Carolina Hurricanes Preview: Red Hot Red Wings Up Ahead
Carolina Hurricanes run into a Detroit Red Wings team with a four-game win streak to cap off the early season road trip.
The Carolina Hurricanes are trying to pull themselves back to .500, but to do so they’ll need to beat the Detroit Red Wings. This is the last hurrah for the Joe Louis Arena. Built in 1979, this season will be the last the Red Wings play at the Joe. Next year they’ll be moving into the newly constructed Little Caesars Arena. So what better way to commemorate the place closing down than a repeat of the way the Carolina Hurricanes franchise opened it up:
.@NHLCanes play their final regular-season game at #TheJoe tomorrow. The scoresheet from their first, a 6-4 Whalers win on 1/12/80. pic.twitter.com/CKxeBsFpTv
— Mike Sundheim (@MikeSundheim) October 24, 2016
Easier said than done.
Goaltending trending in opposite directions:
The Carolina Hurricanes are running into a Detroit team on a four-game win streak fueled in part by the phenomenal play of their goalies. Jimmy Howard stood on his head the games he’s played for the Red Wings. Howard accumulated a .982 SV% stopping 62 of the 63 shots he’s faced in two games started. Peter Mrazek hasn’t been as stellar but he’s had more good games than bad. Some people picked this year to be the year Detroit finally misses the playoffs, but if they keep this form up they’ll add one more year to the streak.
Compare that to the situation the Canes have in net. Carolina has a combined team SV% of .855 placing them dead last in the league. Neither Cam Ward nor Eddie Lack, are even close to sniffing a .900 SV%. It’s no surprise the Canes are experiencing goaltending issues. Cam Ward’s play in the past proved his unreliability as a starter, and Eddie Lack thoroughly underwhelmed in his first year with the Hurricanes. This matchup will definitely be a tale of two cities so to speak.
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When it comes to each team’s play in front of the net, there’s a little different take on the matter. So far the Carolina Hurricanes have outplayed the Red Wings. In terms zone, score, and venue adjusted 5v5 CF% the Canes have a 53.36 while the Wings have a 49.20 good for 19th in the league per Corsica. Each team’s xGF60 is roughly the same, Carolina has 3.12. Detroit 2.99. Detroit seems to be getting the same amount of quality chances, if not the same volume, as the Hurricanes.
With Jeff Skinner listed as day-to-day, a Hurricanes win becomes all that much harder if he doesn’t suit up. Carolina’s top line of Skinner, Victor Rask, and Lee Stempniak have combined to score 41% of the Canes points so far this season. For the Red Wings points leaders its a blast from the past. Mike Green has seemed to discover his late 2000s form and is leading the entire Red Wings with 7 points. Cut and paste that description for Veteran Tomas Vanek as well leads one to wonder if these guys can keep the pace up for the entire season. Hopefully, Father Time catches up with both of them when the Canes come to town.
Canes Need a Big Win on the Road:
There’s the old cliché that playoffs aren’t made in the first [insert period of time here] of the season, but they can be missed. This feels like one of those games, though; the one that sets the tone for the rest of the season. Where fans can look back and point to the calendar and say, “Here. Here was where it all changed. Here’s where the team pulled together/fell apart.” A win here would go a long way to righting the ship a dreadful two weeks. Let’s hope the Hurricanes have it in them.
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