Hurricanes Keys to Success: What Stood Out in Win Over Penguins
Offense was great, defense was strong, and goaltending was fantastic. It was the perfect storm. The Carolina Hurricanes were on […]
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Offense was great, defense was strong, and goaltending was fantastic. It was the perfect storm. The Carolina Hurricanes were on their game Sunday afternoon as they handed the Pittsburgh Penguins a shocking 5-1 loss.
Carolina played a complete game and capitalized on Pittsburgh’s shortcomings in what appeared to be an off-game for the home team. Going into the 3:00 PM game, the Penguins sat atop the league standings in the penalty kill with a sharp 84. 2 success rate, but the Hurricanes’ power play (ranked 12th leaguewide) managed to crack through not just once, but three times in less than 40 minutes.
Carolina’s first three goals were all extremely similar in where they came from and how they reached the net. The first came from Sebastian Aho just 47 seconds into the game after Nikolaj Ehlers drew a tripping penalty on Ryan Graves. A long-distance wrist shot just between the faceoff circles and blue line, through a screen provided by Jordan Staal.
Put big bodies in front of the net and good things will happen! Jordan Staal robbed Stuart Skinner of his eyes and Sebastian Aho squeaked in a delightful little wrister! #CarolinaCulture #LetsGoPens #NHL pic.