Carolina Hurricanes: 5 takeaways from win over Blue Jackets
Carolina Hurricanes got its sixth win of the 2017-18 NHL season on the road at Nationwide Arena over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1.
A win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 10 gave the Carolina Hurricanes the sixth win of the season in the first of back-to-back games over the weekend. On Nov. 11, the Canes will return home to Raleigh and PNC Arena to take Scott Darling and Marcus Kruger’s former squad, the Chicago Blackhawks.
This victory over the Jackets move the Canes’ record to 6-5-3 and they have now won two straight. Prior to the Nov. 7 win over the Florida Panthers, the Canes had lost four in a row. Yet, the Canes are still in last place in the Metropolitan Division despite the recent success. Columbus stays in third place in the Metro after its fourth straight defeat.
Jordan Staal scored two goals, including the game-winning goal past Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Brock McGinn sealed the victory with an empty netter in the final minute. Teuvo Teravainen managed two assists while Sebastian Aho, Derek Ryan, Noah Hanifin, and Justin Williams each got one.
Cam Ward came up huge in his first start since Nov. 2. He stopped 25 of 26 shots in a big response from a poor performance in his last start. Darling will get the start against the Blackhawks as the Canes head home.
Brandon Dubinsky scored the only goal for the Jackets. Moreover, Bobrovsky played well, stopping 26 of 28 shots. This was yet another outing where the Canes out shot the opponent. The last two times, it has resulted well.
Here’s 5 takeaways from the Carolina Hurricanes win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 10.
5. Cam Ward will be up and down as a backup
Having Ward in the backup role will take some adjustment. Ward was the starter for this team for the better part of the last decade and beyond. He’s the main reason that the Canes won the 2006 Stanley Cup while he won the Conn Smythe Trophy in his rookie season.
However, the past few seasons have seen a pretty sharp decline from Ward and the Canes were left searching for answers. Bringing in Eddie Lack did not help and that is why general manager Ron Francis reached out to acquire Darling.
With Darling now in the starting role, head coach Bill Peters has a reliable option to turn to in Ward. Just 14 games into the season, Ward already has three quality starts against the Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and St. Louis Blues.
The Nov. 2 start against the Colorado Avalanche looked like the Ward that made most fans concerned with the five goals he let up. Yet, bad starts do happen to everyone and Ward responded in a very encouraging way in the win over Columbus.
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.
3. Jordan Staal is streaky, but necessary for the Canes’ success
If not for a huge effort from Staal in the second and third period, the Canes might have lost this one. The reach that Staal possesses was able to thwart the former Vezina Trophy winner Bobrovsky on two occasions.
The first line trio of Staal-Aho-Teravainen is proving their worth in a short period of time. Teravainen is having a good season with nine points now, despite missing some time due to a shoulder injury. It took some time for him to get back in the swing of things.
A playoff run for the Canes this season would require a career year from Staal as one of the co-captains alongside Faulk. He’s a huge x-factor with this first line, especially with Aho going through a goal drought in the first 14 games.
Staal has shown now that he is going to be a rather streaky player this season. His first four points of the year came in one game against the Oilers. Moreover, two of his six goals came in this game. Only time will tell if Staal’s production will even out.
2. It’s about quality not quantity
The Canes figured out the hard way in the last six games why it’s not just about the quantity of shots taken in terms of winning. Carolina put up a franchise record on the road of 60 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Avs, while Colorado put up less than 30.
Most contests have seen the Canes out shoot the opponent and the team still has more wins than losses. The overall quality of goaltending and converting on more scoring chances are why the Canes have a chance to extend the winning streak to three games on Nov. 11.
Players like Staal have the ability to put the puck in the net when chances are created in front, even against top tier goalies like Bobrovsky. That’s good because the Canes face another top tier goalie the following game in Corey Crawford for the Blackhawks.
Scoring more than three goals would do the Canes well. If Aho can get going and Jeff Skinner continues the hot streak he was on at the beginning of the season, the offensive production could really take off.
1. Noah Hanifin quietly producing
Hanifin continues to be the subject of rampant trade rumors with the Canes. There’s still a need on this roster for a top line center, or just a star forward that can score at a high level. Yet, disposing of Hanifin does not look like the way to do that right now.
His one assist moves him to seven points on the season and gives him the outright lead in scoring for defensemen on the Canes. With Slavin, Faulk, and Haydn Fleury all producing as well, the blue line for Carolina is doing their job.
Morevoer, at just 21-years-old, Hanifin is improving rapidly and showing he has a very bright future in front of him. Trading him would be a big mistake at this moment if he continues to produce at this level (0.5 points per game).
Next: 5 Canes with the brightest future
Hanifin and McGinn might have put forward the most underappreciated efforts of the game. Yet, both helped the Canes greatly to get a key win over a quality Metro opponent. Wins in the division will be more important than anything moving forward.