Three Takeaways - CAR@TBL 4-0 W The Carolina Hurricanes took a 1-1 split this weekend in Florida, falling to the Florida Panthers 5-2 on Friday, but defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 on Saturday. The games were complete polar opposites of each other with Friday's loss being helped along by poor work ethic yet Saturday's win featuring a complete buy in. Despite the mixed bag, two players really stood above the rest and had strong performances on both game days. Therefore, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei are my Players of the Weekend. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's start with Friday's loss to the Panthers. It was Pesce's first game back since having surgery on a lower-body injury he sustained on Oct. 19 and he was back with longtime partner Skjei. The two were on the ice for both goals the Hurricanes scored and only one against, that being the redirection by Carter Verhaeghe from mid-circle after a faceoff win. According to naturalstattrick.com, the pair controlled a 60% Corsi For Percentage, led all defensemen in chances generated and allowed zero high-danger chances against. All in a game in which the Hurricanes looked very lost defensively. Skjei also tallied an assist on the Canes' second goal of the game as his shot rebounded off Bobrovsky to Sebastian Aho. How about Saturday's game? The pair continued to be dominant, leading the team in ice time and controlling play all game long. Skjei had yet another assist, setting up Brent Burns for his goal that moved him into 9th place all-time in defensemen scoring in NHL history, and the pair did not concede a single goal, much like the rest of the team. According to naturalstattrick.com, the pair had a 59% Corsi For Percentage, had the highest expected goals for percentage (73%) and led in high-danger chances 4-2. Pesce looked like he hasn't missed a beat and Skjei continues to contribute offensively on top of playing solid defense. The pairing was by far Carolina's most consistent this weekend and so, as it should always be for them, the two will share the honor of Player of the Weekend. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent Articles Hurricanes Shutout Bolts in Much-Needed Response Game [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/news/hurricanes-shutout-bolts-in-much-needed-response-game] Noesen, Skjei, Brind'Amour on Response Game: "We got what we deserved tonight" [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/news/noesen-skjei-brindamour-on-response-game-we-got-what-we-deserved-tonight] Dmitry Orlov Finding Footing in Carolina [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/features/dmitry-orlov-finding-footing-in-carolina] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjU3NTkwNjMzOTk4MTAw/img_5742.jpg]
