The Carolina Hurricanes extended their winning streak to 5 games after downing the Blackhawks in a shootout (the Canes’ second shootout in as many games) last night.
Last night’s game was closer than it should’ve been against a depleted Chicago Blackhawks roster that has squarely put them near the bottom of the league in just about every category.
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As I mentioned in my keys article, the Canes tend to play down to their opponent’s level, and that was exactly what happened last night.
Nevertheless, the Carolina Hurricanes escaped Round 1 in Chicago with 2 points in the standings, and are now squarely in the 1st place spot of the Discover Central Division, with the Florida Panthers trailing by a point with a game in hand.
There were several important things that led to a Canes win last night, but there are three specifically that stick out to me: Vincent Trocheck‘s continued dominance, Andrei Svechnikov‘s proclivity to score regardless of line combinations, and James Reimer‘s unflinching dependability.