Carolina Hurricanes: 3 Keys to Beating the Los Angeles Kings

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The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off a huge win against the Arizona Coyotes. What will the Hurricanes need to do to defeat the Los Angeles Kings?

It’s Whalers night, Caniacs. Grab your Hartford Whalers merchandise and head to PNC Arena to watch your Carolina Hurricanes in action. If you can’t make it to PNC Arena for the game like myself, then wear your Whalers gear in the comfort of your home or wherever you watch the game.

The Hurricanes will face the Kings in their last meeting of the 2019-20 season. The first matchup went extremely well for the Hurricanes, which resulted in a 2-0 win in Los Angeles back on October 15. That game seems like a long time ago as the Hurricanes weren’t firing on all cylinders like they were to start the season. The Hurricanes although improved in their last two games have been struggling of late and are looking to get back to their winning ways.

https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1184315937257873413

An advantage for the Canes is that this isn’t the Kings team you are used to seeing during their Cup runs in the 2010’s. The Kings have talent, but they don’t have a lot of it. This Kings team doesn’t have a lot of depth at any position and it is a huge reason why they are near the bottom of the standings. They are coming into Carolina losing four of their last six games but are coming off a big 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in Vegas.

The Hurricanes dominated last night and are looking to ride their momentum from yesterday’s game into tonight’s. They played a well-rounded game and had great goaltending in what seems like forever from Petr Mrazek. We take you to tonight’s three keys in order to claim victory against the Los Angeles Kings.

RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 23: Lucas Wallmark #71 of the Carolina Hurricanes goes down on the ice to clear a puck through the neutral zone during an NHL game against the Boston Bruins on December 23, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Don’t Play Down to Competition

The Hurricanes need to keep their foot on the gas pedal. They are in the thick of a very tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. The team currently sits as the first wild card team with the Philadelphia Flyers, the second wild card team, and the Florida Panthers within three points of the Hurricanes.

They can’t afford to play down to their competition. These are two points the Hurricanes need and should be able to get. I know that anything could happen on any given night, but on paper this Hurricanes team is miles ahead of the Kings. Ride the wave from last night and take control of this game as well.

The crowd should be a large one tomorrow since it is Whalers night, so the team could have extra motivation. They need to play a full game and not let up. They can’t resort to getting lazy and taking unnecessary stick infractions or getting out of position by not skating with urgency. The Hurricanes have a great opportunity to keep climbing in the standings and this game is perfect example of that.

What the Hurricanes can’t do is take the Kings lightly and look ahead to Monday’s game against the Capitals. Worry about the game against the Capitals when the game against the Kings is over. This happens to teams and I wish it wouldn’t and the Hurricanes can’t fall victim to that. Yes, the game on Monday is a bigger matchup and a game that the Hurricanes are probably marking on their calendar, considering the bad blood. But the game tonight is just as important for the Carolina Hurricanes.

RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 23: Sebastian Aho #20 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates with teammate Teuvo Teravainen #86 after scoring a goal during an NHL game against the Boston Bruins on December 23, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

2. Get Out in Front Early

The Carolina Hurricanes need to score early. They need the first goal of the game. The Hurricanes for a stretch this season went behind early and fought their way back to win. That hasn’t been the case lately except for the last two games the Hurricanes have played. Scoring the first goal makes the Hurricanes team play differently now. It gives them confidence that they can control the game from that point on. When they allow the first goal the team has seemed deflated and it seems to take the edge off their game.

In three of the last four games, the Hurricanes have allowed each team to start with a 2-0 lead. Against the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning the Hurricanes couldn’t fight back. The goaltending hasn’t been there to where the Hurricanes can fall behind and expect to be able to win the game.

In the game last night against the Arizona Coyotes, the Hurricanes got out in front in the first period. They didn’t look back from that moment on. Although the Coyotes had chances, the Hurricanes kept pushing and pushing and they kept the momentum on their side throughout the game. On the second game of a back to back when the team you are facing has an off day it is always beneficial to get the first goal early. That is so you can keep the momentum you had from the previous game and make it easier to fight fatigue later in the game.

A FoeGOAL to get us going! pic.twitter.com/zheR6U0Jq9
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 11, 2020

The records from when the Hurricanes score first and the Kings allowing a goal first would heavily favor the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are 19-3-0 when scoring the first goal of the game this season. The Kings are 3-17-1 when allowing the first goal. The first goal in this one will have a huge impact on the outcome of the game, and it is very important that the Hurricanes are able to score it.

RALEIGH, NC – DECEMBER 23: Dougie Hamilton #19 of the Carolina Hurricanes prepares for a faceoff during an NHL game against the Boston Bruins on December 23, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

3. Effective Offensive Play by the Defense

I have always been a huge advocate for getting defenseman involved on offense. That is only when it is done so effectively and doesn’t affect the team on the defensive side. What that means is that you want the defenseman to pinch when they know they are going to keep the puck in the offensive zone. You don’t want the defenseman to pinch when three forwards are caught deep because that leads to odd man rushes and puts a lot on the goaltender.

An example in last night’s game shows when you shouldn’t pinch. In the second period Dougie Hamilton pinched up and it led to one of the Coyotes best chances of the night to get on the board. He was bailed out by Mrazek to help keep the momentum on the Hurricanes side. But if the Coyotes ended up scoring on that play it could have potentially shifted the game in the opposite direction.

The Hurricanes always play better when the defense gets involved on offense. I preach this because the Hurricanes do have talented defenseman on the offensive side of the game. Hamilton is by far the best offensive defenseman the Hurricanes have and maybe the best in the league this season. Hamilton has been a machine on offense this season having 14 goals and 25 assists. In games that Hamilton scores a goal, the Hurricanes are 10-3-1.

Even players like Jake Gardiner, Brett Pesce, and Jaccob Slavin can contribute effectively on offense. Gardiner has had a pretty down year so far but is turning it up as of late with four points in his last three games with one goal and three assists. Getting him involved on offense helps the power play as well as his puck moving skills as well as his shot improves with more and more confidence.

Doing some Gardining pic.twitter.com/8xjSRPz0yk
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 8, 2020

Pesce has improved his offensive game a lot this season and still needs to get involved more on offense. Slavin has always had an underrated offensive game, but obviously is known more as a shutdown defenseman. When these four are being involved on offense it just makes the Hurricanes offense even more lethal than it is. Get the defense on the score sheet and good things will come.