Hurricanes coach: Skinner's 'B-game' isn't good enough to balance lack of scoring
Jeff Skinner appears to be the latest resident of Bill Peters' doghouse.
The Carolina Hurricanes head coach rotated Skinner in and out of line rushes at practice on Wednesday, and may be set to scratch the young forward from Thursday's game against the Arizona Coyotes.
The two-time 30-goal scorer sits on 10 through 45 games under Peters, and hasn't registered a goal since Jan. 10. On top of that, Skinner isn't contributing enough away from the puck, leading the coach to question whether the team's better off with Skinner on the sidelines for a game or two.
"(Skinner's) an offensive player who needs to provide offense. You’ve got to provide that primary dimension as an athlete, doing what you’re paid to do. And if you’re not doing that, you’ve got to have a B-game," Peters explained to Michael Smith on the team's website. "Right now, his B-game is not good enough to make up for the lack of offense."
With 196 shot attempts in five-on-five situations, Skinner ranks 18th among all NHL players in that category; his overall Corsi rating, however, is 50.7, meaning he's also on the ice for many attempts against, much to Peters' consternation.
Peter will make a decision about Skinner's status for Thursday's game following the morning skate.