Carolina Hurricanes: Three Takeaways from Tuesday’s Win

After breaking a three-game skid against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes looked to start a new streak against some familiar faces.

In their matinée showdown with the struggling Blackhawks, the Carolina Hurricanes recaptured some of the mojo that had escaped them.  Statistically perfect showing on the power play and penalty kill, as well as a 32 save shutout from Petr Mrazek showed that Carolina wasn’t content to let their hot start slip away.

Enter the Calgary Flames.  Struggling to tread water in the Western Conference, the Bill Peters-led Flames came into PNC Arena sporting a 2-2-1 record over their previous five games.  That five-game stretch saw Calgary outscored 18-13.

The trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and former Hurricane Elias Lindholm were held to a total of nine points (4g, 5a).  The goaltending tandem of Cam Talbot and David Rittich was inconsistent, ending that run with a save percentage of .899.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, matched the Flames’ five-game stint record while notching an equal number of goals scored to those given up (13).  Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Teravainen, three of Carolina’s most potent offensive threats, totaled twelve points (4g, 8a) while the duo of Mrazek and James Reimer put up a .906% save percentage.  Not a huge difference, as the records indicate.

For all the discipline issues that the Hurricanes have had, it’s been a bigger problem for the Flames.  Entering Tuesday night’s game, Calgary was second in the league in penalty minutes per game (11.3), including 30 in a game against the Los Angeles Kings.  Conversely, the Hurricanes came in at the number twelve spot, averaging 8.8 minutes per game.

With both teams set for puck drop, the match looked to be an even one.  What are the three takeaways that shaped the game and determined the outcome?

Sloppy First Period

The first period started off well for the Hurricanes, with Warren Foegele receiving a prime scoring opportunity, only to be bested by Rittich.  That, unfortunately, was the high point of the opening stanza for Carolina.

The Hurricanes took the game’s first penalty with Foegele whistled for high-sticking.  This ended up being short-lived as Calgary captain Mark Giordano went off for interference 1:03 later.  The home team did little on their abbreviated power play, failing to get clean entries, let alone set up for any sustained pressure.

The futility began to envelop the period as Calgary was able to dictate the game’s pace, aided by Carolina’s inaccurate passes and careless defensive play.  This was best exemplified when captain Jordan Staal misread his coverage which allowed Lindholm to open the scoring at 13:04.

The trend continued throughout the remainder of the period, the unbalanced play not reflected in the shot total (12-11 in favor of the Flames).  Calgary appeared to open up a 2-0 lead on a Mikael Backlund goal when Rod Brind’Amour did what he does and executed a flawless challenge.  The play was ruled offside, and the first period ended with the visitors holding a 1-0 lead.

Considering how much time the Hurricanes spent chasing the puck, it could have been much worse.

Mrazek holds the fort

First things first: you cannot legitimately fault Mrazek for Lindholm’s first-period goal.  Whereas his team spent a lot of time running around, the Hurricanes’ netminder did everything he could to keep Carolina within striking distance.

Through the first 40 minutes of play, Mrazek faced 25 Calgary shots, stopping all but one.  Through Carolina’s struggles in establishing their game, the Czech netminder refused to yield any ground.  With the Flames pushing the pace and stifling every Hurricanes’ attack, the pressure was on Mrazek.

He answered the call time after time, enabling his teammates to turn the tide.

With Tuesday’s win, Mrazek finishes October with a 6-1-1 record and a .917 save percentage.