MORNING SKATE NOTES
- No changes to the lineup, per head coach André Tourigny.
- Forward Dylan Guenther is day-to-day (lower-body).
Weathering the Storm
The Hurricanes are a tough team to face defensively. Their speed takes away time and space and Carolina constantly applies pressure against their opponents. As a result, the Hurricanes are holding teams to the fewest shots on goal per game in the NHL, and the seventh-fewest goals per game.
In recent contests, the Mammoth have found offense against stingy defenses, and that will be key again tonight.
“Carolina applies a lot of pressure,” head coach André Tourigny said after morning skate. “They have similar style to Florida, not as physical, but faster. They apply even more pressure. For us, it’s a combination of things. We’re a team who’s fast, we can skate as well, we apply a lot of pace and it’ll be the management of the puck that will be key against that team.”
With different lines finding chemistry and a full buy-in from the team, Utah’s offense is clicking.
“Everyone’s just killing it right now,” Kailer Yamamoto explained. “I think we’ve been playing really good hockey. Guys have been finding that chemistry and it’s been working, working on offense. Being able to make plays off the rush or just taking it to the net. I think if we keep it up, we should be good tonight.”
Yamamoto also discussed what the team is focused on in the offensive zone to combat Carolina’s pressure.
“Playing low,” Yamamoto explained. “Being able to get the puck in. If you’re playing offense then you’re not playing defense so I think just being able to play in the offensive zone, creating that pressure on their defense, making plays.”
Whalers Night
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Carolina is not wearing their typical jerseys for tonight’s game as it’s Whalers night. The team will rock their retro Hartford Whalers jerseys tonight as a nod to their history.
