Carolina Hurricanes Blank the Red Wings to Open the Season

The Carolina Hurricanes take the first of a two-game visit to Detroit.

The Carolina Hurricanes kept Detroit off the scoreboard with a 3-0 shutout win that started their bid at the 2020-2021 season with an epic win.

What a way to open up the season. Here I am sitting on my couch, tuned into the Fox Sports Go App, snuggled up in my Jeff Skinner Jersey (I will not be renaming this one), the dog curled up between my feet, a cold one in one hand, a burger in the other, and for the first time since August, there is Canes Hockey on my TV.

This was a gem of a game folks. Now it wasn’t a complete game, there were plenty of ways this could have gone wrong and this article would be a sad one, but it didn’t and this article will absolutely be a joyous one. After all, the Carolina Hurricanes are now tied with just under half the league for first place with two points

So what stood out in the first sixty minutes of regulation NHL hockey in ten months for these Canes?

The answer is a lot. There is so much to celebrate and a few things to want to consider working on before the next game on Saturday.

Let’s get that out of the way first. 40+ shots on a goalie and only two get past him is not exactly a good look for a team looking to start off strong (the third goal was an empty net scored by Andrei Svechnikov). Hats off to Thomas Griess, but you want to pick your spots a little better and not let the netminder get comfortable between the pipes.

Another thing that needed refinement is the puck control in your own zone. I’ll put the blame on the shifty ice at Little Caesars Arena, but if it wasn’t for a strong defensive effort and some key plays by Petr Mrazek, this game could have gone the other way.

Now onto the good stuff.