Carolina Hurricanes: 5 players to be thankful for
The Carolina Hurricanes have two games over the three day stretch around Thanksgiving, but who should fans really be thankful for?
It’s Thanksgiving, and the Carolina Hurricanes could use one major thing that would make the entire fan base thankful. That one thing would be making the playoffs for the first time since 2009, when the Canes lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Making the playoffs would mean a lot to the Canes fan base, and it starts with getting the most out of some of the best players on the roster. That includes the best efforts from head coach Bill Peters to get this team going.
The Nov. 22 loss to the New York Rangers was a small setback for Carolina, after the 6-1 whopping at PNC Arena in Raleigh. However, the Canes have been quick to bounce back on multiple occasions this year and this should be one of those times.
Next up for the Canes is a Nov. 24 matchup with one of the better teams in the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yet, one of the most convincing victories for the Canes this season came against the Maple Leafs on the road.
Beating the Maple Leafs would give the Canes the 10th win of the season in the 21st game. Considering this team is used to getting off to slow starts, it would not be the worst thing in the world for Carolina to carry a 10-7-4 record into the weekend. They need to gain ground in the Metropolitan Division quickly.
Here’s 5 players to be thankful for on the Carolina Hurricanes on Thanksgiving.
The leading scorer for a good part of the season so far was Jeff Skinner. Getting flip flopped between the second and third lines did hurt Skinner’s opportunity to keep up the same sort of production, but he’s been good so far.
Skinner does have a great chance to score 40 goals in a single season for the first time in his career. He did set a career high with 37 goals last season. He’s had his chances and it’s only a matter of time before he delivers at that kind of pace.
In fact, Skinner does still lead the team in goals with nine, just one goal ahead of Teuvo Teravainen. And, he’s fifth on the team in points, but is lacking in the assist department. A big reason for that is the lack of support around him.
Expect a big season from Skinner, including him hitting the 40-goal mark for the first time. Skinner is the best goal scorer the Canes had since Eric Staal was traded back in 2016. That’s truly something to be thankful for.
Even though it’s been a rough week for the young defender Jaccob Slavin, he is one of the best on the team. Slavin does not get the recognition he deserves across the league. Him and Brett Pesce are a lock down duo as the first defensive pairing for Peters.
Slavin is even showing a developed level of offensive prowess this season. He’s second among all Canes defensemen in points with six, only behind Noah Hanifin. And, Peters is starting to trust Slavin on the power play.
If the Canes are to make a playoff run this season, this young and talented group of defenders needs to follow the example set by Slavin. While players like Hanifin and Haydn Fleury have come up big this season, none are more important than Slavin.
A big season for Slavin could finally start to garner him some Norris Trophy hype. With how the season has looked so far, and some inconsistencies coming from his side, it might not be the 2017-18 campaign where that happens.
Scott Darling saw his worst performance of the season come in the loss to the Rangers. The Canes are trying to move on from the Cam Ward era in Raleigh, but he’s actually proving that he’s the better goalie this season.
Ward has a 3-2-0 record through five starts with a save percentage above .920. Meanwhile, Darling has a save percentage flat at .900, which is not acceptable for a starting goalie that the Canes invested so much into over the off-season.
The experience factor and the fact that Ward helped the Canes win the only Stanley Cup in franchise history while winning the Conn Smythe in the process should help Darling along through this rough patch.
However, we have to look at Ward as the goalie in the better situation through 20 games. He’s been a very solid backup to Darling, and even eclipsed him in almost every relevant area for goalie stats.
The first line combination of Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, and Teuvo Teravainen gave the Canes a huge spark over the past six games. Teravainen notched his first career hat trick on Nov. 13 in a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars.
He also leads the team in points with 20. Teravainen looks primed for the best season of his career. He’s been the breakout player of the year so far for the Canes, especially since he garnered 1st Star of the Week honors for the NHL.
If Teravainen and Aho continue to play the way they have been, the Canes will be in the playoffs this season. Carolina has not got that type of production out of the first line in quite a while and the TSA line is sparking something special in Raleigh.
Teravainen will look to stay red hot against the Maple Leafs, and extend his point streak to six games. His release and ability to find his line mates in the offensive zone give the Canes a unique contribution not matched by any other on the team.
Aho is carrying a five game goal streak into the matchup with the Maple Leafs. After getting held scoreless through 16 games to start the season, few players are hotter across the league right now than Aho is.
The skill and creativity that Aho brings to the offense is really only matched by Skinner. And, despite not scoring a goal for a good chunk of time to start the season, he’s second on the team in points, only behind Teravainen.
Aho is also tied for fourth on the team in goals with Elias Lindholm and Brock McGinn, with five. He could easily eclipse the mark he posted last season of 24 goals and 32 assists during his rookie campaign.
Next: Ranking every season in the franchise history for Carolina Hurricanes
There’s no player that is more fun to watch on the roster for the Canes right now than Aho. Him and Skinner are a treat to watch on a nightly basis, and if you’re a Canes fan that appreciates offense, these are the guys to be thankful for.