UPDATES ADDED IN ITALICS AT 3PM ET UPON SEEING COMBINATIONS FROM PRACTICE AND THE FACT THAT CAM WARD IS STARTING PER MICHAEL SMITH FROM CAROLINAHURRICANES.COM ON TWITTER.
After a 4-4-2 October, the Hurricanes sit firmly on the fence in terms of where they sit in the standings and also any assessment of their play thus far. The simple positive is that the team is off to its best start in recent memory and has yet to dig itself into a hole. The simple negative is that a .500 winning percentage is not playoff pace.
As I noted in today’s Daily Cup of Joe, the team basically goes on the road for the entirety of the three plus weeks between the winter holidays which makes November critical for sorting things out and building some cushion.
Against that backdrop, the Hurricanes kick off their slate of 13 games in November with a match up against the Colorado Avalanche who are a very respectable 6-5 thus far during the 2017-18 season.
‘What I’m watching’ for the Carolina Hurricanes versus the Colorado Avalanche
1) The blue line and how Peters and Smith manage it
For anyone who has been away from Canes hockey this week, the big news is that Brett Pesce took a puck to the head in practice on Tuesday, has been diagnosed with a concussion and will miss at least two games. (He did not travel with the team for the two-game road trip.)
That obviously creates a sizable hole on a blue line that was very much a work in progress even with Pesce in the lineup.
The team recalled Roland McKeown from the AHL which creates more options. Check in with Michael Smith at CarolinaHurricanes.com mid-afternoon to see who is expected to get the start in Colorado between Klas Dahlbeck and Roland McKeown.
Regardless, I will be watching closely to see how Peters builds the defense pairings and how they fare minus Brett Pesce. With three days off prior to Thursday and only one game in four days following Thursday, I expect Peters to lean on his top 5 as heavily as necessary to win a hockey game.
On seeing Slavin/van Riemsdyk, Fleury/Faulk and Hanifin/Dahlbeck as the defense pairings in practice: The blue line minus Pesce easily made the watch list anyway, but these pairings offer a bit more even. If van Riemsdyk can dial up his game and/or Slavin can boost him up, Peters at least gets back to having one solid pairing that he can trust which is really all he had before Pesce’s injury. Fleury is especially worth watching. I thought he struggled mightily trying to play up into the top 4 in the third period on Sunday. The positive angle is that he has generally looked capable in a third pairing role. Here is hoping that he is ready for the next level of challenge. Finally, via an injury and various struggles, the team is somehow right back to where it was last year with Hanifin/Dahlbeck and Dahlbeck on his off side. This ended badly (regularly) last season. Here is hoping for better in v2.0.
If other stuff does not work, I figure Slavin for 27+ minutes tonight basically playing every third shift with extras anytime there is a TV timeout or period start that makes it possible to come back to him sooner.
2) Scott Darling
He is coming off a winnable game that instead turned into a shootout loss when he started slow and was beaten five hole late while trying to protect a 3-2 lead. Now 10 games into the 2017-18 season, Darling is still trying to find a rhythm and a higher gear. he has not been horrible, but he has not been a positive eiteher. Because of that, I will be watching to see how he plays Thursday as we flip the calendar into the second month of the 2017-18 season.
On learning that Ward will get the start: I generally like the move. I figured him to start on Saturday in Arizona but without going conspiracy theory am fine with him starting on Thursday instead. The fact of the matter is that he has been the better goalie thus far. And in a wild game against Edmonton, Ward was a calming force in a game when his team did not show up defensively. Minus Pesce tonight, a bit of calm will be welcome as the blue line tries to adjust. In addition, the target split is roughly 55/25 which means Ward should play roughly one out of every three games. The best way to achieve that is to get Ward a few extra starts when he is playing well and/or Darling is not. That is the case right now.
3) A friendly formula?
The Hurricanes have fared incredibly well in contests when the opposing team has been willing to open things up and play a fast-paced game up and down the middle of the rink. Colorado is another team that can be willing to play this style of hockey, so I will be watching to see if the game opens up and also to see if the trend of the Hurricanes being the better team in games like this continues.
This and hopefully some Cam Ward calm could be the saving grace. Here is hoping for a torrid pace aimed at a 5-4 outcome. The Hurricanes have performed well in this type of game and would be happy to play it tonight.
What say you Caniacs?
Will the good guys start November on the right foot?
Minus Brett Pesce, how heavily will Peters lean on his top defensemen?
What are you watching?
The puck drops at about 9pm local time on Fox Sports Carolinas with John, Tripp and Mike.
Go Canes!
Nothing matters if Darling can’t do better than below average in net.
Question 1 – does Slavin get 30+ minutes today??? I ask only in half-jest. It would be great to see Hanifin and Fleury both step up defensively because I think that will be critical given the type of game I expect.
Both teams have solid forward corps and like to play with tempo. Defense is iffy. I am expecting a lot of rushes and a lot of scoring chances for both teams.
We have to play good possession hockey and try not to make it a back-and-forth track meet.
Darling has to step up with medium- and high-danger chances – he should expect to see a few.
This should be an opportunity for players like Lindholm and Aho to get (and hopefully complete) multiple good chances today.
Skinner with a hat trick??
If we had a good, prolific group of scoring forwards…Darling and our wounded defense could keep us in the game, HOWEVER it’s anybody’s guess whether we will finish off enough of (what should be) many scoring opportunities to WIN!
If we win…the score could be BIG like 6-5 IMO?
…Skins could get 3 or 4, I just don’t know how we can get 2 or 3 more?
1) Yes. This should be a high scoring, run and gun Toronto type game.
2) It will depend on how the defensemen play. Peters will adjust on the fly depending on how they are doing. On another thread, many commenters projected McKeown to get the start on the right side 3rd pair. While I hope that happens, it is historically more likely that Dahlbeck will be inserted on his offside. Peters commented that Dahlbeck should be given a chance to be successful by playing him on his natural side, so… we could get a surprise on the back end tonight.
3) The first key to the game is how the defense can come together. Even if they eliminate the terrible mistakes, this will likely be a track meet, so the second second key to the game is which forwards will step up. I think we’ll need 5 to win this one.
My fearless forecast is this is exactly the catalyst that Aho needs to break out, perhaps in a big way. Aho excels on rushes and in the center of the ice. Skinner will get at least one. The 4th line needs to cycle it in their end and control possession, if they happen to get a goal it would be a great bonus.
Real simple for me. If this team isn’t 6-4-2 two games from now, can’t win against Colorado and Arizona, I’ll basically be on to 2018. If thats the case it is 110% time to make some changes or call-ups or something to spark the team. Maybe sit a Hanifin or an Aho or definitely a Rask, and every game I have to watch Derek Ryan play I just want to scream (reference my twitter account for confirmation of that… and please excuse the language). He should have been in the AHL a long time ago, really. If Peters can’t see that, maybe he should head to Charlotte with him. This is a results based business, and you’re not getting it done. Again. And maybe this is a slightly ridiculous attitude to have the first week of November, but that’s about where I am at. This team has to start playing hockey the way they’re capable of, right now. Stop wasting days, weeks, months. I’m sick of watching sloppy, stupid, underachieving hockey.
Also, if Dahlbeck is in the lineup instead of McKeown it will just further tarnish any respect I have left for Peters. If Hanifin, Slavin, or Fleury has to miss a game, sure, insert him on the left and give us a little sandpaper on the back end (god knows this team needs that, you’d think they’re playing in my non-checking adult league sometimes). But on the right side he’s absolutely lost.
From the morning skate:
F
Aho-Staal-Lindholm
Teravainen-Rask-Williams
Skinner-Ryan-Jooris
Nordstrom-Kruger-McGinn
D
Slavin-van Riemsdyk
Fleury-Faulk
Hanifin-Dahlbeck
G
Ward
I am a little surprised to see Ward apparently get the start – yesterday Peters said it would be Darling in net. I am not surprised McKeown is not 3R this evening possibly Saturday, after they get a full practice in tomorrow. But Dahlbeck playing his offside may still be viewed as a better immediate option that McKeown.
Then McKeown must not be very good. And yet another of these touted defensive prospects will be a bust.
I have not been impressed with McKeown when I have gone to Charlotte to see the Checkers play. For as much as there is still a general belief that we are young and deep on the blue line, we are actually just young on the defense. We don’t have great depth.
It’s entirely possible we will see McKeown on Saturday. He has yet to make his NHL debut in the regular season.
I would’ve rather seen Staal and Rask switched. Will definitely be watching the D closely tonight. I don’t think TVR will struggle with the increased minutes and he has been pretty solid so far in a limited capacity. Hopefully Fleury-Faulk have a better showing than Hanifin-Faulk have the last few.
Hopefully we can score a couple of early goals to take some pressure off and then take off when the game opens up.
COL hasn’t managed to give up less than 3 goals since Game #5 (1 vs. ANA). We’ve only given up more than 3 goals once (DAL, excluding SO’s). I think this sets up favorably for a open-ice game, where we play to our strengths.
Worried about the 3rd pairing. Less worried about Cam Ward and the offense.
Will be watching the PP closely.
I always look at these lines and think, something is missing. With the exception of Kruger and Jooris who are new to the team and actually good(ironically Jooris now on 3rd line), it’s like one player on each line doesn’t gel or belong. It’s like molding something out of play dough, only to roll it back into a ball and into something else, yet it’s still the same play dough.
I can see this game being 3-0 after 1st period, either which way. And that thought is kinda scary.
Who knows, maybe we’ll fly out of Colorado with Duchene or Landeskog?