Under coach Rod Brind’Amour, the Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the top teams in the NHL. Their .661 points percentage over Brind’Amour’s first five seasons trailed only the Boston Bruins (.702) and Tampa Bay Lightning (.676).
That consistency is why the Hurricanes are routinely a popular preseason Stanley Cup pick, including this year. Brind’Amour’s bunch, however, has not lived up to expectations so far. The 14-12-1 Hurricanes are outside the playoff picture after four consecutive regulation losses by a combined score of 15-7.
Brind’Amour has voiced his displeasure publicly, and players held a meeting after the Hurricanes’ 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
The Hurricanes’ calling card has been their defence, and that remains the case this season despite their lackluster record. Carolina’s opponents continue to have a difficult time getting the puck into the slot and sustaining pressure in the offensive zone.
The Hurricanes’ defensive play has slipped over the past four games, but overall, they are still elite in that regard.
The problem is that the Hurricanes’ goaltenders are the worst-performing group in the league. They have allowed 15 goals above expected in all situations — nearly double the amount of the next-closest team, the Edmonton Oilers (7.61).
Individually, Antti Raanta has allowed a league-worst 10.8 goals above expected. He has faced the fifth-fewest slot shots on net per 60 minutes (11.2) out of 75 goaltenders who have played at least 100 minutes. (Pyotr Kochetkov has allowed an extra 4.2 goals, 65th among qualified goaltenders.)
On offence, the issue is the same as it usually is for the Hurricanes. They lead the NHL in shot attempts per game (71.0) but rank 30th in true shooting percentage (4.5 per cent). That accounts for all shot attempts, not just those that hit the net.
Granted, Carolina defencemen shoot the puck more than any of their peers (30.6 attempts per game), so the Hurricanes have taken a league-low 33.2 per cent of their shot attempts from the slot, where the majority of goals are scored. Even so, they have struggled to finish consistently.
Brind’Amour lamented after the Canucks loss that “our top guys … are not really contributing offensively.” Sebastian Aho, whose 2.04 scoring chances per game rank tied for 19th in the league, has not scored in eight of his past 10 games. The unavailability of Andrei Svechnikov, who is back on the shelf after recovering from knee surgery, has complicated matters as well.
The combination of poor goaltending and inconsistent offence can sink a team’s season, even one as defensively stout as the Hurricanes. They need to figure it out soon.
“We’ve done a lot of talking,” Aho told reporters. “The time is now to show to us and to everyone what we’re capable of, and the only way out is together.”
All stats via Sportlogiq
from Sportsnet.ca
via i9bet
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