Carolina Hurricanes Will Get a Massive Boost From Win Over Vancouver
After a rollercoaster of a hockey game, the Carolina Hurricanes are riding a massive wave of momentum.
In many cases, there are points in a season that come to define that season. The Carolina Hurricanes might have had one of the those nights against the Vancouver Canucks. Once the chaos was all said and done, the Canes just might be able to ride this momentum into 2017.
Last night’s game started well enough for the Hurricanes. Goals from Jeff Skinner and Sebastian Aho had Caniac nation feeling good after the 1st period. Even though they conceded a rather weak goal, Carolina was in the driver’s seat. Not for much longer however.
Vancouver came out in the 2nd period and gave Carolina a gut punch. They chased Cam Ward and eventually put 4 goals past the Canes goalies to make the score 5-2 going into the 3rd.
Up and down the lineup, Carolina looked like their skates and sticks were stuck in glue. Players were turning the puck over left and right. In some instances, usually responsible forwards like Elias Lindholm and Brett Pesce could have been credited with assists on Vancouver goals with truly unprofessional care for the puck.
Something changed during the 2nd intermission though. The Canes were awarded a powerplay at the end of the 2nd period, so they had fresh ice and a man advantage to try to get back in it. They made sure they capitalized.
As unbelievable as Carolina’s terrible middle period was, nothing compares to the night and day change in the final stanza. Like men possessed, the Carolina Hurricanes played with determination and intensity at a level they hadn’t reached this season or in years. They rattled off goal after goal, eventually scoring 6 in one period leaving Caniac nation is a state of collective shock and euphoria.
Going Forward
This win will hopefully do some positive things for the team going into the holiday homestand. Perhaps the most important is what this win does psychologically for the locker room. The Canes have made a meal of almost every 3rd period they have had. The amount of points lost by the Canes when they had wins in the bag is truly staggering.
Beating Vancouver does wonders to help mend these mental scars. First, they beat Vancouver, who were one of the first opponents to comeback to beat the Canes. Secondly, they outscored a team in the final period. The Hurricanes have had trouble doing this. Usually, Carolina would take the lead and collapse into a shell, hoping to hold out. But not last night. The score forced the Canes to throw caution to the wind, giving the squad reason to be aggressive, a quality they lacked when previously closing out games.
In addition, now Carolina has proven to themselves that there isn’t an obstacle they cannot overcome. There was never a sense that the Canes could play well against everyone, but their was some extreme cautiousness against speedy and skilled teams like the Rangers or Canadiens. Now though, there is some belief that they can do it without just absorbing pressure. The Canes can go out a win a game if they need to.
The last time the Hurricanes had a win as monumental as this one, they defeated Montreal on New Year’s Eve in the 2013-14 season. After winning that game in overtime, Carolina rolled during a homestand in the month of January, throwing themselves firmly into the playoff race. The similarities between that fateful night and last night are great.
If this edition of the Carolina Hurricanes can ride the momentum from this fantastic win, they might be posed to make a run. Not only till the end of the year, but into 2017 and perhaps the playoffs. Momentum is a funny thing.
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