Three Takeaways from The Carolina Hurricanes Loss to the New Jersey Devils

1. Andrei Svechnikov Makes Everyone Around Him Better

To open up the game the Carolina Hurricanes turned to their true number one line with three young players. Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, and Warren Foegele. While yes it was Foegele who ended up on the scoreboard and Aho along with Jake Gardiner who were the ones who earned assists on it, Svechnikov was instrumental in setting up the play.

Deep in his own zone he looks and sees the breakout well before it happens. Just a simple pass has Carolina going from defending in their own ice to buzzing and scoring in the opposing zone within SECONDS:

Now let’s take a look at the next goal from Teuvo Teravainen on the power play. Svechnikov locates a loose puck, sees Teuvo in the high slot and takes a heavy angled shot at MacKenzie Blackwood. He knows that if his shot doesn’t get past him it will deflect and feed directly to Teravainen who will be rewarded with a wide open net:

It’s not the first time Svechnikov has shown off his high Hockey IQ. He is completely unselfish and knows just when and how to move the puck to give his teammates the best opportunities to score. There is a reason he was compared to guys like Gordie Howe and is currently in the conversation with guys like Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby. Unreal talent.

Not to mention his loyalty to his teammates. After Wayne Simmonds took an unnecessary hit on Warren Foegele, Svechnikov was immediately in Simmonds face and was once again ready to go toe to toe with a player he probably grew up watching on TV as a kid. He continues to grow and mature before our eyes. The Carolina Hurricanes are lucky to have him on the roster.