Carolina Hurricanes: 3 Keys To Recoil Against Blackhawks

1. Speed Game

The Blackhawks have been an odd team so far. Their forwards bring a speed game, but not enough of their defensemen can keep up with the forwards. Brent Seabrook, who used to be a great piece for the Blackhawks, is now a player who has one of the worst contracts in the National Hockey League ($6,875,000 AAV).

New additions Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan (uh oh) have been decent for the Blackhawks. Neither have a negative plus-minus and both have gave their forwards a decent defense-to-offense transition.

Robin Lehner has played solid for the Blackhawks, but his defense actually does not get much credit for it. No matter if you put Lehner or Corey Crawford in, a subpar defense won’t allow you to save everything. The Carolina Hurricanes may have the Hawks’ number.

The Hurricanes love to get the defensemen involved, especially Dougie Hamilton. Whether the shot goes directly in from the point or not, gritty forwards like Jordan Staal can take advantage of the space that will be afforded to them and deflect shots or grab a rebound.

Two nights ago, the Blackhawks defense looked like amateurs against a professional team. The Philadelphia Flyers have basically allowed the Hurricanes coaching staff a recipe for victory.