Carolina Hurricanes: Three Keys to Victory Against the Chicago Blackhawks
The Carolina Hurricanes are currently riding a three game winning streak. They look to continue this hot stretch of hockey on Tuesday night as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks on the road at the United Center.
After what was an abysmal stretch of hockey for the Carolina Hurricanes to start the month of November (going 1-4-0), things have started to even out for the team. Since then, the Hurricanes are 3-0-0, winning two of those games in overtime thrillers. They now occupy 3rd place in the Metropolitan division with a 12-7-1 record , good for 25 points.
It seemed as if Carolina was finally back to being healthy after energetic forward Jordan Martinook returned to the lineup, but the injury bug has hit the team once again with Erik Haula being out for a considerable amount of time. The Hurricanes recalled forward Eetu Luostarinen from the Charlotte Checkers to replace the injured forward.
The Hurricanes are taking on the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that isn’t expected to make the playoffs this season. So far, they’ve posted a 9-7-4 record and are currently 5th place in the Central division with 22 points. This is a team that is mixed with seasoned veterans and young up-and-coming players, so it would be wise to not take this team lightly.
These two teams have played each other once already this season. The Hurricanes defeated the Blackhawks 4-0 on October 26th. Backed by a tremendous effort in net by Petr Mrazek, where he stopped all 32 shots he faced, Carolina played an excellent game. They will look to replicate that style of play on Tuesday night.
This will be the 79th time these two teams have faced off against each other. The overall record currently stands at 36-33-7-2 in favor of Chicago. As we can see, these two teams have been fairly evenly matched against one another throughout their history.
Carolina is looking to extend their winning streak to four games. With being in a division as tough as the Metropolitan is this year, every game truly counts. The Hurricanes have to take advantage of lesser teams and pounce on those opportunities for much-needed points. Let’s take a look at three keys to securing a win against the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Special Teams
It should go without saying, but special teams are what can make or break your team. Having the ability to capitalize on a power play opportunity and having the security of knowing you can kill a penalty off is vital to your success in the NHL, and in some cases, can be the difference between whether you make the playoffs or not.
Luckily for Carolina, they have been good in both departments. On the power play, they’re currently ranked 7th in the league, converting on 23.8% of their chances. On the penalty kill, they’re currently ranked 12th in the league, killing off 83.3% of the penalties they have taken so far.
During this three-game winning streak, Carolina has looked pretty good. On the power play, they have converted on three out of eight chances. When it comes to the penalty kill, they have been perfect, not giving up a single power play goal in that stretch (9/9). To make things even better, they have a shorthanded goal as well.
https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1194061499427426309?s=20
Chicago is a different story. They have struggled in both departments so far this season. On the power play, they are currently ranked 24th in the league, converting on only 14.5% of their chances. On the penalty kill, they’re currently ranked 19th in the league, killing off 80.0% of the penalties they have taken so far.
In their last three games, Chicago’s power play has converted on just one chance out of seven opportunities. On the penalty kill, the numbers look better. They killed off six out of seven penalties they faced in that stretch.
So clearly, both of these numbers work in Carolina’s favor overall. They will have to jump on the opportunities that present themselves and continue their early season success when it comes to special teams. If they can manage to do that, winning this game should be all but a certainty.
Shutdown Chicago’s Top Players
When it comes to the Blackhawks, they have many players that have been around for a while. They have a handful of players that were on their roster when they won their Stanley Cups not too long ago. With their mix of seasoned veterans and youth, they can be a tough team to face. The most important thing is shutting down their top players.
One of the best players in the game right now (and arguably one of the best Americans to ever play in the NHL) is Patrick Kane. So far this season, he has 11 goals and 15 assists. In his career, he has 367 goals and 597 assists, just shy of a thousand points. Last season, he had 110 points(!) and tore through the season, even with a Chicago team that was not very good.
WHAT. A. GOAL. PATRICK. KANE. 😱 pic.twitter.com/5crF1CVrad
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 18, 2019
Someone who isn’t having the best start to the season, but should always be one of the focuses is Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks captain currently has four goals and seven assists so far this season. In his career, he has 331 goals and 435 assists, good for 766 points. While he hasn’t been as dangerous as he has been in past seasons, Toews is a gifted forward that Carolina would be wise to defend well.
One of the young players that is already having a big impact for the team is Alex DeBrincat. He currently has 5 goals and 11 assists so far this season. In DeBrincat’s 184 games played, he’s registered 74 goals and 70 assists. This kid is really good and will play a big part in the future that Chicago is currently building.
I feel like I should give a special nod to the youngest player on the Blackhawks roster, Kirby Dach. Dach was drafted 3rd overall in last years draft and has immediately fit right in with Chicago, posting five goals and four assists in the 14 games he has played so far. Last night against the Sabres, he had a two goal night and helped lead Chicago to a 4-1 victory.
If Carolina hopes to keep their winning streak alive, they’re going to have to play these guys tough. This is where the defense will have to have a big night, helping to shut down the players I mentioned above. Doing so will help a lot in minimizing chances and making victory so much more attainable.
Goaltending
A position that is widely considered as the backbone of any hockey team, goaltending is always important. While you may be able to get away with a lack of defense if you have really good scoring or vice versa, if you don’t have at least decent goaltending, you’re not going to make it very far in this league.
For Carolina, Petr Mrazek has had a pretty good start to the season. He currently has a 2.62 GAA and a .904 SV%. What makes him stand out for the Hurricanes is his ability to play at home in front of the Carolina faithful, but he has to prove he can perform on the road as well. If he starts this game, this is an opportunity for him to take that next step and show he can perform away from PNC Arena as well.
James Reimer has struggled so far with the Hurricanes. This can be from any number of factors, but the good thing is, he had a great start in his last outing against the Minnesota Wild. He stopped 32 of 35 shots and got the win. If he does end up starting this game, this is Reimer’s chance to show some consistency and prove he can be a steady backup.
SATURDAY SNARE OF THE WEEK pic.twitter.com/87DRndx0JV
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 16, 2019
For the Blackhawks, Corey Crawford hasn’t had a bad season so far but his age is certainly starting to show. He currently has a 4-4-2 record with a 3.02 GAA and a .914 SV%. In his last start, he stopped 33-34 shots and got the win against the Buffalo Sabres 4-1. Considering that he started their last game, I can’t see him starting this one, especially because of who their other option is.
Robin Lehner is the other net minder for Chicago. Hurricanes fans will remember him because he was the starter for the New York Islanders in the 2nd round of the playoffs last year and I’m sure he’ll be seeking redemption. Either way, he has been fantastic for the Blackhawks. He’s posted a 5-3-2 record with a 2.46 GAA and a .936 SV%. Carolina will have to exploit his weaknesses just like last year if he starts.
If I had to guess, I’d say the goalie matchup would be Petr Mrazek and Robin Lehner. Mrazek will have to stand on his head and show he can be consistent on the road. The Hurricanes will have to figure out how to solve Lehner just like they did in the 2nd Round of last years playoffs. A combination of these factors will help Carolina seal their fourth straight victory.
Game Notes
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- Puck Drop: 8:30 PM EST
- Location: United Center
- TV: Fox Sports Carolinas, NHL.TV
- Radio: 99.9 The Fan
- Uniform: Road White
- Potential Lines:
- Dzingel-Staal-Foegele
- Svechnikov-Aho-Teravainen
- Niederreiter-Wallmark-Necas
- McGinn-Luostarinen-Martinook
- Slavin-Hamilton
- Edmundson-Pesce
- Gardiner-van Riemsdyk
- Potential Goalie Matchup:
- Carolina Hurricanes: Petr Mrazek
- Chicago Blackhawks: Robin Lehner
Prediction. 3. 109. 1. 94
Next. Haula's Injuries Continue to Pile Up. dark