a possibility as well. He is a good scorer but his defense kills us and looses us games. Teams would probably give good returns for him. I like him but, his defense is reverting back to non existent.
I am not worried about who we get in return at this point. It is more making room for the AHL and maybe we just get some picks. If we can trade Kruger, Jooris, Nordstrom, great, but I do not see any teams lining up for that.
We still have 20 games so could still get to the playoffs but I do not see us going anywhere as we are right now.
I think both BP and RF have underperformed. BP does not have the team ready to go often. RF went 2 for 5 for players he brought in last year. TD should examine both.
I personally do not think we will do much before the trade deadline but we will see.