Carolina Hurricanes: Three Keys to Starting the Season with a Win

Come out the Gates Fast

As much as I would love to say that this has everything to do with brand new Carolina Hurricane Jesper Fast, this is in fact about speed. The Detroit Red Wings haven’t played an NHL game since March 10th. A game, by the way, that they lost against these same Carolina Hurricanes in a wild 5-2 game.

It’s time to pick it up right where we left off with the Red Wings. That means taking full advantage of a sluggish team that hasn’t had any real opposition in ten months. To do that they have to play like a team that just played a game only five months ago in comparison.

Rod Brind’amour feels like the team is ready:

Everything we’ve seen from the last few days of practice seems to indicate that they are, but tomorrow will be the real test. Can this team avoid the trap that seems to be waiting for them in Detroit?

They have to settle this game in the first ten minutes. That means coming out of the gate quickly and finding the back of the net before Detroit can remember which end of the stick to hold. But that requires getting past one of Detroit’s two new netminders after they cleared their goaltending in the offseason.

This brings us to our next key.

Don’t Let Griess Come Back to Haunt Us

Detroit went and got two new goalies this offseason, Jonathan Bernier and Thomas Griess. Chances are we are going to see both of them over the next two games. Bernier is absolutely the starter on this team, but do not be surprised if Griess, with his record against the Carolina Hurricanes, is between the pipes tomorrow night.

For the record, the Hurricanes have come back to tie the record against Griess, who now holds an 8-5-3 record against Carolina. In comparison, Bernier only has a 6-5-0 record, which is understandable considering Griess got more chances against Carolina while playing for the Islanders.

Adding to the argument that we will see Griess over Bernier to start the season is the fact that he was the winning goalie in the Scrimmage game Detroit held two days ago. He only allowed two while Bernier gave up six. While it can be attributed to the different rosters on each “team” here are some highlights to give you a sense of the netminding:

Griess has a history of keeping games against Carolina very low scoring. This needs to be broken up as soon as this team gets on the ice. Look back to key number one. This means assaulting the net right when the puck drops and never taking the foot off the gas until they leave Detroit two nights later.

There is more than one reason to do this, bringing us to the final key of the opening night of Carolina Hurricanes Hockey.

Every Sixty Minutes is Now Worth Eighty-Eight

Fifty-Six Games. That’s it. No more, no less. That is the number of regular-season games that each team will get to try and compete for the four playoff positions in each division. That means each regular-season game is more important.

By how much? In comparison to a regular 82 game schedule, every sixty minutes of regulation time this season is now worth eighty-eight minutes in a normal season.

For those who are struggling to wrap their heads around this as I have, a good friend of mine simplified it for me. Every two-game set is worth three games in the regular season. Now I know that doesn’t actually add up to 82, but it’s close enough.

So what does this mean and how exactly is it a key to winning this game?

It means that this isn’t just the first game of the season where the team can loosely figure out where they stand and where their opponents stand, it’s the first game and half of the season where two points are worth three. A win is more than critical to setting off the season on the right foot.

In 16 short weeks, we will know who will be going to the playoffs and who will be looking forward to the offseason and its activities. If the Carolina Hurricanes want to keep talking about how they won’t have any adversity until they make it to the Stanley Cup Finals because that’s the only way for them to run into the Bruins, they need to play a full game and a half tomorrow.

This team has it in them. They are completely capable of dismantling the Red Wings and send them off to another bid at the number one overall draft pick. But this is a brand new season and each team will have to rediscover themselves and what they are capable of. If they give Detroit any chance at this game, they will take it, they aren’t the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jokes aside, every team is looking to win and compete for the Cup. In no way is the fact that a team is rebuilding discourage that team from competing and winning every game they go into. In a shortened season like this, every game requires more effort and more diligence.

For the Carolina Hurricanes that means every single line competes completely. Every pairing plays shutdown defense. Every play should be to score. Every shift is worth one and a half. Detroit knows this. Every team in the league understands this. It’s time to apply it.

Game Notes

Opening Night for the Red Wings and the Carolina Hurricanes

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• 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

Puck Drop: 7:30 pm EST
Location: Little Caesars Arena
TV: FOX Sports Carolina
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
Uniform: White Aways
Potential Lineup:

• Niederreiter – Aho – Teravainen
• Svechnikov – Trocheck – Necas
• Foegele – Staal – Fast
• Dzingel – Martinook – McGinn
• Slavin-Hamilton
• Skjei–Pesce
• Fleury– Gardiner

Potential Goalie Matchup:

• Hurricanes: Petr Mrazek
• Red Wings: Thomas Greiss

https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1349423951936679939

The Carolina Hurricanes have a wide 60%. chance of victory according to moneypuck.com.

Question For CC Readers: Can the Canes Start the Season off with a Win?