Approaching the quarter mark for the season, it’s apparent where the Hurricanes fall in regards to the rest of the league.
The Hurricanes have a record of 12-7-1, good for 25 points, which brings them to third place in the Metropolitan division and ninth overall in the NHL. Pretty good, not great, but very solid.
The team isn’t perfect by any means, but it has shown stretches of brilliance in its first 20 games. There are definitely areas that need to be addressed by the team, but a lot of things are going right, and there is a lot to look forward to.
Starting with some of the issues facing the team: first off is its consistency. The record seems good, but when you consider the fact that the Hurricanes had the best start in the entire league with five straight wins, it starts to look a little different. So far, they have only responded to a loss once before it became a longer losing streak, so you can see it is more of an issue.
The team is currently very streaky. Having one five-game win streak and two three-game win streaks, including the one the team is currently on, is great, but countered with losing streaks of three and four straight is less than ideal. In those losses, all but one of the teams were, at the time, not in a playoff spot as well.
The team needs more consistency so one loss won’t snowball into three or more. Injuries and awkward line numbers haven’t helped, but the Canes have lost quite a few games they should have won.
On that note, 11 forwards and seven defensemen do not work. Traditionally, hockey teams will run 12 forwards and six defensemen in a game. With Jordan Martinook and Erik Haula each missing time due to injuries, head coach Rod Brind’Amour has at certain times elected to run all seven rostered defensemen with only 11 forwards rather than calling up a forward from Charlotte for games. Carolina has lost all three of those games it played an 11/7 roster in.
It just doesn’t work. With 11 forwards, someone is always getting double shifted on at least two lines. It is hard to get a rhythm going and on defense it is even worse. Without a consistent partner, someone might make a play they usually rely on their partner to cover for them, but with different guys, different playstyles need to be accommodated and with the game being so fast, mistakes are more likely.
On the same thread, Haydn Fleury needs to have more playing time. The former seventh-overall pick in 2014 has made improvements to his game and at this point, is comparable to Trevor van Riemsdyk, if not better when on the third pairing with Jake Gardiner.
Fleury will also be a restricted free agent after this season and will demand a much lower price-tag than van Riemsdyk in the offseason. The solution involves moving van Riemsdyk before the trade deadline in February for either a forward or a pick and prospect. With too many defensemen already in the system, the Canes need to manage cost with inventory.
While an extra veteran defenseman would be great come playoff time in the case of injuries, holding seven on the roster is more of a hassle at the current time as neither of the two can get full and consistent playing time.
Another issue that isn’t as obvious is the goaltending. It hasn’t been great, with starter Petr Mrazek having a save percentage of 0.904 and backup James Reimer a nearly identical 0.903. The current NHL average is 0.908, which should rise as the season progresses since there hasn’t been an average below 0.91 since the 2008-09 season.
Those aren’t good numbers, but coupled with the fact that the Hurricanes are allowing the third least amount of shots per game (29.2) in the league as well, it is an unsustainable practice for the Canes to outscore the goalie issues.
Mrazek and Reimer have made some big saves and are good goaltenders, but when they surrender routine shots, it makes the big ones deflated. A team needs consistent goaltending, not just one big moment goaltending.
If the Hurricanes hope to pull away from the pack a little bit in the next quarter of the season, they need their goalies to play better. Offense isn’t an issue, but a team can only outscore its problems for so long before it becomes too taxing.
However, Carolina is doing a lot of things right. Surprisingly enough, one of the Hurricanes’ strongest aspects has been its special teams. After years of inept and subpar power plays throughout many seasons in Raleigh, it seems that the Hurricanes have finally put together competent units.
Ranked No. 10 in the league, the Carolina Hurricanes have scored 15 power-play goals and are rocking a 23.8% scoring rate. The penalty kill is also solid, tied for No. 11 with an 83.3% success rate and having scored three goals shorthanded.
The Hurricanes have also been an offensive juggernaut, being able to score in bunches, ranked No. 8 in goals per game (3.45). The scoring jump can be accredited to the best friend duo of Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton. The pair is tied for the team lead in points (22), goals (9) and second in assists (13).
The two would almost be tied for the lead in all of the major scoring categories for the team if Teuvo Teravainen wasn’t only one assist ahead of them.
Teravainen’s play has been consistent, with the majority of his points coming from his elite passing, but another big factor is his two-way game. Teravainen is a quiet player, but one that is absolutely critical to the Hurricanes’ success.
Sebastian Aho has also got his wheels turning after a slow start, registering six goals and 11 points in his last 10 games, along with two of the team’s three short-handed goals.
Carolina rookie, Martin Necas, is making a case for the Calder Cup with four goals and 14 points in 20 games played. He trails only Cale Makar, defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche, who has an astounding 22 points. Necas is proving to be a vital part of the Hurricanes’ offense showing chemistry with Ryan Dzingel, who has proven to be a great playmaker for the Canes, and Haula.
Also major for Carolina is that Martinook and Haula have each returned to the lineup. So, for the time being, it seems that the Hurricanes have its complete starting roster back. The Canes have struggled to mount a lot of energy in its losing streaks, so hopefully for them, the return of the Marty-party can bring the energy for a second-quarter surge.
While losing streaks can seem like the end of the world for Hurricanes’ fans, it is more or less growing pains. The team has a lot of returning parts, but it has also replaced just as many in the offseason. As the team meshes more and more, it is likely that fans will see a more complete team take the ice with every passing game.
