The Defense
The tragic loss of Steve Chiasson sent a shockwave through the team and left an offensive void on the blueline. The Hurricanes ended up utilizing 9 defensemen through the course of the season, including 31 games from rookie David Tanabe.
As mentioned on the last page, Sean Hill led all defensemen in scoring with 44 points, a total that placed him 5th on the team. Future Hall-of-Famer Paul Coffey was next, chipping in 40 points (11G; 29A), his highest total in 4 years. Coffey’s 22 power-play points (6G, 16A) ranked him 3rd on the team.
Glen Wesley and Marek Malik provided steady defensive play, with Malik finishing 2nd on the team with a +13 rating. Filling out the defensive ranks were Steven Halko, Dave Karpa, Nolan Pratt, and Curtis Leschyshyn.
The Hurricanes tightened up defensively, allowing 2141 shots (26.11/game), a reduction of 258 from the year before. Their penalty kill did slip a bit, dropping to 84.19%, 15th best in the league. The Hurricanes ended up allowing 216 goals (2.63/game), up slightly from the season prior.
The team allowed 5 or more goals (including 7 goals twice) on 9 occasions, losing all of them. Conversely, the Hurricanes allowed 2 goals or few in 40 games, winning 30 of those.
It’s also worthy to note that the Hurricanes were the least penalized team in the league during the season, giving their opponents a total of 253 power-play opportunities.