5. Canes need to figure out the power play
Carolina’s power play cost them a chance at another would be win. Artemi Panarin took a penalty in overtime that allowed the Canes to go on a 4-3 power play which they were not able to convert on. They were also squash away two other man-up opportunities.
Through eight power plays this season, the Canes have only converted on one of them. However, that does not say how inconsistent the pressure and sense of urgency that they’ve been during man-up opportunities.
The Canes are not getting enough shots and not finding many backdoor chances to bury. Sergei Bobrovsky was not going to allow any easy goals, he’s just too good of a goalie. They were also never able to take advantage of possible momentum swings when possible.
One of the biggest challenges for Bill Peters moving forward is going to be figuring out the power play. Peters did tool with the lines quite a bit last season and it might be time to start doing that again, at least as far as the power play units are concerned.