Special Teams
One of the most important aspects to any teams success or failure is in fact the special teams. Having the ability to capitalize on your opportunities on the power play and being able to minimize the damage when it comes to taking penalties can have a huge impact and can lead your team to the playoffs and beyond.
When it comes to the Hurricanes, they have been very good in both the power play and penalty kill. For their power play, they currently rank 8th in the league, converting on 21.8% of their opportunities. For their penalty kill, they also ranked 8th in the league, killing off 83.7% of the penalties they take. This has played a big role in Carolina’s early season success.
The first of our 2 goals in a 1:29 span pic.twitter.com/nwLOKnltb2
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 28, 2019
For Nashville, their numbers are not so great in both areas. In the power play department, they rank 22nd in the league, converting on 17.6% of their opportunities. As for the penalty kill, they are ranked 29th in the league, killing off just 72.7% of the penalties they have taken so far this season. When you look at their overall record, it’s clear that their special teams are one of the reasons why they have struggled so far.
Carolina is heavily favored in the special teams matchup here, so this will definitely be something that the Hurricanes need to take advantage of. Minimize penalties and pounce on your chances on the power play if you’re given the opportunity. Achieve that, and victory can be theirs for the taking.