As has become tradition for the Carolina Hurricanes, the team spent an extended portion of its first month on the road with the NC State Fair in town. This season, the road trip saw the team play its first six games on the road, finishing with a record of 1-3-2. The Canes appear to be a mixed bag right now, with some aspects of their game going very well, and some in serious need of improvement. Here are a few of each.
What went well:
Scoring- Something that has been a major issue for the Hurricanes in years past, particularly last season, has been the team’s biggest strength to start 2016-17. The Canes finished 27th in the NHL last season with 2.39 goals per game, a big factor in the team’s seventh consecutive playoff miss. Carolina has flipped that stat on its head early this season, as the Hurricanes currently sit tied for 12th in the NHL in goals per game with three goals per game.
A big factor in this has been the play of the team’s top forward line of Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask and newcomer Lee Stempniak. The trio has combined for 10 goals and 19 points so far, leading the charge for the Canes. Stempniak has added a touch of playmaking to last year’s dynamic pairing of Skinner, the team’s best natural goal-scorer, and Rask, a heady two-way center. It is early, but the Canes appear to have put together an elite first line, and that has been a big part of the scoring charge. One of the biggest questions coming into this year was whether or not the Canes could score, and the answer so far has been a resounding yes.
Special Teams- The Canes have been very productive on both the power play and penalty kill so far this season. While the penalty kill has been strong in both of head coach Bill Peters’ first two seasons in Raleigh, the power play has long been an Achilles’ heel. This season, however, both have been excellent.
A combination of crisp passing and strong shooters from the offseason infusion of skill to the Hurricanes lineup has the power play currently sitting at 25 percent, good for eighth in the NHL. The penalty kill has been equally strong, sitting at 90.9 percent, good for sixth in the league. NHL coaches are fond of saying that your special teams percentages should add up to at least 100 percent, and the Canes are currently at a whopping 116. If the team can iron out its defensive issues (more on that in a bit), its special teams prowess should lead to a lot of wins.
Newcomers Ready to Go- The Canes added several new players this offseason, and they have made positive contributions already. The aforementioned Stempniak has four goals, which has him tied for seventh in the NHL, and six points in six games. Finnish forwards Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen have been productive as well. Aho has five assists in six games, tying him for the league lead among rookies, and Teravainen has two goals and an assist, helping out the Hurricanes power play. So far, these moves to add scoring look like good ones by general manager Ron Francis.
Things That Need Improvement:
Team Defense (Particularly with a lead)- This one seems to be most directly responsible for the team’s overall record. The team defense that was so strong last season has deserted the Canes so far. There have been far too many sloppy turnovers and blown coverages leading to goals against. This was particularly true in the first two games of the season.
The Canes were up 4-1 against the Winnipeg Jets and 3-0 against the Vancouver Canucks, respectively, and ended up losing both games in overtime. That is inexcusable. This is a young team, but the veterans have been just as culpable. Plays like Jeff Skinner’s ill-advised backward pass leading to a short-handed goal against Winnipeg, or several sloppy turnovers so far by defensemen Justin Faulk and Ron Hainsey, who are the two veterans on a young defense that needs to eliminate unforced mental errors.
Goaltending- Another question mark coming into the season, this one has so far not had a favorable answer. The defense in front of them has not been good, but Cam Ward and Eddie Lack simply have to be better. The Canes are the third worst in the league, giving up four goals per game, and are dead last in team save percentage at .853. Both netminders have given up some soft goals this season, particularly ones early in first periods that have put the Canes behind the eight ball. The team will need better goaltending to give itself a chance to pile up some wins.
Another Slow Start- Players, coaches and management alike talked about the need to get off to a better start on the road trip this season. Due to the two aforementioned issues, it did not happen. The Canes have a chance to salvage it with two home games to close the month, but will again be playing catchup in late October and early November.
While the Canes record is not where they wanted it to be after six games, there are positives to take away. The team has shown it can score and play well on special teams. If the Canes can fix their defensive errors, which should be able to be coached out, as well as improve goaltending, there is still plenty of time to right the ship.
