Carolina Hurricanes: The Troubling Penalty Trend This Season

The Carolina Hurricanes are doing something a lot lately that they aren’t really known for. They have not been playing disciplined hockey. How drastic has this trend become?

The penalties have skyrocketed, and the penalty kill has taken a hit because of it. Dating back to December 7, the Carolina Hurricanes have had less than eight penalty minutes only once. The Hurricanes have played 10 games in that span and have had 10 or more penalty minutes in six of those games. Only recently has it been hurting the Hurricanes in the loss column.

In the three consecutive losses against the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers, the Hurricanes allowed two power play goals in each game. The Hurricanes lost by two in each of those games. What is the reason for the increase in penalties?

I think there is two possibilities to the penalty problem. One is the extremely long road trip that the Hurricanes went on led to fatigue for the players. The other is the Hurricanes have just suddenly become an undisciplined team this season, despite coach Rod Brind’Amour wanting his team to stay disciplined.

The Carolina Hurricanes went on a five-game road trip that spanned across Canada with a stop in Denver before returning to Raleigh for one game. The number of miles traveled over the course of this road trip could have taken a toll on the team.

Even though the Hurricanes took a lot of penalties on this road trip, it was a very successful one going 4-0-1, getting a nine of a possible 10 points. It was after the road trip when it really started to hurt the Canes.

As mentioned, the Hurricanes allowed two power play goals each in three consecutive losses. Those three losses were directly after the Hurricanes long trip. Watching the games, it seemed the Hurricanes players were lazy and showing signs of fatigue. They weren’t playing the fast game you are used to seeing them.

They aren’t positioning themselves well and the goaltending has been sub-par at best. In the last four games played, the Hurricanes have allowed four or more goals in each game. The team seems off, which could be a reason to an increase in penalties.

If you don’t believe the road trip had something to do with it, then let’s look at the numbers for the entire season. The Hurricanes average 8.7 penalty minutes a game, which is tied for 13th in the NHL. The Hurricanes have the 6th most penalties with 160.

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Just last season the Hurricanes averaged 7.5 penalty minutes a game, which was 7th fewest in the league. They finished with a total of 288 penalties in 2018-19, which this year’s team is currently on pace to surpass.

It’s a troubling trend if the Carolina Hurricanes can’t find the discipline they played with last year. They don’t seem as conditioned last year. The Hurricanes could skate with anyone and play a 60-minute game with almost anyone in hockey.

This year seems different. I believe the Hurricanes have become a less disciplined team this season and that the recent struggles only magnify it because it just recently started to hurt the team.

Question to CC Readers: What do you think is the cause for the increase in penalties?