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Carolina Hurricanes: Keys to Game 2 vs. Nashville

By Matthew Nidiffer

May 17, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) and right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrate there win against the Nashville Predators in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) and right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrate there win against the Nashville Predators in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 17, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck (16) checks Nashville Predators center Colton Sissons (10) during the first period in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck (16) checks Nashville Predators center Colton Sissons (10) during the first period in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Tighten Up Defensively

The Carolina Hurricanes boast arguably the best blueline corps in the NHL right now, that much is a given.

They do have a tendency, however, to play a bit over their heads sometimes. A bad pinch or two here and there can lead to an entire game being flipped on its head, and that’s almost what happened Monday night early on.

Jani Hakanpaa specifically has found himself the victim of a slight lapse in judgment when it comes to pinching in the offensive zone on more than one occasion. This would normally be fine if he had the footspeed to recover and get back to his defensive position in time, but the 6’5″, 218lb. defensive behemoth just can’t quite get back in time.

Luckily, none of his pinches really ended up messing the Canes up too bad, but from now on, he (and a select few other Canes’ defensemen) should work on playing a more stay-at-home style, at least when Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, and Erik Haula are on the ice.

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