Every week, Cardiac Cane will make a complete wrap-up of the Carolina Hurricanes’ week for the 2015-2016 season.
Regular Season 1/25 – 1/31
Summary:
This was a great week to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan. It wasn’t just the decisive win over the Chicago Blackhawks or Justin Faulk representing the team at the All-Star Game. No, more so than anything else, Caniacs got to see what this team is capable of going forward. Maybe this season sees Carolina finally make the postseason? Perhaps Carolina will be a formidable team going forward? We may have seen glimpses of those answers this past week.
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Carolina Hurricanes
The one and only game this week was against Chicago and it just so happened to be the only nationally televised ‘Canes game of the season. From the very start, this game was all Hurricanes. Early into the 1st period, Jeff Skinner scored on a rebound to get things rolling. Then, about midway through the 1st, Riley Nash redirected a Jaccob Slavin shot for goal two. John-Michael Liles added the third of period when Kris Versteeg dished him on a 2 on 1. The scoring didn’t stop in the 2nd period. Joakim Nordstrom scored his 3rd goal in 3 games to make it 4-0. Only two minutes later, Skinner fed Nash for his second of the night and the fifth of the night. The ‘Canes put on the cruise control and saw out a 5-0 victory over the Stanley Cup champions.
A couple more things of note. First, the former Blackhawks on the ‘Canes roster made a statement on Tuesday. Nordstrom scored against his former team while Versteeg added an assist. Both looked to be on a mission. Second, every aspect of Carolina’s defense was spot on. The team killed four Chicago powerplays, held a greater than 2 to 1 ratio in faceoff wins, and dominated possession stats. Goaltender Eddie Lack was rarely tested, but when he was, he was sharp. On the whole, it was the perfect game from a Carolina perspective.
Carolina’s win caught national attention, both positively and negatively. While a great many have appreciated the Hurricanes’ victory, many pointed the Hurricanes usage of the “Crying Jordan” meme that poked fun at Chicago supporters at PNC Arena as unnecessary. Others saw Carolina’s victory as hollow due to the Blackhawks apparent tiredness, citing the quantity of games in such a small amount of time the Hawks have played. Whatever the case may be, the facts are Carolina beat Chicago 5-0 on Tuesday and, in December, Carolina beat the Blackhawks 2-1 in Chicago on the tail end of a back to back after the Hawks had 5 days’ rest, while holding scoring leader Patrick Kane to no points and a -2 rating over those two games.
There was other hockey this week, just not regular season action. Defenseman Justin Faulk traveled to Nashville for the 2016 NHL All-Star game. He first participated in the Skills Competition, expertly maneuvering his way through cones and scoring on his only shootout attempt.
Unfortunately, Faulk’s appearance in the 3 on 3 competition was limited since his Team Metropolitan lost in the 1st round to Team Atlantic by a score of 4-3. However, Faulk registered an assist on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s goal. Faulk was also a +1. Its safe to say ‘Canes fans are proud of their franchise d-man.
The real hero of All-Star weekend was John Scott. The lifetime enforcer turned out to be an offensive powerhouse in 3 on 3 play, scoring 2 goals in Team Pacific’s win over Team Central. He even dropped the gloves (playfully) with Patrick Kane. Scott was voted MVP of the All-Star game and looked to be having the time of his life.
Cane of the Week:
Bill Peters – 1-0-0 record
Normally I select a player that stood out this week, but with only one game this week, the rules are being bent. NHL All-Star Justin Faulk could have been picked, however, the emphatic win over the Blackhawks changed things. This led me to go with Coach Bill Peters as the Cane of the Week.
I will be the first to admit, when Peters was hired a year and a half ago, I was very skeptical of how well he could do in his first NHL head coaching job. However, it didn’t take long for him to sell me on his vision. After Tuesday’s win over Chicago, ‘Canes fans and the rest of the country are seeing Peters’ vision being realized. Structured defense, puck possession, chance limitation, and tenacity on the forecheck; these are the hallmarks of a Bill Peters team. All of those attributes were on display against the Hawks.
Peters also deserves credit for what he is working with. Frankly, Carolina’s roster is filled with misfit pieces of other teams and very young defensemen. On paper, this roster should be in lottery contention. But, it isn’t. In fact, the team has been thriving the last month and a half, and Peters is to thank. The Hurricanes have gem behind the bench and it showed this week.
Next: Checkin' in on the Checkers - Ryan Murphy, Jake Chellios and Mark Morris
The Forecast:
Wednesday 9:30 pm @ Scotiabank Saddledome against the Calgary Flames
Friday 8:00 pm @ MTS Centre against the Winnipeg Jets
Sunday 2:30 @ Bell Centre against the Montreal Canedians
After this week of celebration, it’s back to business for Carolina. Upcoming is a Canadian road trip starting in Calgary. Carolina just beat the Flames 5-2 at home, so Calgary is out for revenge. Next is a matchup with former divisional rival Winnipeg. Captain Andrew Ladd and All-Star Dustin Byfuglien are pending free agents, making the Jets very uncertain about their future. A win is very possible against this struggling team.
Finally, it’s a bizarre 2:30 puck drop against Montreal. After flying out of the gate, the Habs have lost all their steam. Without goaltender Carey Price, Montreal is now behind the ‘Canes in the standings. This is must win for Carolina if they want to make the playoffs.
For even more reads on the Carolina Hurricanes, check out Cardiac Cane’s new weekly news compilation: Around the Boards.