Carolina Hurricanes: 3 Keys to Game vs. Detroit Red Wings
Tonight is going to be a fun one, my friends, as the Carolina Hurricanes finally return home to PNC Arena after a tough five-game road swing through Florida and Nashville.
The Canes dropped their first two of the trip in Tampa Bay as part of a three-game losing skid before righting the ship in sweeping the pesky Florida Panthers in a two-game set. They then narrowly held on against the Nashville Predators Tuesday evening to close it out.
The boys were clearly gassed in that final third period, but thanks to James Reimer‘s big saves and Sebastian Aho‘s game-sealing empty netter, the Canes headed back to Raleigh feeling pretty good about the stretch.
Tonight, the Canes get a home game with a few very intriguing storylines to watch for. They will face off against the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings, a team with a few solid young pieces up front, but by and large lacking depth and talent throughout their lineup – especially with captain Dylan Larkin set to miss his fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury.
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However, the Carolina Hurricanes have already dropped one game against the Red Wings way back in the opening series of the season, and as head coach Rod Brind’Amour recently said, “the other guys make a lot of money too”. That includes Detroit – you can never take a night off in the NHL.
The Hurricanes sit at 15-6-1 on the season, tied for the Central Division lead with Tampa Bay (who have two games in hand at 15-4-1), but there are still clear areas for improvement. Now would be a great time to key in on some of these areas, as the team looks to continue to grow into a Stanley Cup contender.
Bring the Energy, Caniacs
The Carolina Hurricanes’ last home game with fans in attendance was over a year ago – February 28, 2020. The team lost 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche that night.
This year’s team is fun, man. Not that last year’s wasn’t, obviously, but even with a reduced capacity you have to think the Hurricanes are going to have a little extra pep in their step, finally getting to play in front of the Caniacs.
It is going to be a much different atmosphere than recent games, where the artificial noise being piped in did very little for me, and I can’t help but think the players were pretty indifferent about it. The delayed, cliché reactions and the lack of chants are over.
It’s going to feel so good to hear the roar of Caniac Nation when the Canes make a big play, or get after the refs when another young player takes another unpunished punch to the head (seriously, though, that garbage is getting old). Hell, I could even go for a wave at this point.
You simply cannot fake the energy of getting to play in front of raucous fans and getting an energy boost.
And, of course, there’s this.
As for the Storm Surge? Jordan Martinook: "Ah, watch the game." And, scene.
— Michael Smith (@MichaelSmithNC) March 4, 2021
Look for the Hurricanes to get off to a fast start, maybe lay a big hit or two, and, even with fewer than 3,000 fans set to be in the building, we will all get a good reminder of why PNC has been known as one of the loudest buildings in the NHL.
A More Complete Effort in Front of Ned
Alex Nedeljkovic will get the start tonight, per Michael Smith. After his two most recent games, I think he’s earned a nice, easy game.
Ned has finally established himself with the big club and been nothing short of stellar in his last three starts. He started the stretch by earning a 25-save shutout against Tampa Bay, the first of his NHL career against the defending champs. He then kept the Canes in his next start against the Bolts a few nights later, only allowing two goals while the Hurricanes failed to muster any sort of meaningful offense, then stood on his head last time out against Florida, again allowing just two goals while making a career-best 44 saves.
Goaltender is a position that is so much about who is in a rhythm, and Alex has been absolutely locked in the last couple weeks. With Reimer’s struggles at times this year, many Canes fans are clamoring for him to have a role even once Petr Mrazek returns.
While I’m not sure I see Rod Brind’Amour doing that yet – or, at least, giving him the backup role over Reimer – Ned has proven he’s an NHL-caliber goalie. His taxi squad days are done, because if he hits waivers there is a 0% chance he clears a second time.
Back to the point; the Carolina Hurricanes have, by and large, struggled to put together three periods of hockey this season. We have watched them allow teams back into games far too frequently, the most recent being last game against Nashville when a 3-0 second intermission lead quickly became 3-2 in the final frame. In a vacuum, that particular game was less concerning due to the circumstances (back-to-back, end of a long road trip, arriving in Nashville at 3:00 AM the night before), but the pattern is nonetheless alarming.
I’m looking for the Hurricanes to develop more of a killer instinct. If you build a 3 or 4 to nothing lead, who cares? Keep the foot on the gas, and erase any thoughts of a comeback happening before it starts. You cannot let up in the NHL, no matter the score, and I hope this is a lesson this young squad is learning.
The Svech Bowl
For the first time in their short NHL careers, brothers Andrei and Evgeny Svechnikov will suit up against each other.
Their humble upbringing in Barnaul, Russia is well-documented, and from various interviews and social media posts you can see how incredibly close these two are. Andrei has described his big brother on multiple occasions as “his hero”.
From the Carolina Hurricanes’ perspective, this is, honestly, just what the doctor ordered. Andrei has recorded zero goals and just one assist in his last seven games, and, as flawed of a stat as +/- is, he’s compiled a -5 in that span.
What’s more, his last non-empty-net goal came exactly one month ago, on a February 4 6-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Andrei Svechnikov is too talented a player for these sort of trends to continue.
Incidentally, I co-host a Hurricanes podcast with two other Canes fans and writers (follow us and check it out @TTS_Pod, we have a lot of fun), and just this last week we discussed if players were being put in the best position for them to succeed. Svechnikov has spent a lot of this season moving around lines, and largely played with Jordan Staal and Warren Foegele at 5-on-5 of late. For all the positives those two bring to the lineup, I’m not sure that’s the best way to optimize an offensive play driver like Andrei – especially now that Staal’s magic/hot streak has ended.
Lo and behold, with Teuvo Teravainen returning to the lineup after dealing with a concussion, the SAT line with Svech and Aho is set to line up together in tonight’s tilt.
It is going to be a ton of fun to watch a dream Andrei and Evgeny Svechnikov have shared for years come to fruition. It also feels like a perfect opportunity for Andrei to break out of his mini-slump, as you know he’s going to have a pep in his step tonight. With the reuniting of one of hockey’s most dominant lines last season, I fully expect a big night from the Canes’ #37.
Game Notes
Location: PNC Arena
Puck Drop: 7:00pm EST
TV: Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
Uniforms: Black Alts
Projected Lineup:
Svechnikov – Aho – Teravainen
Niederreiter – Trocheck – Necas
McGinn – Staal – Fast
Martinook – Paquette – Foegele
Slavin – Hamilton
Fleury – Pesce
Skjei – Bean
Projected Goalie Matchup:
Carolina: Alex Nedeljkovic, 3-2-1, .924 SV%, 2.30 GAA
Detroit: Jonathan Bernier, 6-4-0, .913 SV%, 2.84 GAA
Score Prediction:
109. Prediction. 2. 72. 5
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