Carolina Hurricanes in the Thick of Playoff Race At Season’s Halfway Point
Every week, Cardiac Cane will make a complete wrap-up of the Carolina Hurricanes’ week for the 2015-2016 season.
Regular Season 1/4-1/10
Summary:
With the passing of last week, the Carolina Hurricanes are half way through the 2015-2016 season. Surprisingly, the ‘Canes sit only 3 points out of a playoff spot. Back to back wins against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Friday and Saturday helped propel the team back into the hunt. The ‘Canes biggest enemy is still consistency however. Before those two wins, the Hurricanes played poorly in Edmonton and choked in Vancouver. This is how it went down.
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Way back on Monday, the Hurricanes were in Edmonton to play the Oilers. Highlights were extremely sparse in this game. Both teams played close checking hockey and failed to generate a lot of quality in each other’s zones. Jordan Staal hitting the post in the 1st period was the closest Carolina came to scoring. The game remained 0-0 through regulation. Former Hurricane Andrej Sekera scored in overtime to win it for the home team. Interestingly, head coach Bill Peters elected to play two defensemen in 3 on 3 overtime, perhaps costing the ‘Canes the win on the road.
Carolina Hurricanes
Scoreless in over five straight periods, goals were the biggest concern going into a tough game against the Canucks. The scoring began in the 2nd period when Jordan Staal hit John-Michael Liles with a nice pass while short-handed. Liles then snapped a wrister past the goalie to give Carolina a lead and their first shorty of the year.
Vancouver tied the game late in the 2nd and then took the lead through Bo Horvat early in the 3rd. Horvat busted from the wing into the zone, glided past three ‘Canes players, beat Eddie Lack’s poke check and scored. Carolina’s defense looked lethargic on the play. The Hurricanes battled back though. Noah Hanifin fanned on a shot, but it perfectly settled on the stick of Jordan Staal in the slot. He made no mistake. Tied 2-2 late in the 3rd, Jaccob Slavin was penalized for delay of game. On the powerplay, Horvat scored his second of the game and won it for Vancouver.
It was especially cruel the game ended the way it did since Carolina was sturdy on the penalty kill all night. Also, it was Lack’s return to Vancouver. He was solid in net, but probably could have done more on Horvat’s first.
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Closing out the week was a home and home with Columbus. The first game was in Raleigh. After moving center Ryan Johansen to Nashville, it was clear the Columbus was struggling to find offensive chemistry. When playing 5 on 5, Carolina was in control of the game, if not dominant. Jordan Staal scored on the powerplay in the 1st. The Blue Jackets only goal came on a fluky play on the man advantage. Liles was attempting intercept a pass, but deflected it into his own net. Elias Lindholm got back onto the score sheet when he scored to give Carolina a 2-1 lead later in the 2nd. The Carolina Hurricanes rolled on to a 4-1 victory with a Chris Terry goal and a Lindholm empty net tally.
In Columbus, Carolina continued where they left off, jumping out to a 3-0 lead by the half way point of the game. A powerplay goal from Andrej Nestrasil, a deke and finish from Kris Versteeg, and a rebound put away from Liles gave the Hurricanes a perfect start. It was spoiled when Cam Atkinson stripped Justin Faulk at the blue line and raced down ice to score a shorthanded goal. The Jackets maintained the momentum for the rest of regulation, eventually tying the game with goals from Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson. Thankfully, Jordan Staal, who had a remarkable week, scored his patented no-look wrist shot in overtime to give the Hurricanes a winning streak going into next week.
The World Juniors also wrapped up early in the week. Alex Nedeljkovic helped Team USA win a bronze medal in the competition. The goaltender was also selected as one of the USA’s three best players all tournament. In the gold medal game, Sebastian Aho was vital for Finland. The 18 year old scored in the 3rd period to tie the game up 2-2, helping the Finns send the game into overtime. Finland won in extra hockey, giving Aho a gold medal.
Cane of the Week:
Jaccob Slavin – 4GP, 2A, +3
The amount of young talent on the Hurricanes blue line feels like an embarrassment of riches. First, it was Noah Hanifin making the team as an 18 year old. Next, it was Brett Pesce establishing himself as a legitimate NHL player at age 20. Now, Jaccob Slavin is doing it at 21. Slavin was the most consistent defenseman last week.
Like Hanifin and Pesce, Slavin has focused on keeping the puck out his net. However, this week he began to becoming an important piece offensively. He added two assists this week and played on the powerplay. He has also become a great penalty killer. His efforts in the 5 on 3’s against Columbus were very noticable.
More so than anything else, Slavin’s decision making and skating stood out this week. Most rookie d-men show promise, but follow that up with a bad mental mistake. In his 24 game career, Slavin has made few, if any, costly plays. Even when he does, he has the ability to skate himself out of danger or force turnovers in his own end. Those type of plays were what helped to set up the Jordan Staal overtime winner on Saturday.
Next: Jordan Staal Becoming the Player He Was Meant to Be
The Forecast:
Tuesday 7:00 pm @ PNC Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins
Thursday 8:00 pm @ PNC Arena against the St. Louis Blues
Friday 7:00 pm @ PNC Arena against the Vancouver Canucks
Moving into the second half of the season, Carolina is beginning to play some really meaningful games. One of those games is this Tuesday. A divisional battle against the Penguins who currently are just two points above the ‘Canes in the standings. It may sound a bit absurd that a game in January is so important, but if the Hurricanes are serious about getting into the playoffs, a win at home on Tuesday would be huge. The club then jets off to play in St. Louis on Thursday. Vladimir Tarasenko continues to tear up the league. Finally, it’s a quick move back home to face the Canucks, a team the ‘Canes lost to just last week.