Hurricanes’ struggles have familiar look for fans in Toronto
RALEIGH, N.C.— They’re a team that’s in every game, but can’t seem to win; one in which a former seventh-overall pick takes shot after shot but can’t seem to buy a goal.
They emulate the Detroit Red Wings in how they play.
There are a lot of similarities between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs, not the least of which is that a former Mike Babcock assistant — Bill Peters — is behind the bench.
The difference — lately — is that the Maple Leafs have started to win, while the Hurricanes continue to struggle in that department.
“He’s got the guys buying in and playing well,” Peters said of Babcock’s effect on the Maple Leafs. “There are similarities between the way the two teams play, the philoso- phies, the fundamentals, what we believe in.”
The two teams play on Friday night, part of two-game road trip for the Leafs that will finish in Boston on Saturday night.
Peters, who was for three years an assistant in Detroit, and Babcock remain friends. Babcock has chosen Peters to be one of his assistants in September’s World Cup of Hockey, behind Canada’s bench.
“It’s going to be an exciting time as a coach and country and the quality of hockey,” said Peters. “He’s a guy that likes to talk hockey. You can have your own opinion and explain why. What he does is combine it with what he thinks and tries to make a better way.
“He likes ideas. He likes change. He likes to be challenged. He likes to be on top of things.”
Peters has taken Babcock’s approach of positive re-enforcement and done his own thing with it.
“We do a thing called reality video,” said Peters. “You can be as positive as you want but at some point too you have to show the reality.”
The reality for the Hurricanes is that they’re not very good this year. Goaltending from Cam Ward and Eddie Lack has been lacking. Both goaltenders have save percentages of below .900, Ward at .898 and Lack at .861. Their defence features two rookies: 18-year-old Noah Hanifin and 21-year-old Brett Pesce.
And their scorers aren’t scoring. Jeff Skinner, who went seventh overall in 2010, has three goals and one assist this year, producing points at a Nazem Kadri-like pace. Kadri went seventh overall in 2009 and has one goal, six assists as the Leafs’ No. 1 centre.
“It’s been pretty frustrating,” said Skinner. “We’re not where we want to be. We’ve still got a lot of hockey left. Try to get one win and go from there.
“We’re near the bottom of the league in power play and goals for. We want to try to produce. That’s part of my job. You have to find ways to get the job done.”