x
1. Not Good Enough From The Second Line
The Hurricanes' second line had been one of its best coming out of the Olympic break, with nine total 5v5 goals combined and some of the best possession numbers in the league.
Last night though, the line just simply wasn't good enough.
The trio have been held scoreless for three games now and while they're still getting looks, they're also giving up a bit too much in their own end for my liking, as most of the Canadiens best sustained shifts came with the Hurricanes second line on the ice.
At the end of the day, they need to be consistent different makers if they're playing in a top-six role and so they can't be taking a backseat for long stretches.
When you get opportunities, like Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven both getting breakaways, you have to bury them.
2. Special Teams Strong At Least
At the very least, the Hurricanes can say they had a good outing on special teams.
The power play scored to open the game, marking four straight games with a man advantage tally and you hope that's going to bode well come playoff time.
The penalty kill was also strong, killing off all three Montreal power plays, including a full minute of 5v3.
In the team's last four games, they've killed off 11 penalties, and have only conceded one goal (a 5v3 goal at that).
There's been a lot to raise the eyebrows over the course of the season when it comes to special teams, but Carolina looks to be settling into a good spot as the season winds down.
3. Little Mistakes, Devastating Results
The toughest part of the Hurricanes' system is that it really punishes guys when they aren't at their sharpest.
On the first goal against, Oliver Kapanen skated through the slot and was able to get his stick on a point shot, redirecting it past Andersen. Jalen Chatfield was tightly on Kapanen, but he didn't tie up his stick, allowing for the redirection.
Frederik Andersen also didn't make a great choice on the tying goal, as he popped a rebound directly out to Cole Caufield.
On the one hand, it was very unlucky that it popped out directly to the only guy who was down in the zone and wide open, but it was also a harmless point shot that he made into a high-danger chance.
And, again, while I really don't blame him for the goals against, the other guy made 41 saves.
That play also doesn't happen if Sean Walker doesn't lose a race for a loose puck that he had a definitive edge for.
The same stick issue came up on Montreal's go-ahead goal too.
Following multiple turnovers in the offensive zone, Andrei Svechnikov had body positioning on his guy, Cole Caufield, but he didn't tie up his stick and so the Canadiens snipe had a clear lane to redirect the puck.
The dagger then came when K'Andre Miller bobbled a puck at the blueline and then made a halfhearted attempt to continue trying to play it, allowing for Ivan Demidov to steal it and score on a breakaway.
Part of me also wonders if the team is coasting a bit at this point with no real competition behind them in the Metro division.
With just 11 games left in the season and the playoffs all but secured, guys can afford to take a bit of a break both physically and mentally to be locked in come playoff time.
I feel comfortable enough in how this team operates to say that I feel a lot of the problems we see as of late will also probably not be as prevalent come playoff time.
Recent Articles
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.