With the 3-game losing streak, I, probably like many other Canes fans, have been thinking about what is wrong and what needs to be fixed.
I think an important starting point is noting that the current situation is not that uncommon in the long NHL season. Of the 4 teams in the Metropolitan Division who are all but certain the make the playoffs (Capitals, Penguins Rangers, Blue Jackets), 2 of the 4 (Penguins and Rangers) have also had 3-game losing streaks in January which is only 22 days old.
The key for the Hurricanes is scratch back into the win column before the streak extends too far and right the ship for the next run of wins.
What needs fixing?
After some time thinking about this, I boil it down to 3 things:
1) Attention to details and defense
Even before the losing streak started, the Hurricanes quality of play in terms of defending in the neutral and defensive zones and taking care of the puck in key places had already deteriorated. It might sound odd, but I actually think the Hurricanes overwhelming success playing and winning fun hockey led pretty directly to the current skid. As I noted before last week’s games started, there was reason for concern despite the 4-game home winning streak. The Hurricanes need to get back to playing sound hockey and not just hoping to score 4-5 goals to cover up lapses and win shootouts.
2) The goaltending needs to revert back to at least good enough
A staple during the Hurricanes strong play this season has also been the strong play of Cam Ward. He has taken a step back in January and has especially struggled in his last few games. My biggest fear right now is that he hit a wall physically and/or mentally after being overworked and will not rebound quickly. With Leighton finally taking a normal backup start on Saturday, Ward will have 2 days off between starts. If that does not rejuvenate him, he then gets 2 more days off before his next start. And if that does not do it, he then gets 4 days off over the All-Star break before his next start. Point being, the schedule should make a Ward rebound possible if fatigue is a factor. I do not think Ward necessarily needs to reach the same level of play from late November and early December, but he at least needs to get back to being ‘good enough’ on a nightly basis such that the games are decided by the skaters not the goalies.
3) The team needs to learn from the Pittsburgh debacle and be more resilient
The Pens loss was a strange one. The Hurricanes actually started okay and then seemed to unravel quickly and completely when things did not go their way. When things do not go their way, they need to stick to it for 60 minutes. The wild Vancouver win in December is proof that games are never completely out of reach if you stay focused and diligent. And to their credit, the Hurricanes did do a much better job of sticking to it in the loss in Columbus on Saturday when they were down 2-0 after 1 period but bounced back to play 2 pretty good periods of hockey despite the losing result.
It would be easy to make a longer, more detailed laundry list of more specific areas of play or to-do lists for individual players, but I really think simpler is better with the other key being that it needs to come together not just at home (where it mostly has) but also on the road (which has been a struggle even during good times).
The Hurricanes get their next chance to work on this list on Monday in Washington, D.C. against the Capitals. Important to note is that the Capitals are nearly unbeatable right now having not lost in regulation since December 27 which makes this next game a tough 1 to expect too much as the Hurricanes try to work their way back.
What do you think about this simple list? Is there something you would add? Are the details underneath also important? Do you agree that as bad as a 3-game losing streak feels that it really is not that bad especially when considering the opponets?
Go Canes!
I would feel better about the skid if all three games had been played like Saturday’s game(Decent play plus backup goalie vs. top team is more acceptable for a loss)
I agree. Saturday’s game had the element of sloppiness that has cost the team other games where maybe it deserved better, but on many fronts the team played well.
This might sound strange, but I could love with a loss tonight and still be pretty happy if we get a strong outing for Ward and a 60-minute effort with decent defense/taking care of the puck.
Agree that high scoring masked sloppy play prior to these three games. Also agree it would feel much worse if these were games against opponents we were realistically competing against for a playoff spot. Lucky for us, all of PHL, BOS, TOR, TBY, and FLO all struggled this week, too.
As of this morning, last place in the CONFERENCE is only 5 points out of the second wild card spot – crazy – everyone is still realistically alive.
What I was struck with watching the 2nd Columbus game was our defense. Yes our defense. Way fewer odd-man rushes, way fewer heroic saves to keep the game close than in recent games (though still too many). More save exits out of the zone. All this without #5 and #26 and with #7 (who definitely struggled) against one of the highest scoring teams in the league playing at home.
Makes me wonder whether we can expect to see either/both of McKeown/Fleury given a taste of NHL action soon. And, more to the Matt Duchene question, whether #5 should be a possible option in the deal. I’m starting to think his ceiling isn’t as high as I once did, and would be way less concerned not having him given how our D held up against Columbus without him. A one-game sample for sure, but food for thought.
I do not think seeing Fleury or McKeown is out of the question. I continue to vote for a game (and then go from there) of Dahlbeck/Tennyson. Tennyson was playing really well for awhile (and has admittedly taken a step down) and we have seen very little of Dahlbeck playing on his natural left side (he has mostly played on right side of Hanifin).
There’s a lot to unpack with regard to what’s going on with the Canes right now. Let’s take Cam Ward’s recent run of horrendous play out of the equation (but that has to get said and addressed as you pointed out). One of the key differences from last season and from earlier this season is that: 1) the defenders are not keeping guys to the outside consistently, and 2) teams are able to make plays from behind our net for scoring chances close in.
The first piece, I believe, is a slight tweak to our blueliner’s positioning. I think they are counting on their speed and skill too much and not keeping their positioning sound. It is almost as if they are 1/2 step behind and depending on their ability to close fast to make up the difference. My sense is that if they remedy this, they’ll keep guys more to the outside and also not get jammed up in a cluster in front of the net.
The second reference seems to be the fault of our centers who are having a tough time not getting puck focused as opposed to just staying with their man. Our defensemen are facing the guy with the puck behind the net, so they can’t see anybody creeping in the slot below the dots. Those passes are getting through to open men way too easily. That leads me to believe that whomever’s responsibility it is to cover the guy in the short slot is doing to much watching and not enough skating.
The other thing I noticed is that when we are in the offensive zone, our cycle is sloppier than last year, or even earlier this season. There are way to many blind passes, pass attempts where there just isn’t enough space, and passes to spots where whomever is supposed to be there, for whatever reason, isn’t there.
Lastly, I was more than surprised that Hanifin was benched for the Columbus game. Of all the guys who should have been benched, he would have been my last choice. I thought he played one of his better games agains the Pens. Now Justin Faulk, well that’s another story. We’ve got to stop giving him passes for downright stupid plays.
Great detailed cmments on the Canes recent troubles!
I actually agree that Hanifin was not necessarily the worst in terms of many options to bench after Friday’s game, but I was a huge fan of seeing him sit a game. Very simply for me, I think it rights a wrong that saw him previously in a different category with different rules for whether he plays or sits. In the midst of a game of musical chairs on the blue line that saw players benched quickly after a bad game in favor of someone else, Hanifin was exempt even when he had bad games (which he did). I am okay with slightly different handling of young players, but I think that has to be balanced with the same accountability and “earn your ice time” as applies to everyone else. I think sitting Hanifin for a game (and importantly not making a big deal about it) is better for him and the team.