5. Lack of energy
One of the biggest problems for the Canes this season has been playing through a full three periods each night. However, while they do out play, and out shoot, a good portion of the competition, the results have barely shown on the scoreboard.
Whenever the Canes were successful in the past, it was through a steady energy that put pressure on opponents through all three periods, especially in the third. We’ve referred to it before, but that motto under former head coach Peter Laviolette during the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals run really worked (“relentless”).
Whatever Peters is doing to try to energize the locker just is not working out. It’s hard to tell if that’s a problem with the leadership on the roster, or the coaching. But it should all start with Peters sparking a solid energy level out of everyone involved.
This is his responsibility to make sure that the effort level is at least there to give the team a chance to win every single game. The recent performances in losses to the Rangers, 6-3, and to the Minnesota Wild, 6-2, highlight the ineffectiveness of Peters in this aspect of his coaching ability.