NHL Weekly: Three bags full of caps as Smid believes in Carolina
The most productive player
Florida's Sam Reinhart became the first player of the 2023/24 season to dominate two different weeks of the season in terms of points. He only had six shots on goal in three games, - seven of his eight points were assists, four of which came during Saturday's 5-2 win over Columbus.
Goaltender of the Week
Three goaltenders managed to win three games, but none of them had as good numbers as Petr Mrazek did in the two battles against Anaheim and St. Louis. The Chicago Blackhawks let in just a goal in those two games, and stopped a total of 75 shots out of 76 possible. His save percentage was an outstanding 98.7%. "Every game he's like a rock, he's kept us going all year," said Chicago teammate Connor Bedard.
Highlight of the week
Meeting the last five Stanley Cup champions in a row on the calendar is not an easy thing to do, and one might even be intimidated by it. But Arizona rose to the occasion, stopping Vegas, Tampa Bay, Colorado, St. Louis and Washington in quick succession and doing something no one has done in 78 years.
Stat of the week
The Los Angeles Kings continue to surprise this season. On Thursday, the Californian club won 4-0 at the famous Montreal ice, their 11th win in a row on foreign ice, and no team in the history of the NHL has ever had a start like this. Not even the Kings when they had Wayne Gretzky...
However, their run ended on Saturday when the Kings fell to the New York Islanders 2-3 in overtime.
Social media
Zach Hyman of Edmonton scored his third career hat trick against Carolina on Wednesday. He posed in the dressing room afterwards.
Photo of the week
Tuesday was a big day for the Hughes family, as the league pitted the Hughes brothers - Quinn from Vancouver and Jack and Luke from New Jersey - against each other. They posed before the game and then rocked it! The Devils ended up winning 6-5 on Canadian ice and the parents in the stands were proud. Quinn - the home team captain - assisted two goals and was Vancouver's MVP. Jack scored and assisted twice and Luke added one goal. This night belongs in the family frame.
Ladislav Smid's view
Things are tough for Carolina right now. They lost all four games against Canadian teams last week and the players even had a closed-door session. I saw them play against Edmonton on Wednesday - it ended 1-6 and the Hurricanes put on a really bad performance. Even during that game, coach Rod Brind'Amour said he hasn't seen them play that poorly this year and he needs more from his best players. A lot is expected of the Hurricanes this year, and that is never easy. I've been on teams like that too, like Liberec. Once things don't go well, the pressure is on and you keep hearing that you need to train harder and be better.
Solving crises like this starts with interviews with coaches, it continues with the general manager... But for me, the best thing that can help is if the players themselves sit down and ask for a meeting without coaches or management. And they'll talk it out there. Around 25 players sit in one place, and it can get feisty every now and again, but it's just the best way to talk. Hopefully it helps Carolina. They have one of the best teams in the East and I think they can turn it around.