The Carolina Hurricanes have gone nearly two weeks without feeling like everything is working together. This is unusual for a team that has been strong for most of the past few seasons. They will have another chance to work through their issues on Tuesday night when the San Jose Sharks come to Raleigh, N.C.
The Hurricanes have lost four of their last five games, most recently falling 4-3 to the New York Islanders on Saturday. Andrei Svechnikov scored two power-play goals, giving Carolina a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, but the Islanders scored three goals before the second intermission to take control.
Turnovers have caused problems for Carolina.
“We’re just a little off,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We forget how hard it is (not only) to play our game, but to win. Can’t take it for granted. … We’ve gotta regain it. There’s only one way to play. There’s no easy way. We’ll get there.”
Now could be a good time for the Hurricanes to find their rhythm with the start of a four-game homestand before heading on the road for four straight games that will stretch past Christmas.
The Sharks are also dealing with their own struggles after losing two games in a row. They have scored just one goal in regulation in each of their last three games.
“I think at times we play in fear and we lose our swagger,” said Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky. “That’s where we’re at right now.”
The Sharks lost 3-1 on Saturday to Florida, despite a strong performance by goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 49 saves. Warsofsky called it “one of the best goalie performances (he’s) ever seen,” but on Monday the Sharks traded Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche and got veteran goalie Alexandar Georgiev in return.
There wasn’t much to say after the Panthers outshot the Sharks 52-22.
“There is a lot you can learn from that team,” said Sharks center Nico Sturm. “The next step for us as a team is playing with the swagger and the belief in ourselves.”
For the Hurricanes, fewer shots on goal have limited their usual ability to trouble their opponents.
“We’ve got to make it a lot harder,” said Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. “We’ve got to find it. We need to find that consistency with what we were doing early in the season and we’ll turn it around.”
In the last three games, the Hurricanes have scored five power-play goals. Gostisbehere says this is due to players becoming more comfortable with their roles on the power play.
But this isn’t enough to fix Carolina’s slump. “We’ve got to get our 5-on-5 game going,” Brind’Amour said.
Svechnikov had a career-high four-point game (one goal, three assists) in Carolina’s most recent home game, a win against Colorado last week. He followed that up with two power-play goals on Saturday.
Gostisbehere believes the team can get back to its best. The players know there are areas that need improvement.
“It’s hard to chase games in this league,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s tough when you try to come from behind. It’s little things that have crept into our game the last five.”
Over the weekend, the Hurricanes made a roster move, placing forward Brendan Lemieux on waivers before he was released.
San Jose is on its fifth consecutive road game, with one more stop on the trip at St. Louis on Thursday. Sharks forward Will Smith didn’t play on Saturday and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Sharks and Hurricanes won’t play each other again until March 20.
