The #CanesCoaster continues it tumultuous ride. After a pair of wins last weekend and a resounding 7-3 victory on Tuesday to rise to new highs, the team has since turned back down with two losses to Metropolitan Division foes and teams also in the playoff chase.
What a difference a couple days can make this time of year. With a win over the Devils on Thursday night, the Hurricanes could leap-frogged them into fourth place in the Metropolitan and the first wild card slot. But with a loss and another that followed to the Islanders on Friday coupled with another Devils win on Saturday, the Hurricanes will enter Sunday’s rematch suddenly five points behind the Devils and on the wrong side of playoff cut line.
But despite the two-game losing streak, with a win on Sunday the Hurricanes could emerge back in a playoff spot if the Blue Jackets lose on Sunday.
A couple interesting story lines
1) The lineup. Coach Bill Peters has already said that Haydn Fleury will step back into the lineup in place of Klas Dahlbeck which is fairly standard fare with the two swapping in and out fairly regularly. More interesting could be a second development. The Hurricanes returned Patrick Brown to the AHL and recalled Lucas Wallmark. On the one hand, it seems odd that the team would swap AHLers if Peters intends to just healthy scratch the player anyway. On the other hand, I would have guessed that the Hurricanes would have recalled Wallmark in time to practice with the team on Saturday if he was expected to play on Sunday.
I voted recently to at least try to boost the lineup with an AHL call up or two. The team is struggling to score right now and while there is some risk, the high-scoring AHLers at least have the potential to boost the offense.
2) The Devils. With an odd schedule, the game against the Devils on Thursday was the first of four between the two teams. What jumped out about the Devils was how aggressively they attacked on the forecheck. The Devils were faster and their aggressive, ‘pedal down’ style gave the Hurricanes problems at times. With a game of experience, video to watch and home ice advantage to dictate match ups, it will be interesting to see if Peters can make adjustments three days later.
Another wild card is the fact that the Devils played and traveled on Saturday night which theoretically should give the Hurricanes a physical advantage.
“Must win” is overdone, but “really need to win after two losses” is not by any stretch of the imagination.
‘What I’m watching’ for the Carolina Hurricanes versus the New Jersey Devils
1) Adjustments
The Devils forecheck is as aggressive as any that the Hurricanes have seen this season. Pretty regularly, the Devils had all three forwards below the face-off circles when the Hurricanes were trying to move the puck off the end wall. The Hurricanes solved the puzzle only intermittently and were never really able to get behind the first wave with speed to generate odd man rushes that would seem to be available. Early in Sunday’s game, I will be watching to see if Peters can make tactical adjustments to beat the forecheck, quickly get moving north/south behind and counterattack with speed.
2) Goaltending
Here it sits at #2 very likely for the rest of the year. The biggest story in the 5-2 loss to New Jersey was a tough night for Scott Darling. Best guess is that Cam Ward gets the start on Sunday. The Devils are an interesting contrast to the Hurricanes right now. Minus starting goalie Corey Schneider who has played a key role the Devils’ surprising success, the backup tandem of Keith Kinkaid and Eddie Lack has just reeled off three straight wins. Lack played and won on Saturday, so with the Hurricanes current starter in Ward going against New Jersey’s #2, a goaltending advantage would be helpful.
3) Leaders rising up
After a fun home win on Tuesday, the Hurricanes are facing another mini-bout of adversity with two straight losses. I will be watching to see which players rise up to lead when the team really needs it.
4) Lucas Wallmark? …the lines? more forward scoring?
With the 5pm start, we probably will not know until just before puck drop if Lucas Wallmark will be in the lineup. Regardless, the team needs to find something that boosts scoring across the forward group. Anyone who has been reading my previews and recaps last week should have the list of forwards who have not scored a goal yet in February memorized. The issue has been glossed over in a couple wins with a big scoring outburst by the defensemen and power play and production from the few (Skinner, Aho, McGinn) who are clicking, but at some point the Hurricanes will need more contributors to consistently score enough to win.
The puck drops early at 5:07pm at PNC Arena.
Go Canes!
We all know this team needs help to make the playoffs. Its obvious we are a player or two shy of being a playoff team. Sad but true. RF is playing the long game I get it but it doesn’t make it any less painful. I hope I am wrong. not likely.
When D. Ryan is on a PP unit you have a personnel problem.
Saying RF is playing the long game, is like saying “IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG TIME BEFORE SOMEONE FIRES HIM, or he realizes that all those cheap players will never become stars, and were “BARGAINS” for a Fu@%ing reason!
It’s already been a long…damn…game…of “stay-the-course, which is another way of saying DO NOTHING…and pray…
4 or 5 years is patience…THIS IS JUST STUPID!
There is no such thing as the long game in hockey IMO. One injury to a key player, a down year for a player or so who were key players, etc. then all your long term planning goes right out the window. We had no injuries of any consequence this year. We have a chance to make the playoffs now and we should be doing what we can do to enhance this chance now. New Jersey lost Palmieri (a top scorer) and Schneider (No. 1 goalie) for an extended time this year. Suppose next year Aho and/or Skinner for example go out with long term injuries. Then you are looking at postponing making the playoffs until 2019-20 making your “long term plan” run even longer. The other teams are also can improve from year to year delaying your chance to make the playoffs. Postponement of getting into the playoffs can (and has in the Canes case) go on for years playing for the long term. You play each season to get to the playoffs in THAT season when you have a reasonable opportunity to do so. Putting off making improvements now that can favorably impact the team’s performance now (assuming the improvement is not jeopardizing the team’s future) is inexcusable hockey wise, unfair the players currently on the team (you are saying to them you aren’t good enough and there is noting that can be done) and unfair to the fans who support the team at the games.
golden24, is right IMO with his comments above. I would just add to those comments that we might be a player or two shy right now. If that is the case, it would seem to me that we would try to remedy that now when we have a reasonable chance to make the playoffs. How can we TRY to remedy that. For one, we can call up players from our AHL affiliate to see if they will solve the problem. Aren’t we going to have to find out sometime if we really have any NHL talent in Charlotte? Or are none of the Charlotte players ready for the NHL now, but come next training camp we know they will help us in the NHL. Would we be jeopardizing our playoff chances now by calling up players when we are already receding into oblivion with the players we have on the roster. Let’s say management thinks we can win with who we have. Management may be correct but it sure is no sure thing and the odds of not are getting longer. So that doesn’t justify not trying to do everything they can to increase the chances of that occurring now.
BP and RF have had 4 years to develop what we have now. Outside of our supposed depth of prospects at Charlotte, there has been no improvement relative to that of all the other teams in the conference. New Jersey turned things around in a couple of years, Toronto has done the same thing. Pittsburgh has infused more young players into their lineup than we have with no falloff in performance. Boston has done the same. How do we catch up if other teams are improving at a faster rate than we are?
RF is a bit of a dragon.
He jealously guards his draft picks in his horde in Charlotte and lies on them, refusing to trade them or use them. If you don’t do either of those things you end up losing them for nothing.
There’s a reason why dragons are extinct (mythically speaking).
Potential does not win hockey games, translating potential to performance does.
Look at Boston, look at the Penguins, the Devils, the Flyers (to some extent), look at what the Lightning did. They drafted well and harnessed the energy of their young players.
Yes, the Red Wings did pretty well with 20 years of playoffs over ripening their players, but it was a different league and the Red Wings have not won the cup since 2008, and are not making the playoffs this year.
We’ll probably win today to keep on our 92 point, 9th place in the East, 13th pick in the draft pace. I hope they don’t. I hope they don’t ever win another game until it’ll actually mean something. Cause they can take this hockey equivalent of purgatory, never getting any better, each year death by a thousand minuscule incisions back to Hartford or go to QC, I really don’t give a damn anymore. I’m so sick of watching this team come up small in the big game/moment. It’s almost comical at this point because you just know. Making a goalie with 32 goals allowed in his last 7 starts look like the second coming of Jesus himself in the f…… net. Hilarious.
Oh. Also. Wallmark is a PLAYMAKER. We have no FINISHERS. But yeah let’s not call up Valentin Zykov’s 225 pound arse, the AHL leader in goals, who you know will park right in front of the net and get you ugly goals. Which is EXACTLY what this team needs.
RF and BP are probably afraid to bring up any scorers because they might not be up to snuff defensively…you know…not as good as Nordy who is minus 10, Derek Ryan who is minus 14, or even Jeff Skinner who is minus 21. We sure don’t want a couple of tenderfoots to come up and give up a goal or two while they are on the ice. We will maybe when we are totally out of the playoff picture and then management will call some players up when it won’t matter if they produce or not. In Carolina that’s called “development” (they can’t be wrong because the act of calling a player up is after all a development) and “planning for the long term” (they can’t be wrong because at the rate they are bringing in developed players it will be a long time before we are playoff competitive, if ever).
Since we’ve all eaten our Cheerios today, I agree with everything said. I would try to trade both captains, but that is more wishful thinking and probably not the right time of year to get a good return.
Something does tell me a big change or two is coming but it may not be what we think. We’ll probably hear about the new scoreboard they are trying to get for next year, and then announce the team is going back to it’s roots (no, not moving to Hartford)… rather rebranding the team while being renamed the Carolina Whalers and bringing back the classic jerseys they are already selling in the pro shop.
It’s time for whale meat tacos at the PNC arena.
Believe it or not, my dad was a whale hunter by profession, and I was raised on whael meat.
As politically incorrect as that sounds (I don’t know why, a whale is no different from a cow, just bigger), it is not the tastiest treat you’ll ever have, so if you can avoid one, I’d recommend you do, if you do eat one, make sure it was boiled in milk (to get rid of the fishliver taste).
But all they can serve for the rest of the year at the PNC arena is inadequate nachos and loser tacos.