Carolina Hurricanes: Goaltending the difference this season

The Carolina Hurricanes are tantalizingly close to a playoff spot after their latest win. Currently sitting four points clear of 9th-placed Montreal, a massive improvement in goaltending is why the Canes are so close to a playoff spot.

When the Carolina Hurricanes were shut out by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night, Canes fans feared the worst. Their closest playoff rivals now held the tiebreaker, and every other team around them won. The playoff race shrank considerably in one night and left us all with that eerie feeling of deja vu.

Fast forward 24 hours, and that feeling was eradicated by a sensational performance by Rod Brind’Amour’s team in defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 at PNC Arena. This wasn’t a dominant performance, it wasn’t one that had Caniacs feeling smug and comfortable, but when a team isn’t playing well but can still see out games? That’s sensational. And the Canes had their goalie to thank for keeping the Sabres to just two goals.

That the Carolina Hurricanes remain in a strong position to end their decade-long playoff drought owes much to the team’s tandem of beautiful, beautiful goaltenders. Petr Mrazek (who played well against the Blue Jackets) and Curtis McElhinney (who stopped 35 of 37 shots in that Sabres game) have given this team something they’ve lacked for several years, and the team in front of them has come on leaps and bounds, inspired by the safety in net behind them.

While neither goalie has impeccable stats – Mrazek has a GAA of 2.58 compared to McElhinney’s 2.50, and a save percentage of .908% against Mac’s .916% – those numbers are all ahead of the league average this season. While some goaltenders have struggled to adapt to the new regulations surrounding goalie equipment, the Carolina Hurricanes have seen two newcomers to Raleigh perform admirably. It’s hardly surprising that two agile goalies like Mrazek and Mac are performing well compared to some of the league’s former stars like Martin Jones and Jonathan Quick.

The Canes sit four points ahead of 9th-placed Montreal, with a game in hand over the Habs. A win over the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night would surely put the Carolina Hurricanes on the verge of securing that elusive playoff spot – expect to see Mrazek back in net as Rod Brind’Amour returns to the goalie rotation that has served the team so well this season.

To look at how far the Carolina Hurricanes have come, we need look no further than last season’s goaltending. Franchise legend Cam Ward was seen as the expected backup to big-name acquisition Scott Darling, but ended up starting more games due to the former Chicago Blackhawk’s struggles in his first season with the Canes. Ward posted an underwhelming .906% save percentage with a 2.73 GAA; Darling was awful, posting a .888% save percentage along with a whopping 3.18 GAA.

For the Carolina Hurricanes to swap that poor goaltending with this season’s imperious tandem, and for the Canes’ blueline to be so confident knowing that their goalies actually do have their backs in a crisis, owes much to the leadership of the franchise. While new owner Tom Dundon came under fire for the handling of Ron Francis’ departure, it was Don Waddell that signed Mrazek to his one-year show-me deal, and claimed McElhinney from waivers in October. It is rookie Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour who has given the two the opportunity to shine, and who has handled their starts and exhaustion levels to perfection.

Carolina Hurricanes fans have waited a long time for solid goaltending. They have an inspiring tandem this season and, while it is also fair to give credit to the likes of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Nino Niederreiter for their parts in the team’s rise, there is no doubt that if this team had last season’s goaltending behind it, we wouldn’t be looking at securing a playoff berth in the next two weeks.

There are so many parts of this team that deserve to be celebrated. The team’s offense has been dynamic for several months now, while the team’s blueline has picked up considerably since Christmas. Don Waddell has made some excellent moves as GM, and Rod Brind’Amour is having a Jack Adams-worthy rookie coaching season. Without the goaltending provided by Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney, it’s doubtful that the Carolina Hurricanes would still be in playoff contention – they deserve huge praise from all Caniacs for their contribution this season.

Let’s see if they can provide us further reason to celebrate with a win tomorrow over the Pittsburgh Penguins!