The Hurricanes realize how to fix their power-play problem. It’s simple, really
Rod Brind’Amour should keep a video clip of the play handy for whenever the Carolina Hurricanes coach needs a visual reminder for a power-play meeting.
It was in the final minute of the second period Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. The Canes, tied 2-2, were on the power play after Vincent Trocheck had been cross-checked by the Jets’ Josh Morrissey.
In short, the Canes attacked the net and goalie Connor Hellebuyck in numbers. Seth Jarvis took a shot from the left circle that hit Hellebuyck in the chest. Jordan Staal, in front of the crease, whacked at the loose puck, then Nino Niederreiter.
Jarvis, skating in on the backside, had an open net but couldn’t go backhand to forehand and score, but Martin Necas was open in the low slot to collect the puck and knock a shot past Hellebuyck. The Canes led 3-2 with 20 seconds left in the period and won win 4-2 as Trocheck added a second power-play goal in the third.
When Necas scored, there were four Hurricanes players lurking around the net, crowding Hellebuyck. It helped that the Jets’ Paul Stastny had broken his stick, but the Canes’ goal was as much about numbers and simple persistence as taking advantage of a stick break.
As the Canes’ Sebastian Aho put it, there was some real hunger involved by the five players on the ice — something missing during the Canes’ recent power-play woes. Or as Staal put it recently, the Canes needed to “create more havoc” in front of the goalie on the power play. That was there, too, on the Necas goal.
During the Canes’ recent downturn, they went seven straight games and 17 power plays without scoring. They had not scored more than one power-play goal in a game since Oct. 23 against Columbus. It was puzzling, given the Canes’ skill players, and hard for them to pinpoint the reasons why they struggled.
The Canes missed defensemen Tony DeAngelo and Brett Pesce, who quarterbacked the power-play units before entering the NHL COVID-19 protocol on Nov. 29 — the two were cleared Wednesday to resume hockey activities. But that was just a part of the problem.
“Sometimes it’s a little overthinking and sometimes maybe it’s trying to look for something that’s not there,” Aho said last week. “Maybe we have to simplify that. Go to work and put the puck in the net.”
Teuvo Teravainen gave the Canes a power-play score against Ottawa last Thursday, albeit in a 3-2 loss when Carolina was 1-4 with the man advantage. But no complaints from Brind’Amour after the game.
“We only got one but I liked everything we were doing,” he said of the power-play execution. “We were in the zone the whole time, we were running around. Lots of scoring chances.”
The Canes didn’t get a chance to build off that Saturday in a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Carolina did not draw a penalty, did not have a power play for the first time this season.
A Trocheck hooking penalty quickly negated the Canes’ first power play Tuesday, but the center punched in a shot in front for his power-play score in the third as Jets defenseman Logan Stanley was slow to react.
Aho, in a postgame interview Tuesday, was quick to mention special teams and praise the Canes’ penalty killing. The biggest kill came in the third period after defenseman Ian Cole was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for his knee-to-knee hit on Mark Scheifele.
“It was nice to see the power play get two goals, too,” Aho added.
It was just the third time this season the Canes had two or more power-play goals in a game. Carolina had two power-play scores in the season opener against the New York Islanders, then went 3-6 against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 23.
Did the Canes’ puck luck finally change against the Jets?
“I don’t think it’s luck,” Aho said. “We’ve been trying to be a little more simple. Get pucks to the net.”
And bodies And attack.
Carolina Hurricanes at Calgary Flames
When: Thursday, 9 p.m.
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
TV/radio: Bally Sports South, WCMC-99.9 FM
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "The Hurricanes realize how to fix their power-play problem. It’s simple, really."
