Tight Gaps and Box Outs
The last key to victory versus the Anaheim Ducks is winning the body position battles. The Carolina Hurricanes’ defense is generally good at slowing teams in transition. With the Ducks deploying forwards like Kase and Rakell, it will be crucial that blue line gaps are tight.
The other thing is winning net battles on both sides of the ice. The Hurricanes were victimized by Evander Kane on Wednesday night. All three of his goals were the result of him winning the box outs in front of the net. Two of his goals came off rebounds and the other was a deflection.
One last consideration is trying to limit the Ducks’ middle lane drive. They have two centers that can create a lot of havoc in front in Ryan Getzlaf and Adam Henrique. Henrique’s four goals leads the Ducks.