2. Top Forwards Jumping in
Sebastian Aho finally scored a goal against an actual goalie in net, against the Columbus Blue Jackets two nights ago. This should hopefully spark Aho into what he’s being paid big bucks for; putting up big numbers.
Rod Brind’Amour is expected to shake up the lines. The line featuring Aho should probably be seeing a shake-up, as well. Nino Niederreiter and Aho may both have problems because they share a line together, they share the frustration and pressure together. Separating them onto different lines may help.
The Hurricanes need to have their top-line get involved more. Although Hamilton is one hell of an offensive defenseman, he cannot be scoring double what Aho is scoring. If this problem doesn’t bring a loss today, it will continue to be a problem, if not solved.
The game in Columbus should be a wake-up call for the star-line. Aho was definitely enthusiastic, finally breaking through in the new season. This could spark his linemates and a good amount of the roster, to put the pressure off.
You love to see it #LetsGoCanes pic.twitter.com/3KrZumaiJQ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 24, 2019
When it comes to inefficient lines, there is also the special teams problem. If the top-line forwards can be sparked up, perhaps the special teams can support that jump.