To get back to a .500 NHL record, something is going to have to change with the Carolina Hurricanes very soon before it’s too late.
The Carolina Hurricanes need to shake things up somehow to get back on the right track after eight losses in the first 12 games of the 2017-18 NHL season. Head coach Bill Peters did make some progress over his first year after taking over for former coach Kirk Muller. Yet, the start to this season does not inspire much confidence in the improvement for the Canes under Peters.
Carolina owns a record of 4-5-3 right now while being in the midst of a three-game losing streak. A loss to the Arizona Coyotes signaled a new low for the Canes this season. Entering the game, the Coyotes had gotten off to one of the worst starts in the history of the NHL.
Previous to that loss, the Canes lost to the Colorado Avalanche. That Avalanche team, while improving, was by far the worst team in the league last season. Carolina put up 60 shots against Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov in a 5-3 defeat.
It almost seems like as much of a must-win game as it gets for being this early in the year for Peters on Nov. 7 when the Canes return home to PNC Arena to face the Florida Panthers. The upcoming slate features more games against Eastern Conference competition.
The level of urgency for the Canes should crank up when facing more teams from the Metropolitan Division. One team that the Canes face from the Metro this week is the Columbus Blue Jackets, on the road on Nov. 10. Columbus already defeated the Canes in Raleigh and Carolina has a chance to get revenge now.
Now, let’s take a look at 5 thoughts on how to shake things up for the Carolina Hurricanes.