Carolina’s offense is clicking right now. Splitting up the lines has been the best thing to happen to this forward group and we’re seeing the benefits. The Hurricanes have three lines who can score and the new lines have really helped to elevate the likes of Brock McGinn and Jordan Staal.
We saw forwards pressuring Columbus’ defense every shift and creating turnovers, which led to a chunk of Carolina’s goals. After a slow start to the season, Teuvo Teravainen also had a big night, which was great to see.
The Hurricanes did still give up 40 shots though, which can't be ignored. Dougie Hamilton, despite putting up points, has still been somewhat of a defensive liability. That said, Jake Gardiner is off to a really strong start, contributing offensively but also holding his own in Carolina’s end. Don’t get me wrong, he still has his flaws and can rarely be counted on to do much to prevent a zone entry but when he has control of the puck, there haven’t been too many giveaways.
It was another impressive win for the Hurricanes, who have now scored 16 goals over their last three games and hold a 10-3 record to start the season.
***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Hurricanes Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Canes for updates on articles, Hurricanes news, etc.***