Carolina Hurricanes: Three Keys to Lowercasing the Caps

The Carolina Hurricanes Need to Avoid the Penalty Box.

As fellow CardiacCane writer Austin Blum (@austinblum_) pointed out, the Carolina Hurricanes have had a troubling love affair with the sin bin. Three-quarters of the Hurricanes active roster have ten or more penalties in minutes (PIM) this season, with offseason acquisition Joel Edmundson leading at forty-seven.

In the last forty games, Carolina has had to defend against one-hundred and forty-six powerplays, of which they, Washington, and the New York Rangers lead the league. Of those, Carolina has given up only twenty-six goals, giving them an 82.2% penalty kill rate, which stands at eleventh overall league-wide. Every penalty called against Carolina can turn into a dagger as we know what comes with it.

Alex Ovechkin goes to his office and scores. Ovi has found twine nine times on the man advantage this year, six of those on the road, making him one of the deadlier special teams assets on the Capitals roster. During the 2018 All-Star Game, Alex broke the long-standing slap shot speed record, registering one at 101.3 miles per hour (163 kilometers per hour), a shot you don’t want to block.

The more that Carolina can stay out of the box, the fewer opportunities that Ovechkin will have to put that monstrous slap shot into play. Ovi isn’t the only strong point on the Capitals powerplay unit either, as they have scored twenty-seven times in one-hundred and twenty-seven opportunities. That number translates to an approximate one-in-five chance of scoring on the man advantage.

The Carolina Hurricanes Need to Capitalize (Pun Intended) on Washington’s Shortcomings.

As seen in the two team’s last four outings, the Washington Capitals have problems when on the defense. It translates into a strong forecheck and dogged backcheck. The more pressure that the Carolina Hurricanes can place on Washington, the better. Turnovers, takeaways, and good old fashioned putting bodies into the glass.

By keeping the Capitals on their toes, Carolina won’t face nearly the shot volume they traditionally do. In the two games this season, Washington has averaged thirty-two shots per game, while not an overwhelming amount, it has translated to six goals-against. Both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer in the first half of the season have had wild up-and-down games, and large shot volumes on a down night can translate to multiple goals against.

It also lowers the risk of injuries from shots blocked by Carolina’s A-plus defensive corps. As mentioned in the last slide, Alex Ovechkin can put some serious power behind a six-ounce piece of rubber (348.83 [rounded to nearest hundredth] Joules of kinetic energy). The Hurricanes Top Four defense pairings combine for a total of two-hundred, and forty-two blocked shots in forty games, so injury by puck is less a question of if, but when.

By controlling the puck, the Hurricanes will keep the Capitals from playing to their special teams’ strengths, which accounted for two of the four goals a week ago. At even-strength, the Capitals have been readily outplayed by the Canes and is a must for Carolina to take the win against Washington to start the new year.

Carolina Hurricanes Powerplay Goals Mean Bo-Berry Biscuits. Mmm. Biscuits.

It’s no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes have a functional powerplay this season, especially to the Washington Capitals. Carolina currently sits sixth in the National Hockey League (NHL) with a conversion rate of 28.3%, tied for with the Saint Louis Blues. Against the Washington Capitals this season? It’s a staggering 28.6%. In one-hundred and twenty-six attempts, the Canes have found twine thirty times.

Of the thirty-one teams in the NHL, only four teams have scored more powerplay goals than the Hurricanes: Edmonton, Vancouver, Tampa Bay, and Boston. In both contests this season against Washington, the Hurricanes have converted on the man advantage, and they should continue to. The Capitals, while third in penalty kill (84.9%) league-wide, are at an 81.8% defend rate against the clicking Carolina special team units.

Lucas Wallmark tallied the lone powerplay goal in December 28th’s contest, with Erik Haula finding the mark on October 5th. It would come as no surprise if the Hurricanes were to convert at least once in tonight’s contest. Powerplay goal leader for the Hurricanes is split between Sebastian Aho and Andrei “Lacrosse” Svechnikov, each with five powerplay goals.

It would not come as a surprise to any of us if Svech were to give us a show with his third lacrosse-style goal of the season coming on the powerplay. No matter who it is, the Hurricanes need to keep their powerplay clicking and scoring against the Capitals, as it has been an integral component of both this season’s wins.

Carolina Hurricanes Game Number 41 Notes

Watch:

NHL Network

SportsNet

TVA Sports

Fox Sports-Carolinas

NBC Sports-Washington

NHL.tv

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

Question for CC Readers: What do you think Carolina has to do to win their fourth straight against the Washington Capitals?