Every week, Cardiac Cane will make a complete wrap-up of the Carolina Hurricanes’ week for the 2015-2016 season.
Regular Season 12/28-1/3
Summary:
This week was really frustrating for the Carolina Hurricanes for all the right reasons. Since getting crushed by the Devils 5-1 on December 3rd (a month ago) the ‘Canes are 7-3-1 coming into this past week. The expectation was that this level of play would continue. For the most part it did, but a couple bad bounces and an overtime line change later, the Hurricanes ended this week with an average record of 1-1-1. The good news is that the quality of play and expectation of winning is rising fast in Carolina. The bad news is that there are still some things to correct. Here’s what happened to close out 2015.
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
Away in New Jersey, the Hurricanes probably left feeling hard done by. Yes, they blew a lead, but the Devils’ goals were off fluky plays. Eric Staal scored first with a blast from the left dot. Bobby Farnham of the Devils equalized when his centering pass hit John-Michael Liles only to bounce past Cam Ward. Staal continued his dominate game and added another goal. He stuffed the puck in from the side of the net after a great forecheck from him and Kris Versteeg. That would be the last time the ‘Canes scored. Kyle Palmieri deflected a point shot off his skate past Ward early in the 3rd period to tie it up. With nearly 3 minutes left in regulation, David Schlemko threw a puck at the net on a rush. It went off the inside of Justin Faulk’s leg, perfectly angling the puck off the post and in. The unfortunate bounces cost the ‘Canes a victory against a team just in front of them in standings. Sometimes the breaks don’t go your way.
On New Year’s Eve, the Hurricanes had a date at home with the Capitals. Washington was rolling, winning their past 9 games. However, they left Raleigh with a loss. The Hurricanes played great to close 2015, almost mirroring their effort against the Blackhawks from the week before.
Carolina struck first thanks to a Phil Di Giuseppe goal. Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom answered back with a beautiful snipe. Goaltender Eddie Lack had no chance. Tied going into the 3rd period, Carolina came out firing. Eric Staal barely scored on an open net to give Carolina the lead. Riley Nash fed Jeff Skinner for goal number three on the night. That tally proved to be enough. The Capitals added a second to make it interesting, but Andrej Nestrasil sealed it with an empty net goal.
Calendar year 2016 began with an overtime loss for the Hurricanes. In a close checking hockey game, Nashville came out on top in overtime thanks to Mattias Ekholm. Eddie Lack, in his second consecutive start, was great in net. Everything started wonderfully for the ‘Canes. The 1st period was all Carolina. Victor Rask scored in said period when Jeff Skinner drove towards the crease. Rask scored on the rebound. After the 1st, Nashville started to assert themselves, getting a 2nd period goal from Paul Gaustad. Nashville’s regulation goal came when they were shorthanded. The Hurricanes powerplay was very poor on Saturday, maybe costing them an extra point.
Carolina lost its offensive cohesion against Nashville when Di Giuseppe left for the dressing room with a head/upper body injury. All signs point to the rookie having a concussion. Di Giuseppe was gelling with linemates Skinner and Rask. His absence threw Carolina’s lines off, hurting the entire team’s chemistry. The injury showed just how big of a piece the rookie has become. Brock McGinn was recalled on Sunday as his likely replacement for the foreseeable future.
Finally, over in Helsinki, Finland, the Hurricanes of the future are competing in the World Junior Championships. Sadly, ‘Canes prospects Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown have been eliminated with Canada losing in the quarterfinals. Alex Nedeljkovic still remains with Team USA. Nedeljkovic has become the starter for the Stars and Stripes and just recently pitched a shutout against the Czech Republic in the quarters. For the host nation, Sebastian Aho has been a revelation for the Finns. He has 12 points in just 5 games for Finland. That’s good enough for second in the tournament. Aho and Nedeljkovic could meet in the finals if Finland defeats Sweden and the USA beats Russia on January 5th. Go ‘Canes, Go America!
Cane of the Week:
Eddie Lack – 2GP, 49 saves on 53 shots, 1-0-1 record
Goaltending has been the major issue with this club all season. Neither Ward nor Lack has asserted themselves as a go-to guy in net. That might have changed this past week. Both were fantastic between the pipes. Although Lack gets the recognition since he started two games to Ward’s one.
The criticism in Lack’s game this season has been his sporadic movement. Being a big body, his bread and butter as a goalie is sound movement from post to post, letting his frame make the saves for him. This was what made him successful in Vancouver last season.
This past week, Lack was not all over the place, rather, he was very composed. Against Washington, both goals he conceded were wired past him from behind a screen or off a turnover in the slot, neither his fault. Then on Saturday, Lack’s only blips were a deflected shot and a 3v3 overtime goal off a sneaky line change. Lack’s performance this week was worthy of two Hurricanes wins. He is 4-0-2 in his last six starts.
Honorable Mentions: Eric Staal, Phil Di Giuseppe, Jaccob Slavin
The Forecast:
Monday 9:00 pm @ Rexall Place against the Edmonton Oilers
Wednesday 10:00 pm @Rogers Arena against the Vancouver Canucks
Friday 7:00 pm @ Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets
Saturday 7:00 pm @ PNC Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets
This is a busy week. Early in the week there is some late night hockey. It’s a rematch of the greatest Stanley Cup Finals ever as the Carolina Hurricanes visit the still Connor McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers. That game is soon followed up by a visit to the Canucks. Surprise, Henrik and Daniel Sedin are still very good at hockey.
Next: Eric Staal Shouldn't Be Traded Despite Rising Value
The Hurricanes close out the week with a back to back with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team who has underachieved all season. Despite the brutal travel this week, all these games are very winnable for Carolina. Points are a must this week if the Carolina Hurricanes want to get closer to the playoffs.