There are bound to be recurring themes that pop up over the course of an 82-game season. Hockey is often a simple game, a game about winning battles, finishing your chances, checking the stakes, discipline, and all the rest of the clichéd hockey idioms that make members of the media cringe every time a player tosses them as flesh as their post. Decompression game. These cliches exist for a reason, as they usually make the difference between winning and losing.
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Streamlining is a buzzword during the playoffs, especially for a team that is scratching and scratching every inch due to its current injury issues. The Carolina Hurricanes are missing three of their most talented offensive players, which has resulted in a change of roles. in In some cases it went wellwhile others try to do too much with the added pressure of filling in for absent teammates.
The first round series with the New York Islanders now shifts to Long Island after the Hurricanes “classic do everything right except finish or win the game”. But they ultimately fail, largely because of the few essential details they fail at; Areas of the game where the urgency and desperation of the playoffs weren’t quite up to par. Had they been executed better, this little detail might have made the team sit back and wait for their opponent in the second round now.
To get inside, the hike up Sorokin should be a priority
Finding a way to beat Ilya Sorokin was an area of focus for the Hurricanes prior to the series, and on the whole they didn’t do a terrible job. But, after watching bounce after bounce, sit harmlessly in the slot, and then get wiped out in Game 5, it looks like there were some big missed opportunities that could have played a huge part in closing the series.
There is no denying that Sorokin is a very talented goalkeeper, but he also has some obvious weaknesses. First, it lets go of recoil control a lot than desirable. Time and time again in this series, shots that looked relatively innocuous are returned straight to the hole, even when Sorokin has had time to track the puck and a clear line of sight. Islanders The blue line is big and strong, and you have to tip your hat to the job they did in removing those bounces.
Now we’ll get to the “frequent” part, the thing I played with in 2022-23: For a team whose game plan is to get the puck up to point shooters like Brent Burns and Brady Skegee, there’s rarely enough traffic or havoc in front of the net that These types of shots can be a challenge. In the series, not only is Sorokin not threatening with long shots that he can see, but most of the time, those shots just won’t get through; A very well organized defensive team with plenty of players willing to pay the price, the Islanders have put together an absolute shot blocking clinic through five games.
Sorokin rules the bottom of the goalie as well as any goalkeeper in the league. The Hurricanes almost didn’t manage to beat him in the bottom of the net, but when they could lift the puck and pick up corners from dangerous areas, they really hit it off. In Game 4, the Hurricanes scored five goals, possibly combining to come from about 20 feet from the net (and most of that distance was from McKenzie McKeatern’s high-blocking sniping, which was still from the dead hole). Three of their goals came from backdoor passes to the doorstep. They won the battles at the front of the net, made Sorokin move, and lifted the puck. There is a theme here, and it must be repeated if they are to win.
Most of the Hurricanes’ goals in this series were scored either from deflections or off the blue paint. This is not the time to play beautiful passes and long-range snipers, because Sorokin will not let many of these in – Even if a team has its regular personnel, they are more than capable of performing those types of matches regularly. This team is built to work out their opponents on a forward check and get things done in the dirty spots. Despite their long periods of superiority over the islanders, they were inconsistent in this respect.
Attackers must earn chances and bounce back
While the Hurricanes were winning battles and capitalizing on opportunities from distress in Game 4, their missed opportunity in Game 5 was consistently failing to create anything of substance through the middle or in the high-risk areas. Sebastian Ahu won a sprint to the front of the net to bury a third-period goal that put the team within one, and they put in a great play on a power-play goal by Stefan Noesen that was eventually disallowed for an offside challenge. However, beyond a handful of plays, they were content to run around the perimeter and try to score from long range.
On the other hand, the islanders were the beneficiaries of the couple’s breaks, but they created those breaks through hard work. Obviously, Brock Nelson’s goal was really hard for the Hurricanes. Pierre Engvall’s shot traveled so wide, in fact, that it hit Aho in the face a few feet to the left of Carolina’s net. The star center went down in a heap (and he has a cut-out to show it), while Nelson was left alone to puck into the puck from the air.
Before that time, Burns inexplicably stopped reaching for a space disk, allowing Engvall to squeeze it into a play he should have easily been able to reach and remove. After an apparent failure, Engvall then beat Burns to the front of the net, slipping an easy pass to the dead hole, and opening up the scoring on the game. It’s also a goal that Anti-Ranta likely wanted, but it was a play that wasn’t even supposed to happen in the first place. These are the little plays, extra efforts or lapses of mind, that will swing a game or series.
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The Hurricanes had mental lapses and bad breaks (I also hit a couple jobs) to get things done, but at the same time, what did they really do for earn those commas? Even when they pushed them late in the game, they still seemed to be creating very little actual matter in the middle of the ice. They weren’t doing a good enough job of fighting for the position and focusing on the islanders’ defense, and that made Sorokin’s job and the islanders’ defense very easy.
In addition, a late second period goal shortly after the Hurricanes led by one was a knockout; The Hurricanes need Martin Nicas to be better, but it has to come from hard work, not pressure like he did on the play. They’re a team to check, and they don’t throw the puck on the blue line, instead flipping it around for the odd dash and goal, it really looks like it’s taking the wind out of their sails. Nikas is one player who initially hinted about pressing too much, as the Hurricanes’ leading scorer seems to be feeling the pressure of their absent stars, trying to play the hero more often than not on his own.
There’s something to be said for Game 5 being just a night where some breaks didn’t go Hurricane-style, and it’s a game that’s easy to explain for that simple reason. However, you must earn your bounce in the playoffs. If they get it right, maybe tweak it will Bounce back and find leads or find your stick in a dangerous situation. Getting pucks at the net from tricky angles, through screens set up by teammates fighting for position, should be a priority for the team to achieve the offensive success they’ll need to muster. When you create that mess and are willing to take the punishment that comes with a hockey game, good things happen.
Tornadoes must start from the front
Even novice hockey fans usually know how important the first goal of the game is. Getting off to a good start—especially in the postseason—can take the load off a team’s shoulders, while also putting pressure on the opposition to take some risks in order to catch up. These risks that the Islanders faced while falling behind could lead to more chances for the Hurricanes, and the last thing a team wants to do in the postseason is hit multiple targets.
Back in the Game 4 win over Long Island again, two of the Hurricanes’ insurance goals came from a single rush (Seth Jarvis, Ahu and McTurn’s well-executed 2-on-1 breakaway) after the Islanders tried to press for more offense. These types of plays don’t happen very often against them because of their defensive discipline. The easiest way to open up to the islanders is to have them play behind the scenes and chase crime.
In this series, the significance of that first goal was well represented, as the team that broke the ice won all five games. Makes sense too. Neither of these two teams is known for its offensive tendencies, and both excel at stopping the opponent’s offense. The Hurricanes have shown they can completely wipe out New York’s speed through the neutral zone, thus breaking any pressure before it really begins. In the meantime, the Islanders would allow some time in the area, but it was all an outsider, who did a great job cutting passing and shooting lanes.
Related: Hurricanes take one in the teeth, head to Game 6 in New York
The Hurricanes have shown on many occasions that they can come from behind and win hockey games. Their pressure system can quickly shift momentum, and when they start to smell blood in the water they can really attack. However, especially with the number of offensive players down, and the potential for some nerves after their struggles end in Game 5, it’s in their best interest to get to an early lead and not let any doubt creep in.
Treat 6 as a must-win game
This marked the first and only time in the series that there was a two-day break between games, well timed for the Hurricanes. Game 5 ended in underwhelming results, and there’s something to be said about the extra day off allowing the team to recalibrate and instead focus on the many positives over the course of the series.
However, Game 6 should be treated as a game that must be won. Closeout games are never easy, and they certainly don’t want to go through a do-or-die 7, even if that game is going to be played on the home ice where it’s been excellent in the postseason the past few years. The last game was a great example of taking a risk, even when they outplayed the Islanders, the rebound didn’t go their way, and they were still saddled with a loss. Plus, Sorokin isn’t a goalkeeper you’d want to play against death or dying condition. It is crucial for the Hurricanes to be ready to play, grab an early lead, and continue to destroy with their mortgage-checking style; If they can achieve these goals, they will have to admire their chances.
Hurricanes are not in a place where they can afford to work out of the home; Not with the difference in talent from what this year’s team is used to working with. They have to press and win battles, and take the punishment they know the islanders will try to get out of. That’s what this time of year is all about, upping your game, sacrificing for the team, and letting it all out on the ice. They fell short in those areas a bit in Game 5, but still had a series lead and two flats to close it out. Now they just have to pick their desperation level back on the road, and get that chain signed and sealed.