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Hunter and Muller eras begin on wrong foot

Kirk Muller

Carolina Hurricanes new head coach Kirk Muller, center left, directs the Hurricanes against the Florida Panthers during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

AP

Both the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes were hoping to get a boost on the ice with new coaches taking over behind the bench on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the Caps were unable to get much offensive going for Dale Hunter in his debut in Washington. Likewise, the Hurricanes had a tough time finding the net in Kirk Muller’s first game behind the bench in Carolina.

Forget the boost in energy—maybe they should have hoped for a boost in offense.

Both the Capitals and Hurricanes started off their new eras on the wrong foot. The Capitals could only muster a single goal as the red-hot St. Louis Blues came into town and won their fourth straight game by a 2-1 score. A little further south in the Southeast Division, the Hurricanes could only muster a single goal of their own for their new leader as well as the Panthers outscored them 3-1 in Kirk Muller’s first game. It doesn’t matter what a coach teaches or inspires—if they don’t score more than a goal, they’re not going to win very many games.

Each team only has to look at their opponents to see how much a new coach can help a team find success. Ken Hitchcock has helped the Blues completely turn their season around since he took over 11 games ago. St. Louis has already worked for eight wins under their new bench boss and has earned points in 10 of Hitchcock’s 11 games. Luckily for the Caps, they can expect Dale Hunter to have a similar coaching style as the successful Hitchcock. Now they’ll just have to hope for similar results.

In Carolina, Kirk Muller could look to the opponent’s bench to see the success Kevin Dineen has had in the early going this season. Even though most people expected the Panthers to struggle again this season, they’re sitting on top of the Southeast Division and in third place in the Eastern Conference. Fans and management in Carolina hope that the new voice behind the Hurricanes bench will produce similar results as the season goes on.

It’s a long season and both Hunter and Muller will have plenty of opportunity to put their stamp on their team over the course of the season. The next chance for Hunter’s Capitals to find the win column is against the rival Penguins (a team that has been just as hot as the Blues) on Thursday. For Kirk Muller and the Hurricanes, they’ll look forward to a date with the New York Rangers on Thursday as well.

It’s not going to get any easier for either of these teams as they look to find their footing.