Thoughts From My Couch

Last Game : The Carolina Hurricanes rested almost half of their normal roster, and they still beat the Chicago Blackhawks like they stole something on Thursday to open their final road trip of the season. Sean Walker broke the ice, needing just 19 seconds to get the Canes off and rolling. Anton Frondell got the Hawks even, and Andrew Mangiapane would've given them the lead if not for the skate blade of Frederik Andersen. Late in the opening frame, Logan Stankoven joined the 20-goal club with a beautiful steal and tuck over Spencer Knight's shoulder. The Canes ballooned the lead from there. Stankoven scored his second of the game early in the second with a rebound finish. Mark Jankowski redirected Alexander Nikishin's wrister with a subtle tip to make it 4-1 after two. K'Andre Miller joined the party by clapping a one-timer after coming out of the box. Frondell scored his second of the game 22 seconds later, but Taylor Hall got one against his old team to restore the fou...

The road to the postseason has just one more road trip to get through before the Hurricanes begin their chase for the Stanley Cup once more. The four-game journey begins tonight in the Windy City against the Chicago Blackhawks. While postseason hockey remains a distant memory for Chicago, they are still in the business of being spoilers. The Canes called up a bunch of players on Wednesday, which could signal the beginning of mass resting for the group, which I wouldn't be opposed to. The Canes have just the top spot in the conference to play for, though that comes with both great advantages and expectations. This game could serve as the trend setter for the team as they venture through a wild path before Game 1 this weekend. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (0:19)- Sean Walker (8) (Nikolaj Ehlers (42)) CHI (10:48)- Anton Frondell (2) (Louis Crevier (17)) CAR (17:10)- Logan Stankoven (20) (unassisted) 2nd Period CAR (4:08)- Logan Stankoven (21) (Taylor Hall (30) & Jackson Blake (3...

Last Game : The Carolina Hurricanes put the Metropolitan Division to rest with an overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, and the road to get there was wild. Hampus Lindholm got the scoring started for the Bruins, but Andrei Svechnikov got a bounce on a wrap-around, and K'Andre Miller sniped one off the draw to put the Canes in front midway through the frame. The Bruins' top line answered with two before the end of the period. On both occasions, David Pastrnak set up Morgan Geekie, giving the former Hurricane a chance for revenge against his old team. The Canes' offense exploded in the second. Logan Stankoven started it with another goal on the power play. William Carrier put the Canes back in front with a shot under Jeremy Swayman's glove. Then, Taylor Hall followed his rebound and slid it through the pads of the netminder, chasing Swayman from the game. Geekie pulled the Bruins within a goal by redirecting a shot to finish his hat trick. In the third, the only...

We could be looking at a first-round matchup preview tonight between the Hurricanes and the Bruins at the Lenovo Center. The Canes need just one point to clinch the division, while the Bruins appear anchored in the top Wild Card spot with just four games to go. There is no shortage of history between these two in the postseason, meeting three times in the last seven years under Rod Brind'Amour. The times have changed quite a bit with each passing matchup. Tonight's home finale serves as the rubber match in the season series, with the teams splitting games in Boston in November. The Canes have the ball in their court, so it's up to them to get this one over the finish line and leave no doubt as to who the best team in the Metropolitan Division is. Scoring Summary 1st Period BOS (4:40)- Hampus Lindholm (5) (Pavel Zacha (34) & Viktor Arvidsson (28)) CAR (10:04)- Andrei Svechnikov (30) (Alexander Nikishin (20) & Sean Walker (20)) CAR (11:38)- K'Andre Miller (7) (Jor...

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...