Carolina Hurricanes: Eliminate Flyers From Contention
The Carolina Hurricanes inched two points closer to their first postseason berth in almost a decade while pushing the Philadelphia Flyers out of contention in front of a massive audience of close to 18,000.
It was an early saturday matinée game. The first of a back to back against Metro Division opponents each competing for post season positioning. In front of a rowdier audience of almost 18 thousand fans, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers competed, each fighting for their seasons not to end come April 6th.
After sixty minutes of play the Carolina Hurricanes came up on top by a score of 5-2. That’s the short version of this story. It’s the version you know by now. It’s not the version you are here to read about. No, this version is about what they drew from this game that can be administered in the future, and what should be shied away from.
This game was filled with ups and down. Luckily for the Carolina Hurricanes There were more ups than downs. When the Flyers struck, the Carolina Hurricanes struck back twice in quick fashion. There was no time given to allow the opponent to settle in on hostile ice. This is why this team will not be a pushover when it starts playing past April 6th while the other team is setting up tee times.
There were moments when it looked like the collapse that allowed both the Lightning and the Capitals (Twice) to come storming back in the third was imminent, the Carolina Hurricanes shut the door like it was the old team from February when it was sunshine and rainbows. When it as all said and done, even old friends came out for one last time:
https://twitter.com/NHLCanes/status/1112085238732197889
While seeing the OG Storm Surge brought us many tears, the face that the last home game of March was a meaningful game is so much more important. But where do we go from here. It starts with figuring out how to replicate last night’s complete win against the Flyers a team grasping for points, in what would have been a fruitless attempt as they were going to be eliminated regardless.
1. Mrazek is our Starting Goalie
Incredible. That word doesn’t begin to explain the turn around in the netminding for this Carolina Hurricanes team. When Don Waddell announced that the team was going to sign Petr Mrazek for a year to compete with Scott Darling for the rights to own the net, I was not convinced that it was the right choice.
Fast forward to early January and I do not know if I could have predicted that a tandem of a one year free agent signing and a waiver wire pickup were going to be the two men that would propel this team to a postseason berth. Today, I am more than confident that the two men would lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a deep run through April and perhaps beyond that.
If I had to choose one of the two to lean on while we make this run, It is definitely Mrazek. Their tale of ice and fire is still the kind that will propel this team forward regardless. But when it comes to starting hot out of the gate, they definitely need the fire that is Petr Mrazek.
It’s not the saves that are needed to keep this game within check or to maintain a lead that is impressive. It is how he makes those saves, with a fire that builds an aura around the crease that players and the puck have a difficult time getting through. Just look at some of the most ridiculous saves he made last night:
PETR PETR PETR PETR PETR pic.twitter.com/peraaGPItt
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 30, 2019
That fire he brings to the table turns into energy that his teammates can feed off of and take with them down the ice. When he kicks the puck out of his crease, when he quite literally says NO to an opposing player, he does it with a purpose. The kind of purpose that sends the puck careening out of the zone and turns into a breakaway chance down the other end of the ice.
Mrazek plays with such a ferocity that it becomes a problem for his counterpart in the other net. While he did get an assist last night, it is incredulous that he does not have more on the season. Perhaps last night was just a start. Once his defense in front of him starts playing a little better like they just did, it will happen more often.
2. When the Defense Steps Up there is no Beating this Team
Of the five goals scored last night, three were scored by defenders. Once on the powerplay, once five on five, and once short handed. When the defense can play like that there is no stopping this team. They buzzed in the offensive zone for the most of the game, giving Cam Talbot and the Flyers headaches as they passed the puck around tiring the flyers and getting in good shots.
As they piled on the shots, they also piled on the goals. The defense kept the puck in the zone which turned into continued offensive opportunities. But the play in the defensive zone should be recognized too. Brett Pesce shouldered most of that work along with Justin Faulk and Jaccob Slavin.
They continually harassed Flyer forwards and forced Flyer defenders to stay at home because there were very few times in the game that Philadelphia managed to get good offensive setup in the game outside of a man advantage. Even with the man advantage they struggled against the Carolina Hurricanes Excellent defense which almost led to a short hander several times.
At the end of the game, it eventually did lead to one straight off the stick of Jaccob Slavin. While it may not look like it did on TV, sitting at one end the ice and watch the puck wobble down the length of the rink, it definitely curved as Slavin took a page out of a baseball pitcher’s playbook to practically shut the door on the Flyers.
BULLSEYE! pic.twitter.com/ONTayTSnad
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 30, 2019
On the man advantage, the Carolina Hurricanes defense managed to step up and go back to the same form they had in February. And just like that, with the defense properly managing when to step up and help in the scrum and when to step back and keep the line, the Carolina Hurricanes scored, not once, but twice on the power play. Justin Faulk was responsible for the second.
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 30, 2019
The third defender to score last night was also the first one to score. Dougie Hamilton has been putting his mark on this team since he got here. With his 16th of the season, he leads the team’s defenders in goals and is tied for third league wide. Can he make a run for first? I think he can because the redheaded defender is on fire.
3. Dougie Hamilton is on Fire
Dougie Hamilton is one of us. He plays the game the same way a fan would play it if they made their own character for NHL19. He doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks and will not apologize for who he is. Lucky for him, he doesn’t have to when playing for the Carolina Hurricanes. Who he is is a perfect fit for the weird chemistry this team has.
His post game antics, which include unique choices in music for post game workouts and photobombing interviews has been a welcomed change of pace for the locker room of the team that got called a bunch of jerks on TV. Hamilton is no longer being criticized for who he is. Carolina is his home now and he intends to make the most of it.
With 243 consecutive games with a shot on goal it is surprising to see that he only has 16 goals this season and 17 last season. There are those who say that he needs to cool down and start taking better shots. That said, Gretzky always said that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take and Dougie is not going to question the great one.
More recently however he has been taking better shots and finding empty space behind netminders to park the puck in. He has ballooned in goals from 10 before the trade deadline to the 16 he has now along with five apples to go along with them. Last night he managed to not miss any chances to add on only 21 seconds after a powerplay tally to take the lead in the game.
Dougie has been on an absolute tear 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Br00h3SYrR
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 30, 2019
For a man in his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes, he has devoted all his time and effort to this team. From taking younger players under his wing during off ice events, to even taking the time to master his Rick Flair “Woo”. Dougie Hamilton is a player for the people on a team made of players for the people, which is not an easy thing to do.
https://twitter.com/NHLCanes/status/1112092854380384257
I can listen to that all day, for those of you who have eventually stopped the loop and decided to finish reading this article, join me in hoping that Dougie Hamilton’s nature as a Carolina Hurricane is infectious and that more players learn to have the same fun he is having and use that to win more and more games as the season draws to a close.
Last night was a complete game. Today is another chance to reapply everything I just said with Curtis McElhinney being the only change. This team *knock on wood* has bee undefeated in the second half of a back to back going all the way back to January. No reason to change the script now. Take these takeaways from last night and apply them again to head to Toronto in third place in the Metro.
Must Read. Prospect Profile: Jake Bean. light
Question for CC Readers: Where do you think Dougie Hamilton’s SOG streak will end? Will it be this season? Next? Or the day he retires from the NHL?