Three takeaways as Hurricanes lose frustrating game in Dallas

Carolina’s 5 forward powerplay unit was certainly unique

Today, I got to see something I had never seen before in the National Hockey League. Carolina’s first powerplay units consisted of 5 forwards. It looked very boom or bust. When it was clicking, it looked very dangerous, but it seemed to have issues breaking through the Dallas wall that was set up when you tried to enter the zone. When they won the draw, they looked like they could score whenever.

It raises a question about sustainability and being able to ice the five forwards for as long as you don’t have your premier puck-moving defensemen, but it looks like something that could work for a brief period of time while there’s a lot of the defensive core in the National Hockey League’s COVID protocol. There was a lot to like, but it raises a lot of questions.

It was a unit that struggled but also didn’t. It’s worth having another look at if the Canes are down late in a game and the coaching staff want to see what it has, it looks like something that could potentially bring the team success in the future. Whether or not the team decided to have another look at it is a completely different question, but this was a different look and it had some positives.

This was not a good enough performance and the team had enough powerplay chances to allow them to get out of Texas with the win. It’s a disappointing result, and the team will need to find a long-term solution as they come back to Raleigh to prepare for their next game against the Ottawa Senators. What they’re going to do with the powerplay is a serious concern.