It was a start to the season that the Carolina Hurricanes, and more importantly Cam Ward, would like to forget. At season’s start, back in October, Ward got his 2014-15 campaign off to a rocky start, posting a 0-3-1 record in four starts. In that span, the Hurricanes were out-scored 18-7. What’s alarming about that stat is the amount of shots given up by the Hurricanes in those four starts; 100, averaging out to 25 shots a game. Yet Ward was pumped for goals, putting up a best of .875 save percentage and a low .792 in those four games. The beauty of adversity in the NHL is just that – anything can happen. At the start of November, Ward capped off a five game winning streak with a 25-save shutout performance against the Arizona Coyotes. The next night, he stopped 30 of 32 against the Los Angeles Kings.
This isn’t the first time for the 30-year-old goaltender to start the season at a slow pace. In fact, the last three years have mirrored one another, creating a trend that has left some Hurricanes fans with doubt about Ward’s talents. Rewind back to last season, Ward went 0-2-3 in his first five starts, although it’s hard to pin him for some of those losses. In four of those games, he faced as many as 38 shots, and no less than 36. He was pulled once in a game against the then-Phoenix Coyotes, after surrendering 3 goals on his first 12 shots. The year before that, Ward allowed 15 goals in his first four starts, capping off a 1-3-0 start to his year.
Another trend surfacing is the performance during the month of November. Since his tremendous run in the 2006-07 season as a 22-year-old, Ward has historically put up an average-to-mediocre record in the 11th month of the year. Needless to say, wins and losses are a team statistic but as the team changes, the goaltender stays the same, and it raises the question concerning why November seems to be kryptonite to Cam Ward. Including the 2006-07 season, Ward went 29-31-5 in 65 starts. Here’s the breakdown:
2-2-1 (2013-14)
4-9-1 (2011-12)
5-4-2 (2010-11)
0-3-0 (2009-10)
5-6-0 (2008-09)
6-4-0 (2007-08)
7-3-1 (2006-07)
This season is no different. Despite his hot start this month with his five game winning streak, the Hurricanes have just one win in their last six games in which Ward has started in. It’s easy to place the blame on the goaltender, more so when he’s been hot-and-cold this season, but digging deeper causes the average fan to realize that the team itself just isn’t that good. The more you dig, the more you begin to question just how much of Ward’s shaky starts and miserable runs in November are actually on him.
Take this season, for instance. The Hurricanes have allowed a surplus of pucks to be fired at their goaltender during this stretch of five losses in six games. In three of the five losses this month, Carolina has left their goalie out to dry by facing 35, 36 and 39 shots. In the two other games in which Ward faced under 30 shots, the Hurricanes could only muster up a single goal. While Ward himself allowed 12 goals in those losses, there are other elements that factor into Carolina’s woes. Five-on-five, the Hurricanes are on a horrendous run. Of those 12 goals in the last five games, 10 of them have come at even strength. Allowing, on average, two goals during five-on-five play is simply unacceptable.
Situations like these become amplified if a team doesn’t have a reliable back-up goaltender to rely on if they need to give their starter a little break. Anton Khudobin is not a bad netminder, yet he has not won a single game this year after starting in six games. Of those six starts, he has only looked average in one two of them – his 3 goals against in Winnipeg and being pumped for 5 goals on 28 shots against the Edmonton Oilers. Beyond that, a 1-0 loss to San Jose and a 1-0 overtime loss against the New York Rangers, cementing at least one belief; the team has a terrible time scoring.
Second periods are a slight improvement with 17 but even then, the Hurricanes have just 48 goals on the year, slotting them in third to last in the league, only ahead of the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres. However, when you refer to the averages of goals for and goals against this season, the Hurricanes draw close to even with 2.9 goals against and 2.3 goals for. Even in the shots department, the Hurricanes are allowing allowing a half a shot more than they are taking, on average. Even their powerplay is top-10 in the league, while their penalty kill seats them in the 13th spot.
So what can be done? Cam Ward has struggled at times, but he’s been worked to the grind with the amount of shots he’s faced more often than not. They’re not scoring enough five-on-five but their powerplay is among the better ones in the NHL. The first thing the team needs to do is identify their character while playing on the road. In 13 games this season while playing the opposition’s building, the Hurricanes have allowed 43 goals, a significant increase to their 18 goals against in 8 games at home.
Another facet of the game is coming out the gates stronger than what we’ve seen thus far. Allowing, on average, a goal a game, the Hurricanes start off on the wrong foot and if they can’t come back in the second period or at the least draw even, Carolina doesn’t have the ability to battle back and win games. Their inefficiency at obtaining a lead early on and maintaining strong pressure in the neutral and defensive zones has ultimately led to their demise this season. If they want to have any chance of seeing success this year, they’ll have to lean on their struggling captain Eric Staal, young gun Jeff Skinner, and team-leading goal scorer Jiri Tlusty. Outside of their top-6, and Justin Faulk on the back-end, the team’s scoring depth is lacking that special something to excel this struggling team.
While Cam Ward has seen his better days behind him, he’s not the first one fans should be pointing the finger at. In fact, he should get the least amount of blame out of the team’s entire roster. The 2014-15 Carolina Hurricanes are just not good enough to compete with the rest of the NHL this season. With a growing crop of young forwards that features depth at both the left wing and on defense, a top-5 pick this year may not be such a bad thing for Carolina, and could be the upswing they need in their build towards a brighter future.
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