Some teams are built on specific strengths, which are the bread and butter of their success. For the Carolina Hurricanes, that means buying into the system and following head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s blueprint.
The Hurricanes are one of the best teams at five-on-five and are great at controlling the pace of the game. Their finishing ability has improved from last season, and the team is getting production throughout the lineup. However, the other key to success has been special teams. The power play has improved from the 2022-23 season, but the penalty kill has taken a step back. Last season, the Hurricanes boasted the second-ranked unit, but this season is a different story, and for a good reason.
Opponents More Efficient in High-Danger Areas
There is one leak in the hose that is evident when the team is down a man — the opposition is having their way in the high-danger areas of the ice.
In all penalty kill situations, the Hurricanes have allowed 18 goals. But of those 18 goals, nine have been from high-danger areas. Carolina does a good job of keeping chances to the lower danger areas of the ice but has faced a heavier shot load in front of the net.
This chart shows that the areas in beige/orange are where the Hurricanes are allowing chances at a higher rate. The areas in purple are where the Hurricanes are doing a great job of limiting the opposition’s chances. However, right in front of the goal crease is dark, and that’s a problem.
Carolina has allowed 43 shot attempts from the area but 33 high-danger shots against. Of the 78 shots against, 43 percent of them are coming from this area of the ice. When you pair that with 50 percent of the goals allowed coming from this area, there is room for improvement. Despite the problems in the high-danger area, the Hurricanes have been good enough defensively overall, so panic should not set in yet.
Hurricanes Are Good Defensively Overall on PK
This season, the Hurricanes rank 12th in penalty minutes (252) and have found themselves in penalty trouble. It has been an opportunistic unit, as they are tied for first in shorthanded goals (6), which is led by defenseman Jaccob Slavin. However, in addition to scoring goals, the Hurricanes defend extremely well — they are one of the best teams at defending and shot suppression. It does not matter what situation the game is in. If the puck is not in their possession, they can lock things down. While on the penalty kill this season, they are one of the best teams defensively other than defending high-danger areas.
The Hurricanes allow the fewest shot attempts (146) and do a great job of blocking shots and getting into shooting lanes. The opposition has to capitalize when they can because the Hurricanes allow the fewest shots on goal (78).
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The one impressive thing about this area of special teams is they have the lowest expected goals against. Regardless of the unit, there is no open ice for the opposition to generate anything sustainable. Carolina does a great job of pushing plays to the perimeter and limiting quality chances. However, there is a key factor that the team can improve on. The Hurricanes penalty kill ranks 21st with a success rate of 77.1 percent. As much as they’ve limited the fewest shots and shot attempts, the inefficiencies in the high-danger areas are why it’s lacked success.
Good Penalty Killing Goes a Long Way
Having a good penalty kill can go a long way to success, especially in the playoffs. It is not ideal to lean on special teams play to carry you through, but it’s a good crutch to lean on given the situations. To compare, the Boston Bruins have only four fewer penalty minutes but have the second-best penalty kill unit in the league. They’ve managed to weather the storm and kill penalties at crucial parts of the game.
Carolina is a great defensive team, but there is a leak in the hose that needs to be fixed. Brind’Amour is a great coach and will get that sorted out. This team was sensational-killing penalties last season and will want to get that same success rate back to what it was.