Cardiac Cane
Fansided

Three takeaways as Hurricanes lose frustrating game in Dallas

By Conor Power

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 20: Teuvo Teravainen #86 of the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period at Staples Center on November 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 20: Teuvo Teravainen #86 of the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period at Staples Center on November 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MAY 23: Head coach Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes reacts to a call favoring the Nashville Predators during the first period in Game Four of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on May 23, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MAY 23: Head coach Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes reacts to a call favoring the Nashville Predators during the first period in Game Four of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on May 23, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

Carolina’s forward core has suffered from all the changes

When the forwards struggle like they did tonight, you have to look at some of the causes. The entirety of the top 9 seems to be in some form of a slump, with the only line that provides real pressure being the fourth line. It’s raising so many concerns as the Canes have now been held to fewer than 3 goals in 5 of the last 9 games. Something is going on, and it’s not good.

I don’t know what you change, but the players need some form of consistency. They can’t be randomly thrown together and expect to score. When even the top players are fighting their offensive confidence like they were in this game, you need to stop trying to blend it together, and just put the best players together and allow them to get into a grove.

We’ve seen something like 5 different top 9 line combinations since the start of the West Coast Road Trip almost 3 weeks ago. That’s way too much change if you’re expecting the players to produce. You need to give them time, and the constant movement throughout the lineup isn’t helping the team understand how to play with one another. If anything, it’s starting to make it all worse.

If Carolina cannot learn to put the puck in the back of the net again, they’re going to drop down the standings at an alarming rate. You might be able to chalk tonight up to not having a puck-moving defenseman to help them start the rush, but when you spend $50 million on forwards, you should be able to score more than 2 goals in more than 4 out of 9 games. That’s just unacceptable from the team.

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