RALEIGH, NC. – The Carolina Hurricanes’ trip to the Big Apple did not bear fruit.
Now trailing 2-0 in the second round series, they’ve got some work to do as the games shift to Raleigh for the first time.
The difference between the wins and losses thus far is clear-cut – special teams play.
Carolina is 0/10 on the power play through two games and has allowed multiple goals to the Rangers man advantage in both contests, including the 2OT winner on Tuesday night.
In desperate need of change in both departments, a bunch of the discussion at Wednesday’s media availability surrounded those two things.
“We definitely have to shoot more and go more to the net,” Martin Necas answered when asked of the power play, going on to say that if the team had cashed in on even one of their five attempts last night, they probably would’ve gone on to win the game.
The head coach was aligned in saying that his team is spending too much time on the perimeter during their opportunities.
“We’ve got to get a little more at the net, or more inside,” Rod Brind’Amour answered of a solution. “They’re keeping us to the outside a little too much and we’re setting for that.”
Carolina went 5-for-15 in their opening-round series against the Islanders, after finishing the regular season with the league’s second-best man advantage (26.8%).
They had a chance on the power play in both the first and second overtime last night to close things out and head back to Raleigh with a series split, but now their results, or lack thereof, are sticking out like a sore thumb.
“We’ve definitely got to be sharper,” Brind’Amour critiqued following last night’s loss. “That’s not how we do it. We’ve got to get back to the way we know how.”
The head coach shot down the fact that personnel needed to be changed on the units, but he did reference Tony DeAngelo spending some time quarterbacking the second group later in the game, a change from Brady Skjei.
Skjei finished with 1:18 played on the power play, with 1:08 of it coming in the first period. DeAngelo’s night ended with 1:51 of power play time, including time in both the third period and overtime.
As for the penalty kill, the Canes remain unsurprised by what New York has done with their opportunities.
Crediting them for their ability to move the puck quickly, the team has found out the hard way that if you try to aggressively pursue them to make a play and miss, it could end up ugly.
“They’re super talented, fast, and they wait for you to make a…
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