Why is Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei scoring so many goals? ‘It’s a confidence thing’

Brady Skjei of the Carolina Hurricanes is generally acknowledged as the best golfer — and one of the best overall athletes — on the team.

Skjei, who turned 29 Sunday, was a quarterback in high school. He played hockey for the University of Minnesota and for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program before being a first-round draft pick by the New York Rangers in 2012.

But a scoring defenseman? Before this season, Skjei had not scored more than nine goals in a season at any level — last year for the Hurricanes.

All that has changed this season. Skjei’s goal Sunday in the Canes’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins was his 16th, ranking him fifth among all NHL defensemen.

What, in the name of Gary Bettman, is going on here?

“I don’t think there’s a lot different this year,” said Brett Pesce, Skjei’s defensive partner. “He’s always been able to jump into plays and find those soft areas. He has such a good shot and he’s so accurate. It’s not surprising at all to me how many goals he’s got this year.”

Skjei, a good-natured type, is the kind to shrug off such talk. Good teammates make for good things, he’ll say. The puck’s going in, better luck, all that.

“I think it’s always been in me,” Skjei said in an interview last week. “The last four or five years I’ve been just under that 10-goal mark. This year obviously it’s gotten a little above that.

“Obviously I’ve been getting some good looks. But I’ve been pretty accurate. I’ve been picking the corners that I’ve seen and luckily they’ve been going in.”

In Sunday’s game at PNC Arena, the Canes went into the third period facing a 3-1 deficit to the Bruins. Martin Necas was wide left with a shot, the puck bouncing hard off the end boards and back toward the left circle, where Skjei was alone and waiting.

Skjei’s top-shelf shot, high to the glove side, easily beat goalie Jeremy Swayman and livened up PNC Arena. Sebastian Aho soon tied the score, but Skjei’s goal 1:37 into the final period was the early spark.

To have Skjei open and unmarked in the left circle has been a good thing for Carolina. He doesn’t have the left-circle cannon of, say, Alex Ovechkin, but has been able to put the puck on net quickly and with some zip.

“I don’t know what it is, but walking down that left side I’ve had more time more often than not in the past.” Skjei said last week. “I don’t know if that’s just luck or the way the plays happen. I don’t know how many times I’ve been walking down like that and I’ve had some room to skate in and shoot. Hopefully I can keep it going.”

The four NHL defensemen with more than 16 goals through Sunday’s games: Erik Karlsson of San Jose (22), former Canes teammate Dougie Hamilton of New Jersey (19), Roman Josi of Nashville (18) and Cale Makar of Colorado (17). That’s pretty decent company.

Skjei said he has never worked with a shooting instructor or coach to improve his velocity or alter his release.

“It’s a confidence thing,” he said. “When you’re feeling it, you shoot it a little harder and a little more accurately. And I definitely have confidence right now shooting the puck.”

Carolina is still adjusting to the loss of forward Andrei Svechnikov, lost for the season to a torn ACL. Any added offensive punch from the blue line is both needed and welcomed.

“There’s still a feeling-out period for us because he did so much for us with that offensive-threat mentality,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Sunday of Svechnikov. “We can’t really replace that, so we’re kind of finding different ways to get it done. (Skjei) has had a great year, so we’re picking up goals from areas where we didn’t necessarily think we’d have them.”

The Canes counted on that from defenseman Brent Burns and have gotten it: 13 goals and 41 assists. The Canes recently traded for Shayne Gostisbehere, who has some offensive flair, to help run a power-play unit, and the others on the back end have chipped in with goals — Jalen Chatfield’s snipe spurred a three-goal third period in the Canes’ 3-2 road win over the Rangers last week.

“We have to have it. There’s just no way around it,” Brind’Amour said Sunday.

With 10 games to play in the regular season, Carolina (47-16-9) held a three-point lead in the Metropolitan Division over second-place New Jersey with 103 points through Sunday’s games. The finish line is in sight, but there’s still hockey to be played.

“I think it’s important to win the division,” Pesce said last week. “You always want to be the best and it starts with the division, and it’s obviously important to have home ice in the playoffs.”

The Canes have run a gauntlet of tough teams and games the past week: the Rangers twice, Toronto Maple Leafs, Bruins. They have the Tampa Bay Lightning coming in Tuesday at PNC Arena.

“It’s been tough and it’s not going to get any easier, either,” Skjei said Sunday. “It’s been a good stretch of hockey, kind of getting us ready for that playoff atmosphere and playoff type hockey.”