Defenceman Jaccob Slavin is out with a lower-body injury for game two against the Nashville Predators. Usually the second alternate captain for the Carolina Hurricanes, Sebastian Aho will assume those duties tonight.
Jaccob Slavin is out tonight with a lower-body injury. Jake Gardiner will draw in on defense for the #Canes. Sebastian Aho wearing the second "A" in Slavin's absence.
— Michael Smith (@MichaelSmithNC) May 19, 2021
Jaccob Slavin Injury Sidelines Him
Through 52 games this season, Slavin has produced 15 points in the form of three goals and 12 assists. He also has impressively only taken one single minor penalty all season. Considering he plays top minutes, that is quite the feat. He has a 0.3 relative Corsi, with a 53.9% Corsi for on the season. In his six-year career with Carolina, he’s played 429 games, including three full seasons, and posted 166 points (32 goals and 134 assists).
Slavin is representative of Carolina’s style as a team. A defensive defenceman, Slavin does not produce many points, but he is crucial on the back end. Averaging 23 minutes of ice time per game, Slavin leads all non-goalies on the team in that category. Even though he was limited in his playtime in game one, Slavin still led all skaters in ice time. Usually paired with star defenceman Dougie Hamilton, the two complement each other nicely. Both very capable defenceman, Hamilton is the one to pinch and try to keep offensive plays alive, while Slavin takes a more conservative approach.
Moving Forward
If the Nashville/Carolina series follows the trends of game one, Slavin missing one game will not be an issue for the Hurricanes. Outplaying the Predators in just about every aspect, Carolina looked dominant. If Slavin misses multiple games, however, it is possible the Predators find some defensive holes to capitalize on. Even so, Jake Gardiner is a very serviceable defenceman, playing 26 games during the regular season.
Especially with the deep defensive unit Carolina has at their disposal, they should have no trouble findings wins without a top-pairing defenceman. However, if the Predators offence gets rolling, look to the Hurricanes’ forwards to become a third defenceman in order to help out their goaltender.
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