Hurricanes Defensive System Is Too Much For Blackhawks In 7-2 loss

· Yahoo Sports

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks welcomed the Carolina Hurricanes to the United Center on Thursday night for a late-season interconference matchup. 

This Hurricanes team clinched the Metropolitan Division with a week remaining in the regular season, so they decided to rest a handful of their top players, including Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Jaccob Slavin, Jalen Chatfield, Jordan Martinook, and Jordan Staal. 

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With a large number of Chicago Wolves players in the lineup, the Hurricanes didn't miss a beat. They scored 19 seconds into the game to begin their scoring early and often. 

Anton Frondell tied the game shorty after with a skilled move after Louis Crevier drove the net, but the Hurricanes took over on the scoreboard from there. 

They scored four unanswered goals before the third period was half over to take the 5-1 lead. The shots were mostly even throughout, but the quality of chances favored Carolina. 

Less than one minute after scoring their fourth goal, however, Frondell scored his second of the game and third of his career. Once again, he was set up by Louis Crevier, who picked up his second assist of the match. 

At 8:12 of the third, former Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall scored Carolina's sixth goal of the game to restore their four-goal lead. For good measure, Carolina added another one, and the 7-2 score held as the final. 

The only positive from a game like that is Anton Frondell, who had his first career multi-goal game. 

"I love to score," said Frondell after the game. "It's the best feeling ever." 

This is a player who has a ton of skill, which is a great baseline to NHL success, but his drive to be elite is there, which is what will make him a top player in the game one day. Playing the correct way in all three zones is a focal point for him, which is impressive for how gifted he is offensively. 

Carolina's game, especially their defensive structure, is incredibly hard to play against. They are aggressive at even strength and on the penalty kill, which makes their unit extremely hard to create offense against. 

"I think the game was really fast out there today," Frondell said of the Hurricanes. "They play hard, they play strong, and we didn't win as many battles as we should. We didn't skate as much as they did."  

With multiple stars out of their lineup and replaced by AHL regulars, Rod Brind'Amour's system allowed them to step right in and be effective. The Chicago Wolves clearly keep their guys in shape in case they are called upon to play that high-intensity system in the NHL. 

"I think Carolina is always challenging because of how much pressure they put on you," said head coach Jeff Blashill. They play fast, they pressure you hard, and they did that tonight. They take guys out, put guys in, and they play the same way. That's why they have a lot of success year after year."

Louis Crevier admitted that when he was in Rockford, they used to study the Hurricanes when training for their own systems. It's a good group to learn from if you want to become an elite defensive team at the highest level. 

"They're really aggressive," Crevier said. "It's a team that, in the past, I've personally taken notes from. It's a hard system to play against, but we didn't give ourselves a chance."

The Hurricanes have done this to a lot of teams this season, not just the Blackhawks. There is a reason that they are yet again Metropolitan Division champions.

Anton Frondell is playing well, which is a positive, but they have three more games to get everyone else feeling good about their games going into the off-season. 

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What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will be back in action on Saturday night. Their Hall of Fame game will take place against the St. Louis Blues in the late afternoon, with plenty of special guests in attendance. 

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