The problems: Granted, the Hurricanes are only four games into their season. It’s still strange to see them at only the .500 mark and ahead of just the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets in the Metro Division.
So, yes. It’s a small sample size. But Carolina has had some glaring inconsistencies, too. The Hurricanes are hurting themselves as the fourth-most penalized team in the league (averaging over five minutes per game) and that’s been a costly, momentum-crushing trend, taxing their 13th-ranked penalty kill (83.3%) while keeping top-end skaters like Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov from doing what they do best on the offensive end. Carolina’s 19th overall offensively (3.00 goals per game), and averaging the sixth-most shots (32.8), so the opportunities to challenge opponents are clearly there. It’s a matter of the Hurricanes not being their own worst enemy.
Carolina knew going into the season that a) goalie health and b) goalie performance would be a significant factor for them, and while Frederik Andersen has been good so far, his counterpart Pyotr Kochetkov has struggled. The young netminder is 1-1-0 with an .867 SV% and 3.05 GAA, compared to Andersen’s .936 SV% and 1.53 GAA. Andersen has been run aground by injuries in the past, so coach Rod Brind’Amour must be able to rely on Kotchetkov to support the veteran. That’s still a work in progress.
Another cause for concern is the roller coaster that is Carolina’s top defensive unit. Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin were on the ice for three of four goals against in the Hurricanes’ loss to the St. Louis Blues, right after sparking Carolina to a dominant win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Burns is nearing 40 years old, and it shows in his foot speed; carrying nearly 23 minutes per game may not be sustainable, and it will require others on Carolina’s back end to step up at some point and perhaps remove part of that pressure.
Panic meter reading: 5.5/10. Carolina has kept up in every game; it’s the little mistakes they’ve got to start cleaning up, though. Bad habits have a way of snowballing and that’s a real worry for the Hurricanes. Eliminating bad penalties and maximizing their scoring depth — it’s defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere currently leading the team in goals, with three — will give Carolina more breathing room and that should push the Hurricanes up the standings.
Leave a Reply