Cardiac Cane
Fansided

Carolina Hurricanes: 5 takeaways from win over Blue Jackets

By Andrew Miller

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 10: Jaccob Slavin #74 of the Carolina Hurricanes and Boone Jenner #38 of the Columbus Blue Jackets battle for the puck against the boards during the first period of a game on November 10, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 10: Jaccob Slavin #74 of the Carolina Hurricanes and Boone Jenner #38 of the Columbus Blue Jackets battle for the puck against the boards during the first period of a game on November 10, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 21: Derek Ryan #7, Jeff Skinner #53, Brett Pesce #22 and the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on October 21, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 21: Derek Ryan #7, Jeff Skinner #53, Brett Pesce #22 and the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on October 21, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) /

4. Brett Pesce is needed in the lineup

Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce are the top defensive unit for Peters and the Canes. They provide stability on the back end that is unmatched by almost any other top defensive pairing in the league.

However, Pesce missed three games while going through concussion protocol after getting injured in practice. That left Peters scrambling to figure out the defensive pairings, especially the first pairing alongside Slavin.

While Trevor van Riemsdyk was solid for the Canes so far, he did not play well when paired with Slavin. Justin Faulk was a good replacement and Hanifin was good also. However, nothing can match the defensive guru that is Pesce on the blue line.

Neither Slavin nor Pesce notched a single point, but they were able to lock down the Jackets top players in Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin, holding both without a point. That is what the Canes need them to do on a nightly basis.

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