Had you told me at the beginning of the weekend that the Hurricanes could take a split or take their chances aiming for better, I would have taken the split that the Hurricanes ultimately achieved.
To be clear, the Hurricanes do need to find a significantly higher gear at some point fairly soon before it is too late, but bye week returns are nothing to be messed with, hopping straight into a back-to-back was also tough and the Vegas Golden Knights are the best team in the NHL so far.
A treading water 1-1 split is by no means great, but I continue to think that the goal for the run of four games coming out of the bye week is to stay in position such that the run of 11 home games out of 12 starting on January 30 has the potential to decide the season. Despite the fact that today’s loss could see the Canes lose ground on of the last two playoff teams (Flyers won earlier; Rangers play later), I think 1-1 does that reasonably well.
If the Hurricanes win against the Penguins on Tuesday, all will be okay coming out of the bye week.
The game itself
Unfortunately, my game preview was right on target in a bad way. I had “goaltending” as my top watch item and “the physical response in game two after the break” second. Both of those factors featured heavily in the negative outcome.
The game was another for which is is really hard to even evaluate the bigger picture because of the early and deciding deficit in net. Scott Darling was beaten on three of the first eight shots he faced which staked the Golden Knights to a big 3-0 lead and set the course for the game.
The first goal against was all too familiar. Off the rush, Joakim Nordstrom and Trevor van Riemsdyk both went to the same player. When the next two Hurricanes (Noah Hanifin and Marcus Kruger) were a bit slow returning such that a 1-on-2 quickly turned into a 2-on-2 and then suddenly a 1-on-0. No doubt, the Hurricanes defense hung Scott Darling out to dry, but on that play he needs to challenge the shot, stay square to the shooter, close up holes and make the shooter beat him into a corner. Instead, I think this goal follows that book that is out on Darling which is to consider shooting a bit early and aiming five hole. Darling has regularly been beaten this year on shots that find holes when the shooter shoots a bit early before Darling is set. If the shooter beats him into a corner, you hand this one on the defense. When it goes through Darling, he needs to be better too.
The second goal was a power play deflection off of Jordan Staal that really gave Darling no chance. And when Darling was then beaten short side off the rush, his night became a short one with three goals allowed on only eight shots.
The game was a bit like the recent loss to the Bruins in that the goalie generated an early and sizable deficit such that it was hard to even measure the Hurricanes’ level of play.
In the first period, the Hurricanes’ power play continued its stronger play of late. An early power play mustered 3-4 good scoring chances from a bunch of offensive zone time even though it did not score. And a late power play saw a pretty feed from behind the net by Jeff Skinner find Jaccob Slavin for a quick goal. At the time, the goal was a huge one pulling the Hurricanes to within two goals at 3-1 heading into the locker room after the first period.
But at a basic level, I really think it was not to be on Sunday night. The Hurricanes seemed to fade early and generate very little for good scoring chances as the game wore on, and the Golden Knights kept opportunistically attacking offensively in transition. Two more goals on Cam Ward resulted in a lopsided 5-1 loss.
Notes on the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights
1) Goaltending
I continue to believe that there is no path to the playoffs without improved netminding during the stretch run. After winning on Saturday and faring somewhat better than Darling on Sunday, I think the job is again Ward’s to lose. Here is hoping that the short break helped him recharge such that he can continue to carry the load until Darling finds his game.
2) Elias Lindholm
After two goals in Saturday’s big win, Lindholm followed up with a noticeable effort on Sunday. I would not say that he was great, but he was a difference-maker via physical play finishing a hard check on the wall late in the first period and then sticking around to jaw about it and ultimately pick up a power play when the player he hit retaliated. There was an agitating and snarly component to Lindholm’s game during his best play in 2016-17. Though Lindholm has been decent thus far in 2017-18, my belief is that he has a higher gear that comes at least partly from playing closer to the edge physicall.
3) Tough night for the defense
Vegas ranks right up there with the Tampa Bay Lightning in terms of creating turnovers of going from defense to offense so quickly that the opponent is unable to defend the rush that follows. The majority of the blue line looked a step slow all night. Trevor van Riemsdyk who has been incredibly consistent had a tough night defending off the rush being part of the first goal against, having a Golden Knight forward blow right around him to the front of the net on another play and being caught in the middle of a few other plays that saw the Golden Knights attacking the net freely. After a strong two-game debut earlier in the season, Roland McKeown had a ‘meh’ game. He was beaten to the front of the net for a tap in goal against, had trouble with Dahlbeck moving the puck up the ice and had trouble (like the rest of the defense) defending Vegas in transition. And Justin Faulk picked up two minor penalties and was caught on the wrong side of the puck multiple times. In the name of not just generalizing the whole group, Hanifin and Slavin seemed to have more hop and were therefore better able to compete in a fast game.
After a generally solid effort in Saturday’s win, I will optimistically hope that Sunday’s struggles were just a matter of playing an elite team on a night when the legs just were not there.
4) Lack of cohesion moving the puck
The Hurricanes mostly looked out of sorts trying to advance the puck from their own end to the offensive zone. Even when they did not turn the puck over, the pace was sluggish and the offense generated entering the offensive zone was virtually non-existent.
5) The loss increases the importance of Tuesday’s game
I started by saying that the 1-1 split for the tricky back-to-back return from the bye week was acceptable even if not great. And yes, I realize that some will accuse of wearing rose-colored glasses. But if the Hurricanes can recharge and rebound to win a big divisional game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, all, or at least most, will be right in the world again. With a loss, the Hurricanes will again be sinking even if only gradually.
Next up is a 7pm start in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
Go Canes!
Yesterday I thought the Canes and Red Wings played a fairly even matched battle.
Today Vegas was clearly the superior team, more committed, faster, better organized, with timely goaltending and passionate players.
This game made it painfully obvious that the canes are simply not a playoff caliber team as currently coached and constructed.
Just think about the difference between the teams 4th lines.
The Vegas 4th line was fast, threatening, cycled the puck and had at least one goal, I think more.
The Canes 4th line has scored a total of 6 goals in almost 50 games, consists of 2 key guys on a PK that was #24 in the league before tonight and gave up 2 goals on 3 Pks tonight, so it may be down to 25 or 26, at least it is on its merry way down.
Darling, I don’t know what to say. You can’t blame the first goal on him, but he could have had the second, and any NHL goalie should have had the third.
Faulk, the co captain led the way by taking 2 penalties, the defensive miscues were there.
Offense, lots of shots from outside, typical Canes fashion.
Vegas is the leagues best right now, granted, and a loss is a loss, be it 1 0 or 5 to 1, but I am fast losing belief in this team, and I am absolutely convinced that without a major shakeup now we will be seeing early golf in April and picking around 10th.
The only positive, the new owner witnesses this train wreck first hand from the stands, I hope he will sit the captains, the coaches and the management down and explain that this is not good enough.
I also hope he will pull off a trade between now and Tuesday.
At the very least, bring up Zykov and Vogele from Clt (they are scoring lots of goals and Voegele is doing a great job killing penalties and scoring short-handed).
Sit Kruger and Pdg.
I think the game against Pit is the ultimate must-win if we are to salvage the season. If the Canes lose that game I have officially written the season off.
I will still try to enjoy it, especially if I see some shuffling of the deck and tryouts for next year, even if I am sick of betting on nex year, but I will no longer sit down excited with dreams of 2018 playoff.
And I will start skipping Canes games for other things, especially come March.
We, the fans, deserve better than this from the players, the coaches and the management.
I agree breezy. I sit right behind the goal and Darling was totally worthless. IMO all 3 goals were stoppable. Five hole was totally open on the first and the last I cold not stomach. He didn’t even try to get into position. I see nothing that makes me believe Darling is going to right the ship. The problem is Darling is not even close to a serviceable backup. I do not see how we make the playoffs with only one goalie.
I agree with everything you have said breezy. We need to get a sense of urgency in the front office and coaching. A management style of “hoping tomorrow will be a better day” might have worked for Scarlett O’Hara, but won’t cut it in the NHL.
As much as I feel disappointed in Darling, I also feel disappointed for him. I don’t think anyone – he, RF and BP, the team, even the Blackhawks and their fans – saw this coming. One has to believe there is another redemption story in him. As Canes fans we have to hope for that.
Listening to ChuckK at the arena tonight he mentioned the importance of a winning streak – referencing both VGK and COL. The Canes haven’t pulled a winning streak of more than 3-4 games all season. February is the time. It’s the only time.
In the end, though, it is not that the Canes lost or even that loss only makes it 1-1 after the break. Rather it is how the Canes lost. And by how much – I am not sure I have seen the Canes get blown out so many times in a season as they have this season since the Muller years. That’s saying something.
So I was there. And I’m not happy about wasting my Sunday afternoon. It started off as a promising night. A win would have been real big. The building was actually pretty full and lively. For about two minutes til Darling started seeing shots. Even when we cut it to 3-1 there was some energy in the building. But I expect that’ll go back to normal since we seem to put out tbah kind of performance EVERY time attendance gets up a little. I’m kinda out of explanations or hope for changes. Maybe some day. This team is still a legit star at forward, a fourth line, a healthy Pesce and Aho, a goalie, and a more mature Fleury/McKeown away from even thinking about competing. Which is why we need to lose and lose hard until April. Will do SO much more for our future than playing .500 hockey, going on a too little, too late run in the best division in hockey, and picking 12th again.
Tom, it’s time to clean house…
Nearly everybody knows what the problem is, but no one wants to admit it…
Hint…start at the top
I was at the game and left after the first period. Based on the final score, I did not miss much. It was a late night on Saturday, so fatigue and watching sloppy hockey did not make for a good mix.
A buddy of mine who was at the game told me today that a group of fans in Section 328 were chanting something to the effect of “Where’s the passion?”. Too often, the guys lack a sense of urgency. Too often, they do not start on time. Too often, the game is over after the first stanza. The only passion I saw yesterday was in the closing moments of the 1st.
Changes need to be made. We need additional talent, and although I have become comfortable with some of the guys on the team, it is time to part with some of them and wish them well.
It was good to see the good crowd on hand yesterday, and was happy to see Dundon in attendance. Hopefully he took some notes.
Regardless, the Canes are my team and I will continue to support them. But watching bad hockey is worse than watching paint dry. We have some nice pieces on the ice, but, without a doubt, we’ve got to make some acquisitions to raise the team’s talent level.