Keys to the Game: Carolina Hurricanes @ New York Rangers
The Carolina Hurricanes will be in Madison Square Garden tonight to take on the New York Rangers for the first time this season.
Last year, the Hurricanes went 1-3-0 against the Rangers and really struggled to handle their offensive abilities.
For the Hurricanes to be successful tonight and extend their winning streak to four, here are my three keys:
Penalty Kill
With the New York Rangers having the second best power play in the league at 34.4%, the Hurricanes' penalty kill will have to play at an even higher level than they have been.
After starting the season with an abysmal sub-70% kill, the Hurricanes have killed off their last 11 penalties and seem to be improving rapidly. However, this Rangers power play will certainly push them.
Chris Kreider currently leads New York in power play goals with four and Adam Fox is right behind him with three. Four other skaters each have a power play goal.
Balanced Attack
The Hurricanes are projected to be rolling out three new lines against the Blueshirts tonight and that just might be what the team needs to keep up the pressure on New York netminder Igo Shesterkin.
Andrei Svechnikov looks to have moved up to the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis and Teuvo Teravainen will be joining Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Michael Bunting.
Martin Necas has gotten the bump down to the fourth line with Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen.
On paper, these are all lines capable of carrying the offensive load, but we'll see how they mesh.
At the very worst, coach Rod Brind'Amour can just mix the lines up on the fly since the team has a surplus of skilled wingers.
Play Responsibly
Turnovers spelled trouble against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday and New York is a team that can make you pay for them 10-fold as they have some of the best offensive firepower in the league.
It's about playing smart and if you're going to take a risk, make sure the players on the ice can still support you should something go wrong.
Don't beat yourself.
And this also goes for the defense.
The Canes need their defense to play strong and not feed the Rangers' potent transition game. Smart positioning and low-risk plays are key.
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