Thoughts From My Couch

Last Game: The Hurricanes made life a little harder on themselves than they needed to when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at the Lenovo Center. They got rolling early after Logan Stankoven popped home a loose puck, thanks to hard work around the crease by Mike Reilly. The Penguins got it back late in the first, capitalizing on a turnover on Anthony Mantha's strike. Penalties ruled the second period, especially for the Canes. On their third power play of the period, Bryan Rust roofed a shot to put Pittsburgh ahead. Early in the third, the Canes took control once more. Mark Jankowski followed his shot, putting home a rebound chance to tie it. Just 59 seconds later, Seth Jarvis buried a breakaway, putting the Canes in front once more. Adding to it, Alexander Nikishin hammered home a 5-on-3 goal, extending the Canes' lead to two. After Stuart Skinner committed robbery against Eric Robinson, the Penguins scored twice with their goalie on the bench to tie it. ...

It's not a long homestand, but it's a chance to play in front of the Caniacs, so that's all that matters. Plus, it's at a much better time. The Canes went 2-2-0 on their recent road trip, which wasn't acceptable to some. Frankly, I'm perfectly fine with it. It would've been nice to close it with a win on Saturday in Calgary, but they shot themselves in the foot too many times. Tonight, it's a big divisional battle, but the Penguins are playing without what feels like half of their roster. Two of their most consequential players, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, are out, as are Justin Brazeau, Samuel Girard, and Kevin Hayes. While it could matter some, it's a game between division foes, so all bets are off. The Canes should be a little mad about the thumping that the Penguins gave them in December. These two will get very familiar with one another, meeting twice more in less than two weeks. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (7:46)- Logan Stankoven (12) (...

Last Game:  The Carolina Hurricanes finished their road trip in Calgary on Saturday in the second half of a back-to-back. The top line got them off to a quick start, with the forward trio combining to strike 44 seconds in, courtesy of Seth Jarvis. However, the Canes failed to continue this momentum into the second. A Brandon Bussi miscue allowed Ryan Strome to score in his Flames debut 19 seconds into the second. Not long after, Joel Farabee was on the spot to deposit a rebound, giving the Flames the lead. On the power play, Morgan Frost made it three in a row, as the game turned on its head in just 7:06. Another Bussi puck handling mistake gave Blake Coleman an easy goal early in the third, seemingly putting it out of reach. The Canes showed some signs of life after that goal. Sean Walker extended his point streak to five games, and Alexander Nikishin blasted a 98.5 MPH clapper on the power play, putting the Canes within a goal with plenty of time left. However, a Jackson Blake tu...

I couldn't be happier about this road trip being over. I'm so ready for my sleep schedule to get back on track. The Canes have already had a good trip, in my opinion, but they had a chance to make it a great one with a win over the Calgary Flames in the final stop. They put it all together last night to get the win in Edmonton in a convincing fashion, but there was still a job to do. With a chance to extend the division lead further, they needed one more big effort. Not having Shayne Gostisbehere wasn't ideal, but after the way the defensemen came together last night, it felt like the team was in good hands. Brandon Bussi could also use a good start after a subpar effort in Vancouver, albeit in a victory. The offense has been rolling since the loss in Seattle, with everyone getting involved. The moment was right there for the team to grab. It was up to them to take it. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (0:44)- Seth Jarvis (27) (Andrei Svechnikov (32) & Sebastian Aho (40)) ...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes passed their toughest test of the trip on Friday night, beating the Edmonton Oilers during the third stop of their four-game road trip. The Oilers broke the ice more than halfway through. Zach Hyman was sprung by Connor McDavid for a breakaway, beating former teammate Frederik Andersen on the backhand. The Canes responded with a pair in quick succession. Shayne Gostisbehere hammered one home after Seth Jarvis made a great pass and Tristan Jarry lost an edge. Less than a minute later, Nikolaj Ehlers' spinning shot from the point eluded traffic to beat Jarry. Ehlers added an assist early in the second, setting up Jordan Martinook from behind the net to extend the lead to two. This time, it was the Oilers with the quick response. Vasily Podkolzin caught Andersen off his post from a sharp angle, putting a perfect shot over his shoulder to shrink the lead back to one. During a delayed penalty in the third, the Canes moved the puck with precision before...

There are some games on the schedule that you have no clue how they're going to go. The Edmonton Oilers are one such opponent. The firepower they possess at the top of the lineup is so strong that they could easily blow teams out. However, defensive issues have hampered their ability to meet their full potential. Fortunately, having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can sometimes be enough to overcome it. With the trade deadline behind them, the Canes and the Oilers turn their attention to the stretch run. Each side is in a different boat. The Canes sit atop the division and the conference, with a trip to the postseason feeling inevitable. The Oilers are stuck in a race for the Top 3 in the Pacific, needing to find a way to climb in a weaker division. In the first half of a back-to-back for the Hurricanes, they needed a positive result to take some pressure off before their final stop tomorrow night. Scoring Summary 1st Period EDM (10:43)- Zach Hyman (26) (Connor McDavid (71) &...