5 Things the Carolina Hurricanes Should be Thankful For
Nov 10, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner (53) celebrates his 2nd period goal against the Calgary Flames at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
The holiday season is among us, and that means that the Carolina Hurricanes are well-into their 2014-2015 schedule.
It has been a rough one for the Carolina Hurricanes. A winless October left the team well-out of playoff contention as they ranked last in the entire league. A bounceback month of November has led the team to a slight rise in the standings, and they sit 7 points back of 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division going into Wednesday’s NHL action.
Through the ups and downs, there have been many things to be thankful for for the Hurricanes. Let’s take a look at some of those things in the spirit of Thanksgiving.
Special Team Success
Nov 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman John-Michael Liles (26) and center Victor Rask (49) celebrate Rasks power play goal against Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen (not pictured) during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The special teams work from the Carolina Hurricanes through the months of October and November has been one of the team’s strongest areas.
The power play ranks in the top-10 in the NHL at an even 20%. The penalty kill is also in the top-half of the league at 81.7%, which ranks 15th in the league.
The Hurricanes power play has not been ran by their top-end players like Eric Staal, Alexander Semin, or Jiri Tlusty. It has been ran by Riley Nash, Nathan Gerbe, Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, John-Michael Liles, and Justin Faulk.
There is an obvious difference in play between units 1 and 2 on the man advantage. When the unit centered by Riley Nash steps onto the ice, the puck seems to move much better, which leads to open shots and goals.
Right now, that unit seems to have the perfect personnel on it. For whatever reason, everyone is gelling very well together, and it shows no sign of slowing down.
The penalty kill has been good, despite the loss of Jordan Staal. Jay McClement, Patrick Dwyer, and Riley Nash have been key forwards on the kill, with Justin Faulk, Andrej Sekera, and Ron Hainsey being key defenders.
Through all the wins and losses this year in Carolina, the special teams has been one bright spot throughout.
The Youth Movement
Jan 9, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner (53) is congratulated by teammate forward Elias Lindholm (16) after his 1st period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
The future is now for the Hurricanes. Young players like Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm and Justin Faulk get most of the headlines, and deservedly so, but other youngins deserve credit, as well.
Victor Rask has been fantastic since the month of November started for the Hurricanes. Jordan Staal’s injury rushed Rask to the NHL, and he has stepped up in a big way.
Rask’s 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 20 games will, by no means, blow you away, but it is the young Swede’s all-around play that has impressed the most. He has been extremely reliable on the Canes third-line and main powerplay unit while averaging nearly 15:00 of ice time per game.
The 21-year-old center has a faceoff percentage of 53.4%, which is not only remarkable for a rookie, but also ranks 3rd on the Canes, a team that ranks 3rd in the league in team faceoff percentage.
Elias Lindholm, 19, has put a beating on opposing defenses in the month of November. The 2nd year forward out of Sweden has posted 9 scoring points in 12 games in November.
Lindholm’s success has been crucial for the Canes. In games that Carolina has won, Lindholm is over a point per game player (7 points in 6 wins) and is a +3. In games that Carolina has lost (14), Lindholm has 3 points and is a -9.
There is no question that Justin Faulk is the number one defenseman on the Hurricanes now and will be for a very long time. Faulk, 22, has tallied 10 points in 12 games played in November and playing a whopping 25:00 of ice time per game over that span.
Faulk has an even plus/minus in November despite being a -4 over the past 2 games.
Last but not least, Jeff Skinner, 21, has finally turned it around. Like most player in Carolina, Skinner struggled exponentially in October, but since the start of November, Skinner has tallied 9 points in 12 games and is a +1.
Skinner has seen a lot of even-strength ice time with Victor Rask on Carolina’s 3rd forward line and has tallied 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) over his last 3 games.
If nothing else, the future is incredibly bright for the Carolina Hurricanes, and that is certainly something to be thankful for.
Cam Ward
Oct 23, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) guards his net against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
The month of October did not provide much to be optimistic about for Cam Ward. He, like the Hurricanes, went winless in the first month. He posted a 0-4-1 record in October.
November has been much different for Cam. Since November 1, Cam Ward has posted a 6-4-0 record with a 2.21 goals against average and a .925 save percentage in 10 starts.
Cam Ward has, once again, become the work horse in net for Carolina. Ward is on pace to start 76 games this season. That would be a career-high for him, topping the 74 games he started in the 2010-2011 season.
The kind of play that Cam Ward has supplied the Carolina Hurricanes in November is exactly what the team needs. He has been keeping the Canes in tight, one-goal games throughout his past 10 starts and has looked his best since 2011.
The Carolina Hurricanes can be a good team when Cam Ward is hot, and it looks like Ward has finally found his game, which is an encouraging thing to see.
Riley Nash
Nov 16, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Riley Nash (20) skates with the puck against the San Jose Sharks at PNC Arena. The San Jose Sharks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Perhaps being Carolina’s best all-around player this year, Riley Nash has been putting up a career season in the red and white.
Nash leads the club in assists (11) and points (15) through 20 games in a far advanced role compared to last year.
The Jordan Staal injury left a massive hole in the middle of the lineup that was, ultimately, left up for grabs. Riley Nash stepped in and played better than anyone could have possibly expected and has seen his average ice time go from 12:40 to 18:07 from last year to this year.
He has been a far-above average second line center for the Hurricanes since the beginning of the year, while being a main fixture both on the powerplay and penalty kill.
Nash has centered Carolina’s best forward line in November with Nathan Gerbe and Elias Lindholm to his left and right.
Riley Nash is a player that gives 100% every shift, and his willingness to get to the dirty areas of the ice has helped him put up points at such a high rate. He is on pace to tally 62 points this season. Coming anywhere close to that would be a big step in Nash’s career.
Things are Getting Better
Nov 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin (31) and goalie Cam Ward (30) and center Elias Lindholm (16) and center Eric Staal (12) celebrate the win over the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Hurricanes defeated the Stars 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The month of October was historically bad for the Carolina Hurricanes, but things have gotten so much better since then.
Key players on the Canes have started to step up and take responsibility and play to Bill Peters’ system more consistently, which has led to a lot more success on the ice.
Offensive leadership from Eric Staal has been provided. Staal has really started to take things over on the offensive end. He has tallied 5 points in his last 3 games and has 13 points in 15 games overall.
The attitude seems relatively positive in the Hurricanes locker room, and it needs to be. This team is young, and they need to learn a lot of things before they can be a great team, but I think they are on their way.
This team has grown a lot through the first two months. They went from a team that could not buy a win to a team that has looked unbeatable at their best in the month of November.
If this upward trend continues for the Carolina Hurricanes, the future will be very bright, and things can look really good for the team as soon as this season.
It’s also way too early to give up on this season. This team is a win-streak away from being right in thick of things in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference playoff race.
If the the Hurricanes can get around .500 by the time Jordan Staal returns, I think that puts the Hurricanes in a very good spot going into the final stretch of the season.