Carolina Hurricanes’ First Win of the Season Brightens a Dull Week
Every week, Cardiac Cane will make a complete wrap-up of the Hurricane’s week for the 2015-2016 season.
Preseason 10/12 – 10/19
Summary:
The Carolina Hurricanes opened this week looking for their first win of the season. The team were winless in October for nearly two years (last win was 10/19/13). In the last home game before a long road trip, the ‘Canes hosted the Panthers. To put it bluntly, the game was not good from a Carolina perspective. Florida won 4-1. Elias Lindholm the goalscorer for the Hurricanes.
Three games into the season, the situation looked all too similar to ‘Canes fans. After getting thoroughly beat by Florida at home, Bill Peters was not exactly pleased with the effort his players were showing.
“I didn’t see much of anything” – Bill Peters after 4-1 loss to Florida
Going up against a Red Wings team that was looking really solid didn’t exactly instill confidence in the fan base. But, that’s why they play the games.
The game was very similar to opening night at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes dominated the run of play. The difference this time was that their shots hit twine instead of goaltender. On his first NHL shift, youngster Brock McGinn pocketed his first NHL goal to give the Hurricanes the lead in Detroit. In the 2nd, Justin Faulk scored on a very nice power play passing move. Eric Staal scored soon thereafter.
The Red Wings managed to regain some ground, but a 3rd period tally from Kris Versteeg ended the comeback. Chris Terry was given a goal on a heavily deflected pass/shot later on in the period. When the horn sounded, the Hurricanes won in Detroit 5-3. That was only third win in Joe Louis Arena since the team moved to North Carolina.
In a perfect world, that performance was exactly what would happen every night for Carolina. Every line was productive. Eric Staal was a leader on all fronts. Cam Ward was solid in net. This was the Hurricanes team that fans hope to see on a more regular basis.
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Their play was sadly not sustainable. With star Nicklas Backstrom returning from injury, the Washington Capitals came out with fire on Saturday night. T.J. Oshie and John Carlson both scored of the power play. Bad plays in the defensive zone by Michal Jordan and Versteeg didn’t help. The Capitals ended the night with a 4-1 victory. Unlike the night before, the Hurricanes couldn’t maintain long shifts in the opposing end. They found themselves shooting from distance instead of crashing the net. The main positive from Saturday was that Jeff Skinner opened his regular season account with the only goal. It should also me noted that Cam Ward stood on his head in this game.
Going into the western swing of the road trip, it will be interesting to see which Hurricanes team shows up. As Friday showed, the team is capable of taking it to the NHL’s best. The question is whether or not guys will stay intense in the offensive zone. On top of the that, they need to finish the chances they do get. When they do that, the Hurricanes are a playoff caliber squad.
Cane of the Week:
Brock McGinn – 2GP, 1G, 1A, E
McGinn was called up at the beginning of the week to replace Joakim Nordstrom. The rookie was thrown into the thick of it, as he took up the empty spot with Kris Versteeg and Eric Staal on the 1st line. Most players when playing their first NHL game, or first NHL shift for that matter, are hopeful just not to make a terrible mistake. McGinn decided to break this trend. I will let Zach Boychuk describe what transpired.
Congrats to @BrockMcGinn21 pulling his best Mario Lemieux impression scoring his 1st @NHL goal in his 1st game on his 1st shift #2ndShotTho
— Zach Boychuk🐸 (@ZachBoychuk) October 17, 2015
McGinn proved crucial to helping the ‘Canes get their first win of the season. In the best game of the week, he was the most impressive player. He did all the things he needed to do to be successful. On the 1st line, he showed his aggression, mobility, and offensive prowess. He even had chances to score a couple more times. In the Washington game, he was underwhelming like much of the rest of the team. That’s not a big deal for McGinn though. The young forward probably won’t spend the whole season up in Carolina, but McGinn made a strong claim to why he belongs at the club going forward.
Honorable Mentions: Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg, Cam Ward
The Forecast:
Wednesday 10:00 pm @ Pepsi Center against the Colorado Avalanche
Friday 10:30 pm @ Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings
Saturday 10:00 pm @ SAP Center against the San Jose Sharks
A staple of the Carolina’s state fair road trip is late night hockey, and this week is full of it. First, the Hurricanes facing the Avalanche. In the battle of the natural disasters, look to see if the struggling Carolina penalty kill can stop the best power play in hockey. Then, it’s a pair of California games. The matchup with the Kings is intriguing since the Hurricanes own LA’s 1st round pick, so a win would be twice as nice. Finally, Carolina goes to San Jose, who have started the season nicely after missing the playoffs last year. Shark’s forward Logan Couture was injured this past week and looks to be sidelined for a long time. Hopefully the ‘Canes can capitalized on a shorthanded Sharks team.