Thoughts From My Couch

Last Game : The Carolina Hurricanes failed to claim the division crown on Sunday, nor did they receive the requisite help to get it done. They lost in the second half of their back-to-back in Ottawa. They got off to a good start, with Logan Stankoven scoring on the power play, but Dylan Cozen responded with one on the power play, and Tim Stutzle carved through the defense for a beautiful tuck to give the Senators the lead. Andrei Svechnikov scored the tying goal in the dying seconds of the opening frame to send the teams into the second tied at two. Brady Tkachuk redirected one past Frederik Andersen in the second to put the Senators back in front. They broke it open in the third. Shane Pinto snapped one on the power play, and Tkachuk added his second on a rebound. Taylor Hall tried to make it look a little closer, scoring his 300th career goal. Claude Giroux re-extended the lead back to three into the empty net, securing a 6-3 win for the Senators. Injury Report None that I'm awar...

A chance to claim the division crown is back on the table for the Carolina Hurricanes today, and they won't need to rely on anyone else to get it done this time. The Canes just need one point against the Ottawa Senators to finish the job, though the Panthers taking the Penguins to overtime or outright beating them would help, too. Meanwhile, the Senators are holding on, fighting for a chance to get into the postseason, entering the day in the final spot, though it's far from secure. The Senators will be ready to fight for their lives, while the Canes must be ready to respond in the second half of a back-to-back less than 24 hours later. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (5:22- PP)- Logan Stankoven (18) (Nikolaj Ehlers (41) & Jackson Blake (26)) OTT (7:17-PP)- Dylan Cozens (27) (Tim Stutzle (46) & Drake Batherson (35)) OTT (8:52)- Tim Stutzle (33) (unassisted) CAR (19:41)- Andrei Svechnikov (29) (unassisted) 2nd Period OTT (8:34)- Brady Tkachuk (21) (Artem Zub (24) & Ri...

Last Game : The Carolina Hurricanes would've wrapped up the Metropolitan Division on Saturday if they'd gotten a little help. It wasn't pretty, but the Canes beat the New York Islanders. Marc Gatcomb put the Islanders up early, scoring after coming out of the box on a 3-on-2. Seth Jarvis got it back midway through the frame, burying a shot past Ilya Sorokin's blocker to tie it up. New York jumped back in front in the second on a Max Shabanov goal, but Jackson Blake got it done this time, burying a pass from Logan Stankoven. This would help the Canes snatch momentum back and take the lead. Jarvis found Sebastian Aho on a short-handed 2-on-1, giving the Canes their first lead of the contest. Jarvis picked up his second goal of the night 24 seconds into the third period, expanding the lead. Anders Lee got one with Sorokin on the bench on a beautiful tip, but that's as close as it got. Brandon Bussi made a few stops in the dying seconds to put the game away for the Cane...

The first of many boxes has been checked for the Carolina Hurricanes, but their focus remains on the goal at the top of the mountain. Winning the Metropolitan Division is the next box for the team to conquer. With a very outside chance of doing it today (especially with how badly Pittsburgh was beating Florida in the second period), the team must be locked in against a New York Islanders team playing the second half of a back-to-back. Meeting for the first time since late October, a lot has changed for both teams since that first encounter. The Islanders are fighting for their lives right now, trying to keep themselves above the cut-off line. After losing last night, they should be incredibly motivated to bounce back. Scoring Summary 1st Period NYI (5:16)- Marc Gatcomb (3) (Simon Holmstrom (22) & Jean-Gabriel Pageau (18)) CAR (11:07)- Seth Jarvis (31) (Sean Walker (18) & K'Andre Miller (28)) 2nd Period NYI (2:15)- Maxim Shabanov (5) (Callum Ritchie (16) & Scott Mayfield...

Last Game : The Carolina Hurricanes clinched a berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday night, beating the Columbus Blue Jackets into submission for 60 minutes. They got rolling early, thanks to the Stankoven line. They needed 2:27 to get the first goal, with Logan Stankoven tipping a shot from K'Andre Miller to start it. Stankoven added another before the 9:00 mark, putting the puck home after hard work from Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall. Late in the period, with Columbus on the power play, they added one more. Alexander Nikishin sniped a shot over Elvis Merzlikins' glove to tie the team's rookie defenseman scoring record with his first short-handed goal. The Blue Jackets' lone tally came courtesy of Denton Mateychuk, but Jordan Martinook scored 13 seconds later with a pinball shot from the point to restore the three-goal lead. To top it off, Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play, giving the Canes their eighth straight game with a goal on the man advanta...

For the first time this season, the Hurricanes have a chance to put the "x" next to their name in the standings. With a win or an extra-time loss and some help, the Canes could secure their eighth straight postseason trip, even if it feels like a formality at this point. They could do it against a division opponent, looking to complete their home-and-home sweep of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The win on Tuesday felt a little closer than it needed to be until the Canes broke it open over the last few minutes. The power play was great, as were Nikolaj Ehlers and Brandon Bussi. For the Blue Jackets, Kirill Marchenko woke up a little, which could present some trouble for the Canes tonight. I'm expecting to see some serious fight from Columbus tonight, and the Canes better be prepared for it. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (2:27)- Logan Stankoven (16) (K'Andre Miller (27) & Taylor Hall (26)) CAR (8:52)- Logan Stankoven (17) (Taylor Hall (27) & Jackson Blake (25)) CAR...