Carolina Hurricanes Need Better Organization, Consistency from Defense

The Carolina Hurricanes focused on improving defensive depth in the 2014 offseason, entering training camp with nine viable defensemen vying for NHL jobs.

Two games into the 2014-15 season, the unit has already been torched twice by a New York Islanders offense that ranked 17th in the league last season.

The problem wasn't so much the volume of shots allowed—only 26 and 31, respectively—but rather the excruciating breakdowns that helped the Isles convert their 57 shots into nine goals.

Tim Gleason, who the Fox Sports Carolinas broadcast reported had spent his entire summer working on quickness, has looked almost as sluggish and elephant-like as he did last fall.

Justin Faulk, despite assisting on the team's first goal of the season, hasn't stood out as the stalwart he needs to be.

New rotating assistant captains Ron Hainsey and Jay Harrison struggled in the first game as well. Hainsey was made a healthy scratch in favor of Ryan Murphy in the second match, while Harrison's ice time was cut from 19:30 to 12:55.

As a whole, the defense was caught chasing the Islanders' speedy forwards far too often, perhaps losing their patience and structure under the intensity of opening weekend. Such unnecessary chaos left the 'Canes prone to leaving huge gaps of open ice on the reverse side, which eventually led to open shot lanes toward a screened goaltender for New York to take advantage of.

Four graphic breakdowns of the aforementioned defensive disorganization—all four of which came on plays on which the Islanders scored—lie below.

Example A: Everyone Ignoring the Slot

Screenshot/Graphic by Mark Jones (from Fox Sports Carolinas broadcast)

Albeit on a penalty kill situation, all three 'Canes players visible in this image are essentially in no-man's land.

Faulk is limiting John Tavares' passing angle (top of the screen) somewhat but isn't close enough to him to cause much pressure at this moment. Andrej Sekera (No. 4) has allowed Kyle Okposo to get in between him and the puck with his stick in terrific deflecting position.

It's most unclear what Alexander Semin's (No. 28) intentions are, as the eventual goal scorer Brock Nelson (No. 29) has built a huge gap in between them; Semin is on the wrong side of him, too, and doesn't look to be skating hard to change that.

Screenshot/Graphic by Mark Jones (from Fox Sports Carolinas broadcast)

The result of the breakdown can be seen above, as Nelson enjoys a huge gap in the slot to unleash a snap shot upstairs on a helpless Cam Ward.

Example B: Everyone Behind the Goal Line

Screenshot/Graphic by Mark Jones (from Fox Sports Carolinas broadcast)

After a dump-in zone entry by the Islanders, Harrison pressures chaser Ryan Strome but fails to pin him to the boards.

Meanwhile, Victor Rask (No. 49) waits statically for Harrison to retrieve the puck, while Hainsey (left) races behind the net from quite far away to presumably back up Harrison in the puck battle.

Screenshot/Graphic by Mark Jones (from Fox Sports Carolinas broadcast)

Unintentionally but very obviously, all three end up behind the goal line, giving Mikhail Grabovski oodles of time directly in front of the crease after he receives Strome's agile pass. Grabovski's short-range goal eventually becomes the game-winner.

Example C: Everyone on One Side

Screenshot/Graphic by Mark Jones (from Fox Sports Carolinas broadcast)

For the Islanders' fifth goal of the opening game, defenseman Travis Hamonic (No. 3) is gifted the entirety of the right side of the offensive zone.

The 'Canes defense crashed toward the puck on the opposite side, but Strome gets the puck back to Nelson at left point (not seen here), who switches the zone with a sneaky behind-the-back pass.

Hamonic has plenty of time and space to load up his shot, and although John-Michael Liles eventually almost blocks it, the mass of 'Canes migrating horizontally across the zone incidentally screens Ward and Hamonic scores far-side.

Example D: Everyone Flocking to John Tavares, Again

Screenshot/Graphic by Mark Jones (from MSG broadcast)

One of Cory Conacher's easiest goals of his career comes thanks to the single-minded focus of the Hurricanes defense on Tavares.

Anton Khudobin fumbles the original shot; Tavares chases down the rebound and attracts the full attention of both Sekera and Rask in the process. Tavares' centering pass finds Conacher very lonely and enjoying it, translating to the tap-in goal.

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The Hurricanes will face the Buffalo Sabres—unquestionably the worst team in the NHL—on Tuesday at home.

With zero wins in three games to date, the Sabres have been out-shot by a whopping 131-57 margin, allowing 40 or more shots against in all three contests. They're also on the second leg of a back-to-back, traveling down from Buffalo after a 5-1 loss to Anaheim on Monday (shots were 44-12 Ducks).

If the 'Canes can't win that contest, it's not even worth sending out an S.O.S. for the 2014-15 season. Nonetheless, Tuesday's game does, on paper at least, appear to be a terrific opportunity for a confidence- and chemistry-building opportunity for the defensive (and offensive) unit.

They need it.

Mark Jones has covered the Carolina Hurricanes for Bleacher Report since 2009. Visit his profile to read more, or follow him on Twitter.