Carolina Hurricanes: Takeaways from Shootout Victory vs. Vancouver
The Carolina Hurricanes triumphed over the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in the shootout last night. Here’s how the Canes stacked up to our keys to the game.
The Carolina Hurricanes remain undefeated in the shootout this season as they toppled the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 last night.
Last night’s game was a rollercoaster; from blocked shot injuries to horrific officiating, last night’s tilt ran the gamut of crazy hockey situations.
The Carolina Hurricanes gained a much-needed two points in the standings, and are still desperately clinging to a wildcard playoff spot.
Several things could’ve been done better, but the Canes managed to hit every key to the game last night; from Andrei Svechnikov‘s position in the lineup to the Canes’ ability to get the puck out of their own end, they were relatively successful at hitting them all. Let’s take a look at how they stacked up to each one.
1. Did Svech Get Put on the Correct Line?
Yes, he absolutely did.
“First Line Svech”, as coined by Hockey Twitter Legend Sara Civian, is 100% a thing now.
Andrei Svechnikov FINALLY broke his scoring drought last night after being placed on a line with Sebastian Aho and Warren Foegele. Svech scored the Carolina Hurricanes’ third goal of the evening while simultaneously making Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver defense look foolish.
Now imagine how effective that line would be if Teuvo Teravainen replaced Warren Foegele in the right hand side. Absolutely lethal, I tell you.
This key was the one I was most concerned with heading into last night’s matchup. One of two things are happening here: either Rod Brind’amour reads these articles and recognizes that we are elite hockey knowledge-havers OR (the more likely scenario) Rod has seen the same things that we, as fans, have seen, and decided to give Svech a chance at a legitimate first line role.
Boy, did that pay off.
2. Were the Canes Ready to Play?
Yes, indeed.
Or, at least more ready than they were against the Vegas Golden Knights this past Friday.
It could be that they were looking forward to watching the Super Bowl in good spirits, or it could be that they wanted so badly to do the Super Bowl Storm Surge hours before kickoff for Super Bowl LIV.
Who knows? All I know is that the Carolina Hurricanes definitely showed up to play, and that effort didn’t falter anywhere near as much as it has previously, if at all.
If the Carolina Hurricanes play like that every night (with the exception of a few defensive missteps), they should easily be able to pull themselves right back into the Top 3 in the Metropolitan Division.
3. Did the Canes Continue to Get Hemmed In?
Nowhere near as much as they have been.
The Carolina Hurricanes have always had the talent to be a dominant team on the ice, especially when it comes to possession and time on attack.
For whatever reason, they have seemingly struggled with both categories, despite having the younger, more skilled team more often than not.
This was not the case last night.
The Carolina Hurricanes could’ve done several things ‘better’, but a win is a win, and two points in the standings is two points in the standings.
Also, can we please make sure Justin Williams gets reps in with every shootout? That man is, as Ryan Dzingel would probably put it, an ‘absolute wizard’.
3. 104. 4. 109. Final/OT