Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss on Saturday night to the Islanders, the Carolina Hurricanes are right back on home ice for a 5pm game against the New Jersey Devils. The game is a match up of the #6 and #7 teams in the Metropolitan Division who are separated by only a single point (New Jersey is up 1) in the standings and the draft ranking.
Despite being on the outside of playoff chase with very slim hopes, both teams are playing decent hockey down the stretch and steering clear of the T (tank) word. New Jersey is 5-2-1 in its past 8 games. The Hurricanes have not been that good, but have been playing even hockey and getting into overtime at least picking up an OTL point in 9 of 11 games in March.
The biggest stories going for the Hurricanes right now are the ongoing development of the young blue line and the players on try out for the 2016-17 team. Those themes are the bulk of ‘what I’m watching’ for the Easter Sunday match up:
1) The try out at forward
Chris Terry is surging with points in 5 consecutive games and some solid hockey around the scoring plays. I had him on the outside looking in for the 2016-17 season (at least in terms of getting a 1-way contract), but if he is to be judged based on play down the stretch, he is rising right now.
Riley Nash (who I had a ‘keep’ for 2016-17) continues to play well. He is not flashy and seems unlikely to morph into a 50-point scorer at this point in his career, but he is solid defensively, versatile in terms of position and role and offers decent scoring potential if slotted correctly on the fourth line.
Patrick Brown and Brody Sutter are the 2 current AHLers getting a look. My short evaluation of Sutter is that he is good positionally, limited offensively and maybe just not fast enough to play at the NHL level. If he pushes up onto the roster, it is probably in a fourth line role. Patrick Brown had his first look of the 2015-16 season on Saturday. He did not stand out or hit the score sheet, but he stayed out of trouble defensively and finished checks. Like Sutter, I see his near-term upside as fourth line depth, but he is getting a chance to claim more right now.
2) And on defense
Ryan Murphy looked better on Saturday after a couple rough games. He did play a negative role in the Islanders tying goal in the third period, otherwise I thought his game was pretty solid. Most noticeable was his assertiveness with the puck on his stick. If he is going to make it in the NHL it must be on the back of his strength as a puck carrier and its ability to generate offense. Sunday represents a chance to build positive momentum.
Noah Hanifin continues to offer highlight reel type plays attacking with the puck on his stick and also have some tough learning shifts without the puck when other players are attacking him. At the most basic level, that is Hanifin’s game as a 19-year old at this early stage of his development. When he is attacking and dictating play, he looks is already on the verge of being a great offensive defenseman. But he still struggles regularly when things start happening quickly in his defensive zone and the game is about sorting things out positionally in a hurry and under pressure.
Brett Pesce is in the middle of another good run of hockey and is settling in next to Hanifin. The ability of Hanifin and Pesce to find chemistry and a formula for good defensive hockey together could be key for the 2016-17. If James Wisniewski hops back into the top 4, Hanifin/Pesce likely play together as the third pairing.
3) The leadership
With the trade of Eric Staal at the trade deadline, the heirs to the Canes leadership were naturally Justin Faulk and Jordan Staal. Thursday was the first game that both were in the lineup after the departure of Eric Staal. Now is the time to set a tone for how the team competes and wins heading into the summer. Jeff Skinner has also been noticeable on a nightly basis. He had 1 bad night of that with the extracurricular stuff on Tuesday against Buffalo, but otherwise it has been in a positive way. He has been the team’s best forward in March.
The puck drops at about 5:07pm at PNC Arena.
Go Canes!
