Carolina Hurricanes: Three keys to big game in Sunrise
Today, the 9-0 Carolina Hurricanes put their unbeaten record on the line as they travel to Sunrise, Florida to play the 9-0-1 Florida Panthers. With the Hurricanes facing their most difficult task of the season, tonight’s game could very easily be a playoff preview. These are two of the best teams in hockey. According to the standings, these are the two best teams in the NHL.
With a win tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes would equal the record for most wins in a row to start a season. They would draw level with the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres who won 10 in a row. It would put this iteration of the Carolina Hurricanes in the record books. All Carolina needs to do is beat an opponent that they have had success with in the past.
Florida is 9-0-1, having lost their perfect record to the Boston Bruins. In their last game, they edged the Washington Capitals 5-4 in overtime. This is a team that can stay there with the best of them. Carolina’s task tonight is daunting. Overcome the only team above them in the standings. This is a game that’s going to have a lot of talent in it, and it’s a must-watch.
With a loss, Carolina risks losing their place at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. With a win, Carolina will return to the top of the league’s standings, tie the all-time record for consecutive wins, and show that this is a team that is to be taken seriously. It’s a team built of skill against a team built of skill, and this could not be more perfectly poised if you wrote it in a storybook.
The head coach leads the way
What is the biggest advantage Carolina has going into this game? Some will point at the crease, and some will point to the Canes forward depth. I would argue both are wrong. Carolina’s biggest advantage tonight is their Jack Adams winning head coach Rod Brind’amour. He’s going up against an interim head coach in Florida and it’s a big game for the reigning Jack Adams winner.
This is the game that Rod can show everyone that said last year that he deserved his award. Florida’s head coach has obviously been changed in recent times due to his negligence when he was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. I talked about that in the preview to the first Chicago game and won’t talk about it now, but it has left them with an inexperienced head coach.
Rod needs to use his tenure and experience as an NHL head coach to best the novice in this scenario. I do not say this to degrade the Panthers’ bench boss. This is just something that will need to happen if the Carolina Hurricanes have winning aspirations for this game. If Brind’amour is outcoached by his counterpart, the team will have a very difficult time fighting past this opponent.
It’s a difficult task. Outcoaching anyone who was ever behind the bench of an NHL team is a very difficult task, but if Rod fails in this, Carolina can kiss their perfect record goodbye. This Panthers team is too good to hope that the star talent bails the Hurricanes out, and with the way that the team has performed in the last 2 games, they’re not exactly on a trajectory to do it anyway.
We know that Brett Pesce will not be present for this game after sustaining an injury in the game in Chicago. He has been listed as week-to-week as the Carolina Hurricanes are going to lose their most defensively reliable defenseman at the early point of the season where they would like him. Obviously, you’d rather he miss time now than in the playoffs, but you don’t want him missing time at all.
Carolina will need to adjust for the absence of the Tarrytown, New York native. This will not be easy. When you lose one of the best defenders in all of hockey to injury, it becomes hard to replace them. But when one man misses out, another slot in. We will see someone make their Carolina Hurricanes debut tonight and get his chance.
Brendan Smith will draw in on the back end. Getting his debut with the Carolina Hurricanes, Smith is going to need to play a big role if the Hurricanes are going to survive this stint without their fantastic right-handed defenseman. It’s not just going to alter his pairing, it will change the lineup to an extent. Rod is going to mix and match at points, and this isn’t when you want to be testing things.
Tonight is going to be a test of how good this Carolina Hurricanes team is in its own end. We know that in the game a Zamboni driver was forced in behind this team, Carolina played their guts out in their own end, giving one of the best defensive performances in NHL history. Tonight is bigger stakes but without the challenge of protecting an EBUG.
Stars need to shine tonight
When you’re playing against one of the best teams in the NHL, you have to assume that this is going to be a night where the game is decided based on the skill of a few individuals. This is when you need the players you pay big money to come up huge for you and your hockey club. I talk about them a lot, but Carolina’s stars need to wake up.
One, in particular, has gone silent since the first game against Chicago, and as the team’s top earner, you need Sebastian Aho to show up in a game like this. This is the kind of game you pay him to take over and ensure you take a win from. This is where Aho can go from being a star player to one of the league’s best. Dominate a big game for your team, and you’ll be talked about league-wide.
If he’s got a head-on match-up with Florida’s first line, it’s not going to be an easy night. That’s a tough lock to pick for anyone, but Aho needs to come through for the Hurricanes. He is the best player on the team and he’s gone quiet since the first Chicago game. He now gets a chance to play against a team he dominates whenever they meet.
Aho was 21 points in 20 games against Florida. If he continues that tonight, Carolina could find themselves joint at the top of the NHL record books. Sebastian Aho is good enough to decide if his team wins or loses a game, and he could be the difference if he is at his brilliant best tonight in the Sunshine state.
As for now, that’s it for this. If you cannot watch tonight’s game, join us over on Twitter as we talk about the events. It’s a big game for the Canes tonight, and 2 points see them set a new record. Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy will be waiting for you on Bally Sports South at 6 PM EST for puck drop, but until next time, stay safe, and LET’S GO CANES!