Thoughts From My Couch

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes didn't put it all together with their mothers in the building on Thursday night. They jumped out to an early lead when Mark Jankowski picked off a pass and dangled around a defender before putting it past Jordan Binnington as he crashed into the net. This was the only time that the Hurricanes would beat Binnington. Early in the second, Jimmy Snuggerud scored from just inside the blue line, using a screen from Jaccob Slavin to tie it up. Snuggerud struck again late in the third, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce over Jalen Chatfield's stick and loose defensive coverage by the captain. Pavel Buchnevich scored into the empty net to seal the road victory for the Blues. Binnington made 31 stops to lead the 3-1 upset win. Injury Report Shayne Gostisbehere: He hasn't played since the first period in Edmonton, and I don't get the sense that he'll be good to go in Tampa tonight. The Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning (40-20-4, 84 Points; 2nd in...

The moms are in town for this one, which means their boys need to put on a show for them. Having the family in attendance has usually fared well for the Canes in the past. In recent memory, we had the memorable win in Boston that led to Jordan Martinook and his mom giving an iconic interview on TNT after he scored the winner. Last season, Sebastian Aho finished a game in overtime with the dads and mentors in Raleigh for a contest with Calgary. Against the St. Louis Blues, the Canes need to focus more on getting the puck in the net because they didn't do it at all the last time they met. We don't want the moms getting mad about a goose egg on the scoreboard. I'm looking at Brandon Bussi to play a part in that, too. He was hung out to dry in St. Louis, but he needs to be better than the version we've seen since the return from the Winter Olympics.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (8:38)- Mark Jankowski (7) (unassisted) 2nd Period STL (4:00)- Jimmy Snuggerud (14) (Dylan Hol...

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)) ...