The month of February hasn’t been kind to the Carolina Hurricanes, who have just one win in six tries. This is even with a 2-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, when most NHL players took a 2-week break and re-gained much-needed rest.
In two games out of their break, the Canes are playing some of their worst hockey on the year. Carolina lost 6-3 at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, February 22, then 4-0 at the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Let’s take a deeper dive into Tuesday’s loss, which is a bit concerning given Montreal’s place in the NHL Standings.
Canadiens 4, Canes 0
If Carolina (33-21-4, 70 points) wants to extend its Stanley Cup Playoffs streak, it needs to start playing a winning brand of hockey again.
Such wasn’t the case on Tuesday night in Canada, with Montreal shutting out the Canes 4-0.
The Canadiens (27-26-5, 59 points) roared to a hot start in the first period, with Juraf Slafkovsky and Patrik Laine tallying goals nearly nine minutes apart. Nick Suzuki and Lane Huston added power play goals, with Suzuki’s coming in the second and Huston’s in the third.
Canes goalie Freddie Andersen struggled in net, allowing four goals on 18 shots. Carolina only registered 20 shots as a team, anchored by three apiece from Jackson Blake and new star winger Mikko Rantanen.
The Canes didn’t do much right Tuesday night, but they did hold a 59.1-40.9% advantage – and generated five takeaways to Montreal’s three.
When is Carolina’s next game?
The Canes return to the ice Thursday, Feb. 27 when they host the Buffalo Sabres for a 7 p.m. faceoff. Buffalo (24-27-5, 53 points) has the fewest points amongst Eastern Conference teams.
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