Gold: Canes back in action tonight against the Golden Knights

By Adam Gold radio host 99.9 the Fan

If you’re looking at the current NHL standings you might be a little surprised that the Carolina Hurricanes are not in first place. After all, it’s Carolina with the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes also have the most regulation wins in the NHL with 25 and are third best in goal differential (+45).  But, because of the wide disparity in games played – thanks, Covid – the Canes just haven’t had as many kicks at the can as most of the rest of the league.

Only four teams have taken the ice fewer times than Carolina’s 38. The Islanders have played just 34 games while Anaheim has dropped the puck 44 times, a 10-game spread as we head towards the All Star Break.

With the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights in town it’s worth examining how the Canes arrived at 27-9-2. And, for the record, I don’t really care if the national voices don’t put the Hurricanes into the category of Stanley Cup favorites. The truth is that there is still more to do and I believe another player to add in order to rise above the state of Florida in the East and Colorado in the West.

The NHL keeps their official standings using simple points earned, 2 for a win and 1 for a loss that ends in overtime or a shootout. Against those teams either in or tied for a playoff spot using that calculus Carolina has a 13-2-2 record. In contrast, Colorado, the best team in the league using any measure, is 14-6-1 against that pool.  Florida, against whom the Hurricanes have yet to beat, is 13-5-4.

Carolina hasn’t played as many games against that collection of playoff teams, but they’ve performed at least marginally better than the Avs and Panthers. If we stack the top eight in each conference by percentage of points earned, here’s how it looks.

Florida 14-5-5

Carolina 12-4-1

Colorado 10-7-1

I’m not sure what this little exercise proves other than it appears that the Hurricanes play their best against the best – other than those two games against Florida. And, maybe it will make you shake your head that six of the Hurricanes losses have come to the Kraken, Canucks, Senators, Blue Jackets, Flyers and Devils. That last one, three days ago, created all sorts of angst when the Canes had rookie goaltender Jack LaFontaine start over a healthy Antti Raanta in spite of just having been plucked off a college campus less than 2 weeks prior.

LaFontaine relieved Frederik Andersen in the no-show loss to Columbus and bore the brunt of the Hurricanes less-than-ideal performance on Saturday in New Jersey. You’d never know he was the best goalie in college hockey last year by looking at his .780 save percentage (SV%) and 7.20 goals against average (GAA). Or, maybe the NHL game is just a wee bit better.

In case you missed the several times I’ve discussed this matter, either on the radio or on the Canes Corner Podcast, it is my assertion that LaFontaine started only because it was promised to him to entice him to leave the University of Minnesota mid-season. At the time of the coercion Carolina’s entire organization was dealing with a deluge of issues at the position. Andersen was in protocol, Raanta had yet to be embraced by Covid but, you know the whole close contact thing. Alex Lyon was called up as insurance.

Meanwhile, top goalie prospect Eetu Makiniemi was hurt and out of the line up in Chicago as was Beck Warm who was playing in the ECHL causing the Wolves to bring in TWO goalies on professional tryouts (PTO) just to play games. So, the front office did what they had to do to pry LaFontaine out of Minnesota. Is he ready? Of course not.  And, to be honest, I’m not sure he’s that high of an NHL prospect.  He is certainly not ahead of Makiniemi or Pyotr Kochetkov, the 2019 second round pick out of Russia who is playing very well in the KHL. And, it’s debatable whether he’s a better bet than Lyon, who has performed very well in two starts (1-0-1) for Carolina this year.

Note: On Monday, the Hurricanes sent LaFontaine to Chicago of the American Hockey League.

In November, the Hurricanes were 4-2 winners in Vegas. Sebastian Aho, Vincent Trocheck, Teuvo Teravainen and Martin Necas each had two points. Tony DeAngelo and Seth Jarvis added goals. And, Antti Raanta made 21 saves in the win. Robin Lehner started for the Golden Knights and made 38 saves in the loss, but it continued a streak of futility against the Canes that Carollina is surely hoping will continue. Lehner is 0-6-0 in 6 starts against the Hurricanes.

Carolina was without two of their starters on Saturday. Teuvo Teravainen was a game time decision in New Jersey but did not get to the starting gate after suffering a lower body injury in the Hurricanes win over the Rangers. Meanwhile, Jordan Martinook, who had missed more than a month with a lower body injury, went on the Covid list after playing very well in his one game back in Boston.

Well, everyone is now back on the ice. Martinook is out of isolation, though he likely won’t draw back in tonight. Raanta remains healthy, so let’s take a stab at what it will all look like at 7:08.

Teravainen-Aho-Jarvis

Svechnikov-Trocheck-Necas

Niederreiter-Staal-Fast

Lorentz-Kotkaniemi-Stepan

Slavin-DeAngelo

Skjei-Pesce

Smith-Cole

Andersen

Coverage begins at 6:30 on 99.9 the Fan with Alec Campbell and Storm Watch. Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy come along with the live play-by-play at 7:00. Don’t forget to follow the Canes Corner Podcast. A new episode drops the #MorningAfter every Hurricanes game.