Alexander Semin must score goals for Hurricanes

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

RALEIGH, N.C. – Though it may seem a heavy expectation to place on one player, an important key to success for the Carolina Hurricanes literally rests in the hands of Alexander Semin.

Hurricanes president and general manager Jim Rutherford said as much when he expressed disappointment in the Russian forward’s goal output during a television interview with local ABC affiliate WTVD on Friday.

Though it was unknown whether he was aware of Rutherford’s comments, Semin softened the disappointment a little when he scored two goals, including his second game-winning goal of the season, against the Florida Panthers in a 3-2 victory at PNC Arena on Saturday.

For a night, more or less, he lived up to the expectation of why he was signed to a five-year deal at seven million dollars per season – to score goals first.

As the team played its 47th game of the season and earned its 20th win, he scored his seventh and eighth goals to go along with 12 assists, giving him 20 points in 35 games he’s played in this season.

It’s a result that Carolina expects and needs to see more of from him if they want to increase their chances to make the NHL playoffs.

Goal production for Semin has been spotty all season.

Before he missed 12 games due to a concussion injury from mid-November through mid-December, he had only tallied three goals during his first 20 games of the season.

With the help of his two goals on Saturday, Semin has now recorded five goals since he returned to play on Dec. 12 against Calgary.

The multi-goal performance against Florida was his first-ever with the Hurricanes and added to eight points (4g, 4a) earned in his last 10 games played.

Even more interesting is the fact that he’s now lit the lamp almost as consistently as the team’s other ‘natural’ goal scorer, Jeff Skinner, has done recently.

During this current stretch, it’s no coincidence that the Hurricanes are 6-3-1 when both players score.

Even with Skinner netting three more goals than Semin currently, it has become pretty clear that when both players score the wins accumulate for Carolina.

This is and has not been a secret, and seems to be what Rutherford envisioned when he signed Semin to the long-term deal he did.

Yes, other players including the Staal brothers and Tuomo Ruutu, to name a few, have expectations to put pucks in the net as well.

However, the focus on their roles is to apply their ability and skill to play a two-way game that allows them each to accumulate supporting offensive production in that manner.

For Semin, when he assumes his primary role as a sniper, a marksman, a goal scorer – he is a threat every time he touches the puck.

Carolina is 4-2-1 when he has scored a goal in a game.

When he hangs on to the puck too long or looks to make one extra pass instead of shooting, it minimizes his ability to do what is expected of him, and opposing defenses hope that he plays that way.

He’s easier to defend and so are the Hurricanes.

No one is going to accuse Semin, nor even Skinner, of being greedy if they score goals when they have the open shot within the face off dots down to the goal line.

They are most effective when they do that – shoot the puck towards the net with a self-centered focus.

It’s what they do best.

Having a one-two scoring punch is without question what the Hurricanes need Semin to be a part of.

Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller has repeatedly stated that he expects his team to play many more tight, one-goal games that will require a lot of fight and battling to earn points for the remainder of the season.

What Semin did against the Panthers is exactly what is needed for him to contribute to the effort – to get his name onto the score sheet every night.

When he scores, he will make the difference for this team to make the playoffs.

Is it a stretch to state that he is a key cog that will power the Hurricanes’ scoring machine?

Is it too much pressure to put on a player who has been questioned during his career about having scoring expectations fall short due to scoring performance inconsistency?

Unapologetically yes and yes.

Don’t be fooled.

Semin has lots left in the tank, and he must realize that it’s now time to empty it – all of it.