Carolina Hurricanes to Look for Change Against the Detroit Red Wings
By Brett Finger
The Carolina Hurricanes will take on the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Will the team find the change that they are looking for?
The Carolina Hurricanes dropped both weekend games on the West Coast against the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. They’ll now look to turn it around and pick up a win against the Detroit Red Wings
Information
Carolina Hurricanes (2-6-0) vs Detroit Red Wings (4-3-1)
October 27, 2015 – 7:30 pm (EST)
Detroit, Michigan – Joe Louis Arena
TV/Radio: Fox Sports Carolinas/99.9 FM The Fan, WRALSportsFan.com
Projected Lineups
Carolina Hurricanes
[table id=92 /]
[table id=93 /]
[table id=94 /]
Detroit Red Wings
[table id=95 /]
[table id=96 /]
[table id=97 /]
Source: LeftWingLock.com
Preview
After a rough weekend in Cali, the Carolina Hurricanes need to turn things around against the Wings on Tuesday.
More from Cardiac Cane – Time to Start Worrying about Eddie Lack?
The Hurricanes were outscored 8-2 over the weekend, including a shutout loss to the Kings on Friday. The defense, offense and goaltending were all exposed in their two losses, which means something needs to change for this 2-6-0 team.
More from Cardiac Cane
- 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
- Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
- Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
- The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
- Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes
Cam Ward wasn’t planned on being used in both weekend games, but he was. He had a good outing on Friday in LA, but he didn’t get any sort of offensive support.
On Saturday, Eddie Lack was pulled under half-way through the game after allowing 4 goals on 13 shots. Ward kept the Sharks at bay for the rest of the game, stopping all seven shots he faced before San Jose iced the Canes with an empty net goal.
Ward is expected to get the start on Tuesday. It will be his 7th start and 8th appearance of the season. He is 2-4-0 with a 2.47 goals against average and .899 save percentage. The Canes’ team save percentage ranks 26th in the NHL at .877.
The Carolina Hurricanes have found success against the Detroit Red Wings this season. They’ve split two games thus far with them, with the road team winning each time. The Wings won 4-3 back on October 10 in Raleigh, and the Canes won 5-3 in Detroit on October 16.
The Canes first line came up big on offense, contributing on 3 goals. Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg both had 3 points each, and Brock McGinn tallied 2 points in his NHL debut.
Since that game on the 16th, the Red Wings have been in a slump, winning just 1 of their last 5 games. Their offense has vanished after a 3-0-0 start, and they will look to reverse the trend against a very vulnerable Hurricanes team tonight.
The Wings are beat up throughout their lineup. Despite practicing for the first time this past weekend, Datsyuk remains sidelined after offseason ankle surgery. Mike Green and Kyle Quincey both remain week-to-week as well.
The Hurricanes are vulnerable, to say the least. No facet of this team’s game has been consistent, and the offense is certainly no exception.
Top-six forwards like Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm have not produced any offense, having just 1 combined point amongst the two.
Carolina Hurricanes
Jeff Skinner comes into Tuesday’s action playing with noticeably better two-way confidence, but he has just 2 points in 8 games this season.
Eric Staal’s offensive woes also continue on. Outside of a breakout 3-point performance a week and a half ago, he has just 1 point in 7 games.
The only source of true consistency has been found in defensive anchor Justin Faulk. He ranks atop the team in points with 5 while also skating a team-high 25:42 per game.
Brett Pesce skated in his first career NHL game in Saturday’s loss. He saw 16:58 of ice time, and he wasn’t on the ice for any of San Jose’s goals. He was solid and largely mistake-free. Expect him to be in the lineup yet again against the Red Wings.
The Hurricanes currently rank in the bottom-five of the NHL in goals per game (1.8), goals against per game (3.1) and powerplay percentage (9.4%). They also rank 21st in the league on the penalty kill.
Things need to change for the Carolina Hurricanes, and it will need to be now against a team that they have outshot 89-37 in just 2 games.