Carolina Hurricanes: Three Takeaways From The Buffalo Sabres Game
It would be easy to understand if Friday’s late arrival back into Raleigh, coupled with coming off a lethargic start to Friday night’s game in Columbus if the Carolina Hurricanes had shown the effects of the past 24 hours when the visiting Buffalo Sabres game to town.
After the expected sluggish start last night that saw them trailing after giving up a bad goal , the Hurricanes lifted their play to another level. Displaying a sense of resiliency they have lacked at other times earlier this season, coupled with a tenacity and grit while playing on tired legs this team dominated the last 48 minutes of the game.
The mental toughness and willing to adjust saw the team cruise to a 4-2 victory on home ice while maintaining a firm grasp on a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. In a previous article I stated that March would really test the mettle of the Carolina Hurricanes and this team has proven they are up to the test. Less than 24 hours after losing a crucial game to a rival team they are battling for playoff position the team answered the bell. They physically dominated a rested Sabres team in a game that could of easily have been a trap game.
1. Winnipeg was a Fluke for Curtis McElhinney
Behind a solid performance from Curtis McElhinney allowing just two goals while being peppered by 37 shots, the team stood strong around him to complete the season sweep of their one time rival The Buffalo Sabres. A very impressive aspect of this game was that the scoring was done via team effort as 12 different Hurricanes registered a point in the effort. This showed that the team’s depth players to include Lucas Wallmark and Jordan Martinook can contribute to the score sheet. Something that is in fact desperately needed if the team expects to play past the first rounds in the summer. And it all starts with important saves from Curtis McElhinney:
MAC MAC MAC MAC MAC pic.twitter.com/7JTKgwwAkk
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 17, 2019
Curtis McElhinney got the rebound he deserved. His last outing was against the Winnipeg Jets that saw them put up eight goals on him en route to a serious loss that deflated the playoff hopes of the Carolina Hurricanes. Last night was a different story that saw McElhinney return to form as one of the best in the league. That bounce back for him is probably one of the best stories of the night. The others being Jordan Staal‘s 500th Career point, and the growth of Lucas Wallmark as a solid center for this team.
2. Lucas Wallmark is a solid center
Lucas Wallmark is young! Lucas Wallmark is a great third line center, and excellent in the faceoff circle! Lucas Wallmark is also a grinder in every aspect of the game, and his game tying goal last night proved it! Diving behind Linus Ullmark to clean up the squeaker from fellow grinder Jordan Martinook to tie the game 1-1. That was a huge goal that saw the momentum shift in Carolina’s favor and their first goal in almost four periods of play.
Giving it everything. #TakeWarning pic.twitter.com/qwQriKuXln
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 16, 2019
Analyst Tripp Tracy put it best when he said “Wallmark does not play with nerves”. That intangible can be invaluable as the team gets closer and closer to the playoffs. Wallmark also had significant time on the ice playing against Buffalo’s top line, and almost 14 minutes of ice time total, and held his own against the barrage that Buffalo is known to bring from their top line. As mentioned previously Wallmark could very well be the replacement for Jordan Staal down the line. He chose last night to display some of the hard nosed tendencies.
When even a third line rookie center like Lucas Wallmark is putting in the effort and grit, the rest of the team does as well. This with four goals and twelve separate Hurricanes getting points on them, it shows that there is chemistry in this team and effort shown from every level. It starts with how well they choose their shots:
3. This team is better with less shots fired
Last night the team scored 4 goals on 29 shots, the previous night they were shutout while sending 46 shots into Sergei Bobrovsky‘s chest. This signals to me that with Carolina’s less shots mean better shot selection, and they are forcing the goalie to move in the crease due to crisp passing and better puck movement. The Andrei Svechnikov goal and Justin Williams goals were prime examples of how more puck movement and less shooting forces a goalie to move leaving a seemingly open net with a shooter standing right in front of it.
B-E-A-UTIFUL pic.twitter.com/SlXApwkGM6
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 17, 2019
I am not overlooking the skill difference of Bobrovsky and Ullmark, I am however considering the amount of movement each goalie was forced to do between the two games, and it seemed by firing so many shots at Bobrovsky allowed him to get settled and comfortable as opposed to being kept off balance by sharp puck movement forcing him to move from post to post.
Final Score:
109. 2. 12. Final. 4
The team we saw last night was the team we need to continue to see throughout the season if there are any hopes for a deep run into the playoffs. This is a crisp passing aggressive Hurricanes team will be a tough out for any Eastern Conference opponent.
Compare the takeaways from the Columbus game!. light. Must Read
Question for CC Readers: How many points do we get over the next four games of this homestand?