After a two-game road trip to the northeast, the Carolina Hurricanes are back at the Lenovo Center for home games versus Minnesota and Buffalo.
On Tuesday night, the Canes earned a great win over a struggling Rangers team. Nikolaj Ehlers netted his first goal as a Hurricane, and did so on the power play. Carolina dominated the second and third periods, limiting New York to just one shot in the final period.
Pyotr Kochetkov had a 26-save shutout in his season debut behind another game with a depleted
Carolina defense.
The Canes now focus on the Minnesota Wild. The Wild were pegged as a bubble playoff team this season, but have struggled to start the season.
After winning two of the first three games of the season, Minnesota won just one of nine games to close out October.
The Wild ended a five-game losing streak on November 1 and took down Nashville in overtime on Tuesday.
The strength of this Minnesota squad is the power play. Led by Kirill Kaprizov, the Wild have the third-best power play in the NHL, converting on 31.5 percent of their opportunities.
The offense is extremely top-heavy. Kaprizov is tied for ninth in the league in scoring, tallying eight goals and 10 assists so far this season. He is ranked second in power play goals (5) and points (9). Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, and Marcus Johansson are the other Minnesota players with double-digit points this season.
Despite this production on the man advantage, the Wild are struggling five-on-five. Over 43 percent of Minnesota’s goals this season have been on the power play. Minnesota is tied for the fewest even-strength goals scored and has the second-worst goal differential five-on-five.
At five-on-five, advanced stats suggest they should have scored about 31 goals based on their shot quality, but have only scored 19. The Wild are failing to capitalize on their chances and struggling to convert in the high-scoring areas around the net.
The line of Kaprizov, Rossi, and Johansson has seen the most time together during even strength. This trio has scored three goals, but have allowed four.
By the numbers, Minnesota is one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL. The Wild are allowing 3.64 goals per game, ranking 29th in the league. The penalty kill is worse, killing just two-thirds of power plays, ranking second to last in the NHL.
The Wild’s defensive struggles stem from a combination of poor goaltending, key injuries, and the inexperience of young players who have been forced to take on larger roles.
Minnesota’s goalies have also struggled. The Wild have a team save percentage of .880, and both Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt have goals against averages above 3.11.
Jonas Brodin, expected to be Minnesota’s defensive anchor, had a slow start to the season due to offseason surgery. Veteran Zach Bogosian is currently on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
Two youngsters, Brock Faber and Zeeve Buium, have taken a larger role on the blue line. The 23-year-old Faber leads the team in ice time, and the rookie Buium is logging nearly 19 minutes a game.
Bogosian, Mats Zuccarello, and Nico Sturm are all on the injured reserve.
For the Hurricanes, the two biggest questions of the season remain: who will dress on defense, and who will be the starting goalie?
With no morning skate today, those questions will be answered later in the day, likely right before game time.
The Hurricanes are now truly juggling three goalies. Brandon Bussi may be the next man up, as he last played one week ago versus the Islanders. Frederik Andersen had the start last Saturday against the Bruins.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Eric Robinson, William Carrier, K’Andre Miller, and Jaccob Slavin remain on the injury list.
According to Carolina’s Walt Ruff, Miller may play tonight.
Tonight’s game will have a focus on special teams. The Canes’ eighth-ranked penalty kill will take on the third-best power play in the league. On the flip side, Carolina’s 31st-ranked power play will face off against the 31st-ranked penalty kill.
The Hurricanes have scored two goals in the last four games. This is certainly not where the team needs to be, but it is at least an improvement over just two power play markers in the eight games preceding that.
Tonight is an opportunity to build momentum and confidence on the man advantage. Let’s see if the Canes can grab it against a lowly Wild defense.
When Captain Jordan Staal takes the ice tonight, he will appear in his 910th Hurricanes game. Staal will pass his brother Eric for the most Canes games played since relocation in 1997.
Here’s how to check out the action:
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- Location: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst; Shane Willis, analyst; Hannah Yates, rinkside.
- Radio: 99.9 The Fan FM
- Line: ML: CAR -192; PL: CAR +1.5 +130
