Carolina Hurricanes: Good Results from First Post-Eric Staal Week
The Carolina Hurricanes had a good seven days, even after losing their long-term Captain in a trade, as we see in this week’s wrap-up from Cardiac Cane.
Regular Season 3/29 – 3/6
Summary:
It was the first full week for the post-Eric Staal era, and it was successful for the Carolina Hurricanes. The team captured three points from a possible four, and maintained their positioning in the Eastern Conference play-off race.
Before the week’s games began, General Manager Ron Francis conducted some more business before Monday’s trade deadline. The first deal of the day was far from a headliner.
AHL goalie Drew MacIntyre was swapped with Chicago Blackhawks’ defensive prospect Dennis Robertson. It was a bit of a homecoming for Robertson who was part of the deal that allowed Carolina to acquire Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom.
Carolina Hurricanes
With less than an hour left before the deadline, Francis pulled the trigger on one more deal. John-Michael Liles was dealt to the Boston Bruins for a 2016 3rd round pick, 2017 5th round pick, and AHL depth player Anthony Camara. Within his first week of being a Charlotte Checker, Camara register his first point, an assist, for Charlotte.
On Tuesday Carolina was able to get back to focusing on hockey after a tumultuous week of trades. The Canes flew up to New Jersey to battle the Devils, another team in the thick of the playoff hunt. Bill Peters chose to field three AHL call-ups for this game, including 29 year old rookie Derek Ryan.
The Devils dominated, with 30 shots compared to the Hurricanes 19, but puck precision proved to be lethal. Adam Henrique gave New Jersey a first period lead, but the visiting team equalized on the powerplay via Derek Ryan. His snipe was his first career NHL goal, and was proof that you can never be written off as not good enough to score in the NHL.
Ryan’s goal helped inspire the Hurricanes to victory in the third, as Elias Lindholm fired a shot on net, and Nordstrom picked up his fellow Swede’s rebound, giving Carolina a very late lead. Nathan Gerbe finished on an empty net giving the Canes a 3-1 victory on the road.
Saturday saw Carolina head down south to Tampa Bay and mid-70’s beach weather. The result wasn’t as good as the previous game, as Lightning forward Ondrej Palat scored twice en route to a 4-3 overtime victory for the Bolts.
Carolina played hard and got the bounces to show for it. Victor Rask scored on a rush and a rebound after goalie Ben Bishop couldn’t handle his wrist shot. Jordan Staal scored on the powerplay thanks to a crazy deflection around the crease, and Jeff Skinner swatted in another to give Carolina a 3-2 lead in the second period. However, it was the Lightning who triumphed by tying it in the third, and then scoring with under a minute left in overtime.
Cane of the Week:
Jaccob Slavin – 2GP, 2A, +3
Without Justin Faulk in the lineup, the Hurricanes defense has started to show some cracks. Subtracting the veteran presence of John-Michael Liles from the mix has left the Canes in an even trickier spot on the back-end. Luckily for the Hurricanes, guys like Jaccob Slavin have been up to the task.
Slavin performed excellent this week, being the Canes’ strongest player in both games. In the first against the Devils, Slavin assisted on Ryan’s first goal and chipped in on Elias Lindholm’s marker for his second point of the night. On Saturday he failed to get onto the scoresheet, but continued leading the way from the blueline. He played just six seconds shy of half of the game (29:54 TOI) against Tampa Bay.
Of all the Hurricanes’ prospects breaking through this year, Slavin has arguably been the most impressive. Noah Hanifin has high expectations and has lived up to them most games, and guys like Phil Di Giuseppe and Brock McGinn have had their good moments. Slavin, however, has been impactful since his first career call-up, and he continues to prove his value as a major piece going forward for Carolina.
Next: How Should the NHL Solve the Concussion Issue?
The Forecast:
Tuesday 7:00 pm @ PNC Arena against the Ottawa Senators
Thursday 7:00 pm @ TD Garden against the Boston Bruins
Saturday 1:00 pm @ First Niagara Center against the Buffalo Sabres
Entering this week, the Hurricanes sit six points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final playoff spot. There is a chance the Canes make up some ground this week, as two of their opponents, the Senators and the Sabres, are below them in the standings. The other game, against Boston, sees the Hurricanes visit former teammate John-Michael Liles. It should be an entertaining week for the Canes and Caniacs.