"It's how you respond, right? That's life," Rod Brind'Amour said post-game Tuesday, after the team, sans Svechnikov,
found five goals of offense in a victory over the Winnipeg Jets
.
"I know how we're going to respond. We're going to play our hardest. We're going to do our best to piece it together. Everyone has to step up. We gave up 23 shots and that's pretty impressive against a really good team. That's pretty much how we're going to have to do it."
Therein perhaps lies the most important detail in answering the question of how the Canes move on without one of their top goal-scorers.
The basis of the Canes' gameplan since Rod Brind'Amour took over as head coach in 2018 has always been team defense first.
As he addressed post-game Tuesday, the group allowed just 23 shots to a Winnipeg club that came into the evening averaging 30.3 shots per night. And although the Jets themselves are not known as a high-profile offense in the league, Carolina has shown many times this season that it's their ability to hold their opponents to a league-low average of 25.7 shots per night that often carries them to victory. The limiting of chances for their opponents has led to the puck staying out of their net, as only the Boston Bruins (145) have allowed fewer goals than the Canes (166) this season.
So, how much offense exactly do the Canes need?
While Svechnikov's 19 goals in 36 games to start the season undoubtedly played an integral role in the team's early success and his achieving of All-Star status for the first time in his career, the team has not relied solely on him to win games. In fact, the team earned at least one point in 34 out of 46 games when he had not registered a goal.
But maybe the more eye-opening statistic is that the Canes are 39-4-4 when scoring three or more goals this season.
Yes, 39-4-4.
How do the Canes find three (or more) goals without Svechnikov?
"Everyone has to step up now and do a little bit more," Brady Skjei offered. "Not change their game, just give a little bit extra."
Skjei played his part in the offense on Tuesday, furthering his single-season career-high to 13 goals. His 13 tallies are a part of the 44 goals that the blue line has produced this season, topping all NHL defenses. The unit continuing that pace could be one area that fills the void in Svechnikov's absence.
