3. Is patience really a virtue?
The Carolina Hurricanes were patient with their opportunities all night, opting to pass instead of shoot if the opportunity wasn’t perfect. They got plenty of perfect opportunities but Henrik Lundqvist was there for each and every one of them. The two times they scored? They just happened to throw it at the net.
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So is patience with the puck really a virtue or should they throw it at the net and hope the chaos and the net front presence is more than enough to beat guys like Henrik who are skilled enough to understand when to show and then shut down perfect shooting opportunities? Honestly in today’s hockey there are no perfect opportunities unless its an empty net.
What the Hurricanes are doing when it comes to attacking the net is surgical and precise and against a team as tired as the Rangers were last night, it should have torn up the scoreboard. This SHOULD have been a route of the rangers. Veteran experience in the form of Henrik said otherwise. Rumor has it that the New York Ranger fan base isn’t having it from the older and somewhat wiser netminder, but last night should have been an indicator that what they have is something special.
The Carolina Hurricanes have some easy matchups up ahead, but the lessons learned today last night from the New York Rangers is something that should be applied moving forward. Hopefully they look back at the taps and realize that sometimes patience is not a virtue.
Next Up: The Carolina Hurricanes go visit the Ottawa Senators.