Reimer, Foegele Help Lift Carolina to Shut Out Victory Against Calgary
Backed by a tremendous effort in goal by James Reimer, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Calgary Flames in shut out fashion by the final score of 4-0. Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Saturday’s matinée.
After a tough loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, it was important for the Hurricanes to have a bounce-back game. Going against a team in Calgary that had won seven in a row coming into today’s game, it was no simple task.
It took awhile for Carolina to find their game. The first period featured a sluggish Hurricanes team that wasn’t generating much at all, only mustering four shots on goal. If not for James Reimer, this game could have gotten out of hand very quickly.
In the second period, Carolina finally found their game. They finally broke the ice (and their goal drought) at the 7:25 mark when Brock McGinn scored on what was essentially a wide-open net after a nice feed from Jordan Martinook.
Boy was this pretty pic.twitter.com/MCOL1ZkZTH
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 14, 2019
The offense kept at it as Hamilton scored at the 6:20 mark on a 4-on-3 power play. As time went on, Warren Foegele would offer his own offensive production as he notched two short-handed goals for the team.
By all accounts, Carolina played a great road game. Despite some discipline issues when it came to taking unnecessary penalties, the Hurricanes played great all around. As it stands, Carolina has gotten 5 out of a possible 6 points on this long trip, and got a well-deserved win today. Let’s take a look at three takeaways from the shut out victory.
Reimer’s Outstanding Performance
James Reimer took this team on his back and carried them to victory in this one. He is a goalie that has found his rhythm as of late and only continues to show that he is a solid backup to Petr Mrazek. He stopped all 32 shots that went his way and got his second shut out as a Carolina Hurricane.
James Reimer’s ability to perform on the road has been fairly consistent all season. In his last 6 road starts, he’s 5-1-0. His numbers have started to look better overall. Coming into today’s matchup, he had a 6-5-0 record with a 2.62 GAA and a .918 SV%. Those numbers will only improve after today’s result.
ACCESS DENIED ⛔
— Bally Sports: Canes (@CanesOnBally) December 14, 2019
James Reimer is off to a fast start against the Flames tonight. #LetsGoCanes pic.twitter.com/3MDypA90KT
He made plenty of huge stops for the team. His ability to hold the fort after a 1st period that saw the offense for the Hurricanes essentially lifeless was something that stood out to me. He made a gorgeous sprawling save in the 2nd period that energized the team even further. He kept Carolina in this game and made it clear he wasn’t letting anything get passed him.
When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired James Reimer from Florida, many people were skeptical. Needless to say, it’s nice to see this great run. He has been excellent and has given the Hurricanes a chance to win, especially on the road. Tonight was certainly no exception to that. Let’s hope his hot streak extends into his next outing.
Special Teams Shine Again
A pleasant surprise for this Hurricanes team so far this season is the fact that both the power play and penalty kill have been solid. While the power play only converted on one of the opportunities tonight, it was the penalty kill that truly stole the show.
As I mentioned above, the power play converted on one chance (1/4) on the goal scored by Dougie Hamilton in the second period. Despite that, the power play looked solid all night. It featured many good looks, but they could only come up with one conversion. Even with that, it’s great to finally have a power play that can be lethal. That’s something we haven’t had in many years.
The penalty kill was outstanding. Despite many unnecessary penalties that gave Calgary every chance to get back into the game, the penalty kill stood strong and didn’t miss a beat. Just how good have they been? In the last 61 penalties the team has taken, they have successfully killed off 56 of those. Did I mention they scored two shorthanded goals today as well?
Our PK is so good we score on it pic.twitter.com/p9XBzFO0ng
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 14, 2019
I want to give proper credit where credit is due. Assistant coach Dean Chynoweth took a lot of criticism last year for the power play that struggled mightily. This year, it seems he has found the perfect combinations on both the power play and penalty kill so that both can be highly effective, and that has provided a huge boost for this team overall.
Dougie Hamilton’s Contributions
Dougie Hamilton had a great game tonight. Going up against his former team, I think it was important for Hamilton to have a solid game overall. Today, he provided his own contributions on both the offensive and defensive sides to his game.
Starting with the obvious point, he scored a goal tonight. He scored it on the power play and practically did it all himself. With that goal, he has tied John Carlson with the most goals scored by a defenseman at 12. While Carlson is miles ahead when it comes to overall points, Hamilton has steadily provided his own offensive production for the Hurricanes.
https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1205979350425886720
One moment outside of the goal that stood out to me was during the 2nd period when Hamilton stripped Johnny Gaudreau of the puck and created a 3-on-1 the other way. While it didn’t result in a goal, watching him set up that play was a thing of beauty and only shows how far he has come with this team.
As the season rolls along, Hamilton just keeps getting better. Whether it’s the big goal or the timely shot-block, he has a knack for leaving his mark on the game. With the steady production that Carolina continues to get, who knows how far he’ll go. One thing is for sure, he has found a home with the Carolina Hurricanes.
4. 109. 0. 112. Final
Next Up: At Winnipeg on December 17th
Next. Are the Hurricanes Underutilizing Julien Gauthier ?. dark