Hurricanes Figuring Out Defense Configuration & Splitting Last West Coast Games
Welcome to the THW Carolina Hurricanes Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Canes writers.
In today’s edition, we have the Hurricanes swapping between six and seven defensemen, Carolina splits games between San Jose & Seattle, and more.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Hurricanes Fine to Switch Between 6 & 7 Defensemen… For Now
October 20, 2023 by Conor Power
One of the most important parts of a head coach’s job is to put their players in the best position to succeed. You can have all the talent in the world, but if your coach only plays you in the defensive zone, you will struggle to create scoring chances and generate points. It’s also important to know that you will play with the same linemates to build a rapport. Familiarity and understanding will greatly help a team’s success.
How the Carolina Hurricanes deployed their lineup on opening night defies this. In a 5-3 win at PNC Arena over the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 11, the team went with a 7-11 lineup. There’s a joke here about certain convenience stores if you want the low-hanging fruit, but the seven defensemen and eleven forwards the team deployed is what this is about. Carrying an extra defenseman instead of running a complete four-line rotation up front is rarely seen from head coach Rod Brind’Amour. But it seemed to work out.
Hurricanes Split Last West Coast Games versus Sharks & Kraken
October 20, 2023 by Zach Martin
After splitting the Southern California games versus the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks, the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Oct. 17, and Thursday, Oct. 19, finished the West Coast part of their road trip in San Jose and Seattle. The Hurricanes took on the Sharks on Tuesday and the Kraken on Thursday. By taking a high above look at both games, there is much to take from the Carolina side. How did the team do to finish the last two games on the West Coast? Let us dive in.
