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Three takeaways as Canes lose first matchup with Seattle

By Conor Power

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 24: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Seattle Kraken celebrates his game-winning goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Climate Pledge Arena on November 24, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 24: Marcus Johansson #90 of the Seattle Kraken celebrates his game-winning goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Climate Pledge Arena on November 24, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 16: Martin Necas #88 of the Carolina Hurricanes waits for a faceoff in the third period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on November 16, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Hurricanes defeated the Golden Knights 4-2. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 16: Martin Necas #88 of the Carolina Hurricanes waits for a faceoff in the third period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on November 16, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Hurricanes defeated the Golden Knights 4-2. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Carolina’s forward scoring woes

I’ll give you a minute to think about this, but who was the Carolina Hurricanes’ last forward to put the puck in the net? I’ll tell you right now, no Canes forward has scored since that 2nd period in the back and forth Kings-Canes game. It’s been a long time, and while seven periods without a goal from the forwards isn’t a big deal, it remains a big question mark.

Carolina spends more than $50 million on their forward core, and they are just not putting the puck in the net. Yes, there’s more to hockey than just putting the puck in the net. Yet, the fact that none of the 13 guys have been able to do that in 140 minutes of on-ice action is a big red flag for this team moving forward. Someone needs to put the puck in the net for this forward core.

Obviously, there are going to be games where the forwards can’t get the puck to go in and they’ll be frustrated by a goalie. That happens, and that’s perfectly normal in the NHL. What’s concerning is when it becomes a common occurrence for the team. This means that they need to put the puck in when they play in Philadelphia on Friday. They need to score a handful, regardless of the result.

This team’s offensive core is one of the deepest in the league. They’ve got a forward core that can win playoff series’ and we saw that last year. It got deeper in this off-season, and they’re starting to falter. It’s going to be up to their stars to guide them through this rough patch and see them back to winning ways as soon as possible. We know the Canes are too good to struggle.

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