After an utterly wild affair in Brooklyn on Monday night, the Hurricanes and Islanders will do it again in Raleigh on Tuesday. The Hurricanes’ 8-4 win on Monday featured a free pass through the neutral zone, mostly a night off for goaltenders whether they were in the game or not and scoring chances at a similar pace to pond hockey without goalies. The Hurricanes got a hat trick from Jaccob Slavin and 2 goals each from Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner to collect the win.
Given that the first match up between these teams was another wild 7-4 win for the Hurricanes in January, it seems reasonable to hope for another high-scoring event in Raleigh on Tuesday.
‘What I’m watching’ for the Hurricanes versus the Islanders
1) More of the same?
It seems impossible that these 2 teams could just keep posting 10 or more goals every time they play, but who knows. I would imagine both coaches will spend time with the video and try to make adjustments on the forecheck and retreat through the neutral zone to try to add a layer of resistance. Or maybe the match up just has some oddity that neither team can slow the other down. Either way, I will be watching early to see if another wild game seems to be in store.
2) Lucas Wallmark
I was not so high on his debut in my recap of Monday’s game or in my comments in today’s Daily Cup of Joe. It was not so much that Wallmark played poorly or did anything specifically wrong. Rather, my first read on him in an NHL game is that he is going to have a hard time at transition points with his current mobility/speed. Tuesday I will be watching to see if I get the same impression. Important to note is that Victor Rask makes average-ish speed work because he is so incredibly good positionally and also reading developing plays to get a quick jump, so speed is not an absolute requirement to be successful in the NHL.
3) Eddie Lack
The expectation is that Peters will go back to Eddie Lack for the second half of the back-to-back with travel. I will be watching to see how he looks especially if the game is a wide open affair like Monday.
The puck drops at about 7:07pm at PNC Arena.
Go Canes!
Thought Wallmark played about as well as most of our forwards. He won 4 out 6 faceoffs, had 2 hits, had a couple of shots, had excellent Corsi, and was -1. I’m looking for good results and am not so concerned with how he or any other Canes player gets good results. The name of the game is WIN BABY!
I’m adding these two to my list:
1/ I’m expecting chippiness: Clutterbuck was clearly frustrated, picked on Aho at least once after a whistle in the 3rd, cross-checked Skinner with 2:00 minutes left, and then scraped with Lindholm. While I don’t expect anything dirty – NYI generally plays clean hockey – they were embarrassed on national tv and they’re fighting for their playoff lives. Look for way more intensity that, if the game doesn’t start off positively for them, can quickly deteriorate into poor emotional control.
2/ Given #1, I’m looking for someone on our team to be ready to enforce order, especially if they take shots at Aho or Skinner. Depending which line is on the ice, it’s going to be either Staal, Stempniak, or Lindholm, maybe Dahlback if he draws into the lineup. The ranks are thin, but it’s the kind of play that is letter-worthy.
On a sidenote, I know I’ve been on the Lindholm bandwagon lately … I remember a few years back he was asked which Swede he most wanted his game to resemble, and he said Peter Forsberg. Call me crazy, but he’s becoming that kind of rugged player with skill, or at least moving in that direction, which is excellent to see. It would not surprise me to see him be Aho’s protector tonight and moving forward, especially should they play together.
3/ And RedRyder, didn’t one of Wallmark’s shot attempts hit a pipe?
Yes, I believe one did. I hope you didn’t interpret my comments as a negative critique of Wallmark. Just the opposite was my intent. I was just trying to caution against picking apart his various skills such as his skating and not appreciating what is important which is his effectiveness in putting the puck in the net and playing a complete game. I personally won’t care if he takes between today and tomorrow (just a metaphor or whatever you call these phrases) to get up the ice if when he does so he scores GOALS at an above average rate and has a plus rating.
As usual, IMO your remarks are right on and I hope we stick up for our skill players when they are being “abused.”
Definitely worth watching. In a different era of NHL hockey, these home and homes were an automatic recipe for carryover agitation and usually a couple fights in the 2nd game. Today’s NHL is different, but there is still a need to police things and stick up for each other when needed.