It comes from a spot of heartbreak. It’s exhausting to not grow to be smitten with the Carolina Hurricanes. They play quick. They have a rabid fanbase. They have a variety of gamers which are simple to love. They have a coach in Rod Brind’amour who’s pleased to clarify issues to followers and isn’t an entire meatball (he additionally seems to be like this in his mid-goddamn-50s). They’re the underdog merely due to their market. Were they to win a second Cup, it might ship Canada into an uproar that even Dave Grohl couldn’t approve of (topical!). They have Teuvo Teräväinen, the one who received away from me. I get it.
And right here they go once more. Since the flip of the 12 months, they’re 11-4-2. They didn’t lose in regulation in all of December. They’ve received inside touching distance of the Boston Bruins for high seed total, and the Bruins are going “Rampage!” over the remainder of the league. We’ve seen this all earlier than, and it’s actually alluring if you happen to didn’t know higher. It’s a fuckin siren music.
They’re doing it the identical manner as all the time too, spreading the wealth and hurting groups from principally each line. Eight guys have 10 targets or extra; 11 have 20 factors or extra; and none of them in both class is Max Pacioretty, who was counted on to be the additional dose of frontline scoring the Canes have wanted however solely performed 5 video games earlier than blowing out his Achilles once more. It’s the lovable, faceless crew that it all the time is.
That doesn’t imply there isn’t talent right here, as a result of there’s a lot, it’s simply that Carolina simply doesn’t get the highlight as different locations. Sebastian Aho may not be a lead guitarist for a group, however he may be one of the best rhythm guitarist within the league. Andrei Svechnikov is without doubt one of the league’s greatest snipers. They’ll inform you they’ve resurrected the profession of Brent Burns, as he has 38 factors in 53 video games. You simply watch although, as within the playoffs Burns will flip again into the overdressed and over-bearded turnstile he’s all the time been.
Carolina is atop the division this time round and isn’t even getting goaltending. Neither Frederik Andersen nor Antti Raanta has been in a position to crack a .902 save share to this point this season. The group’s greatest goalie might be Pyotr Kochetkov, whom they at present have stashed within the AHL. They can go into the playoffs trusting Andersen, after which they’ll higher perceive the raft of sad-boy songs produced by Toronto bands over the previous few years (Freddie killed Neil Peart! Yeah I stated it!).
‘Try hard’ works within the winter however not the spring
So why the doubt? Because the Canes play a mode that may catch groups chilly in the course of the winter when the season has grow to be an interminable slog, however seems to be like what everybody else is doing when the playoffs begin. There’s all the time an NBA group that shoots by the standings in January and February as a result of they’re nonetheless prepared to protect or shut out exhausting when the real-ass groups are getting their breather in. The Warriors know they don’t should roll to the ring that arduous or rush out to the three-point line on Valentine’s Day so long as they do come Tax Day.
That’s the Canes. Last season, they went 17-5-3 between Dec. 1 and this level within the calendar. Credit must go to Brind’amour, who retains his expenses rolling by the dregs of the season. But it doesn’t make the Canes particular on the time once they must be.
More to the purpose, the Canes play a heavy dump and chase/chip and cost sport with the puck. And as a result of they work so exhausting, and have a variety of velocity, they will regain a variety of pucks. They win these races constantly within the winter. But it’s a easy sport. They get the puck, they cycle it to the purpose, the d-men shoots, and the Canes attempt to create a ruckus across the web. Look at this map of their pictures this season:
Pretty primary stuff. But come April and May, opponents and their d-men are just a little extra decided to get again to the puck and transfer it. That first ahead again is extra prepared to assist out his d-men and be out there for a fast breakout. In January, he may be dishonest to the crimson line just because it’s simpler.
The Canes make it simple for themselves to get goalie’d within the playoffs, as a result of so many pictures come from the purpose. And good goalies all the best way tuned in throughout the playoffs suck these up and don’t depart the rebounds the Canes thrive on. Last 12 months, once they ate it to the Rangers with out profitable a street sport in both the primary or second spherical, Igor Shesterkin had a .949 save share over the seven video games. They scored 13 targets in whole. The earlier 12 months, when the Lightning kicked their ass pillar to publish, Andrei Vasilevskiy had a .956 save share over 5 video games. In 2019, Tuukka Rask managed the identical quantity in a four-game sweep.
Come this spring, the Canes very effectively may need to undergo Shesterkin and Vasilevskiy once more. Or perhaps Shesterkin and Linus Ullmark, the present clubhouse chief for the Vezina.
Defensively, it’s type of the identical story. The Canes are probably the most man-to-man group in their very own zone, and they are often as a result of all their d-men can actually transfer together with their beforehand talked about speedy forwards. They’re the group most able to harassing gamers all around the d-zone. But when that additional effort kicks in for the opponents come the playoffs, the Canes don’t have an additional gear to kick to. They’ve already been taking part in it for seven months. And they lose simply sufficient of these races or get beat simply sufficient to lose.
The Canes aren’t wanting expertise, they usually’ll most likely membership whoever they get within the first spherical. But are they actually set as much as beat a beefed-up Rangers group this time round (I’m shorting the Devils, I do know, however they’re firstly of their arc and have quite a bit to show, particularly with an ouchy Jack Hughes)? They might actually use a prime-era Patrick Kane to present them one participant who can simply conjure one thing outdoors of their agricultural methods. Sadly, the Patrick Kane on provide this season just isn’t the prime one. Timo Meier is type of the idealized model of a winger they have already got, scores out of straight traces and such.
Enjoy the wins, Caniacs. We’ve seen all of it earlier than.
If you’d like extra odes to Teuvo, observe Sam on Twitter @Felsgate