Regular Season, Game 7: Hurricanes v. Chicago Blackhawks

The first back-to-back of the season will provide the Hurricanes an interesting opportunity. Frederik Andersen shut down the Boston Bruins last night to help himself and the team improve to 6-0-0. Tonight, the focus shifts to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks have been in the news a lot in the last few months, especially in the last 48-72 hours following Kyle Beach coming forward as the "John Doe" in the lawsuit filed against the organization. There are also quite a few players in COVID protocol for the Hawks, the most notable being Patrick Kane. Chicago is one of the two remaining teams in the league without a win and their only points have been from overtime losses, including a 3-2 overtime loss to Toronto in their last game on Wednesday night. Side note, the Canes play Arizona on Sunday, the other winless team in the league, and will then play Chicago again on Wednesday. The Canes are red-hot right now, which is why I think tonight is a dangerous game. I think Chicago has some lethal shooters, even without Kane, so this isn't going to be a lay-up despite their record. I'm interested to see the team that Rod Brind'Amour puts on the ice tonight with this being a back-to-back and Sunday's game being a 1 pm start. Antti Raanta will be making his Canes' debut, giving Freddie Andersen some much-needed rest.

1st Period

Scoring

(CHI) 6:12- Brandon Hagel (1) (assisted by Jonathan Toews (3) & Erik Gustafsson (2))

(CAR) 7:10- Tony DeAngelo (2) (assisted by Vincent Trocheck (5))

(CHI) 10:21- Adam Gaudette (1) PP (assisted by Phillip Kurashev (2) & Erik Gustafsson (3))

(CAR) 13:09- Jordan Staal (2) (assisted by Ethan Bear (3) & Jaccob Slavin (6))

(CAR) 13:26- Derek Stepan (1) (assisted by Jesper Fast (1))

(CAR) 18:20- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (2) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (5) & Ian Cole (1))

Thoughts

I don't gamble, but the over/under for this game was six goals. We got that in the first period. It was far from pretty but there were some pretty moments for sure. Raanta was a bit of a mixed bag in the period. I didn't think he was great, but he made some stops. I don't think he had a chance on the first goal, but the power play goal is one I'd liked for him to save. Chicago scored twice, but what struck me was how quickly the Canes responded after each goal. Chicago's first lead last less than a minute and their second lead lasted less than three minutes. The set-up passes on the DeAngelo, Staal, and Kotkaniemi goals from Trocheck, Bear, and Aho respectively were beautiful. The Stepan goal was less about the set-up and more about his willingness to crash the net and stuff the puck home. This period was a mess for both teams, likely a nightmare for the head coaches, but the fact the Canes are winning by two goals is a positive in my book.

2nd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 3:43- Sebastian Aho (5) PP (assisted by Tony DeAngelo (5) & Teuvo Teravainen (6))

(CAR) 6:16- Andrei Svechnikov (7) (assisted by Tony DeAngelo (6) & Vincent Trocheck (6))

Thoughts

After scoring six goals in the first, two goals is a bit of a letdown, but at least the Canes scored both goals. Both goal scorers were the benefactors of two good bounces. Sebastian Aho was trying to pass the puck when it hit a defender's skate and ended up back on his stick to lift it high on Lankinen on the power play. Andrei Svechnikov extended his point streak to seven games with a goal that deflected in off a defender's skate and into the net. Tony DeAngelo picked up assists on both of the goals, giving him three points for the night. Raanta looked much more comfortable for the period, though it didn't feel he was challenged much. The biggest negative from the period was the penalties. It felt there were quick penalties in succession for both teams for the last half of the period. The Canes registered the only power play tally of the period from Aho, but it's a troubling trend of taking too many penalties in a game and allowing the opposition too many chances. There are only 20 minutes left and I'm hoping the Canes still have more goals in them.

3rd Period

Scoring

(CHI) 8:08- Alex Debrincat (4) PP (assisted by Seth Jones (7) & Dominik Kubalik (1))

Thoughts

The Canes felt very content with milking this lead tonight. There were some serious fireworks in the period. Tony DeAngelo got into a fight and punched a guy in the nuts. Andrei Svechnikov decided to play some football. The Canes took a lot of penalties in the period and it led to a Chicago power play goal, the only goal of the period, but I think the story is going to be Nino Niederreiter. He left the game midway through the period from what appears to be an ankle injury, so that'll be something to keep an eye on. I didn't love the third period but when you're up 6-2 after 40 minutes, you can afford a goal or two. We can't be taking this many penalties in a game, but I don't expect every game to be like this.

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Vincent Trocheck (2 Assists)

Trocheck helped to get things started after Chicago scored the opening goal by setting up DeAngelo for his second goal. He added a secondary assist on Svechnikov's pinball goal to give him his sixth assist of this young season. Outside of the really bad cross-check on Tyler Johnson that ended his night, I thought he was on a roll tonight.

Second Star- Sebastian Aho (Goal, Assist- Extended Point Streak to Seven Games)

Svechnikov extended his streak as well, but Aho was on fire all night. His pass to set up Kotkaniemi is exactly what we've come to expect from him. He executed the 2-on-1 perfectly and set up his linemate for an easy goal. His power play goal was even more impressive since it was supposed to be a pass that turned into a goal in mere seconds. His skill is elite and he proved it tonight.

First Star- Tony DeAngelo (Gordie Howe Hat Trick- Goal, 2 Assists, Fight)

DeAngelo noted last night that he was happy with his performance, even with a goal. He followed it up by scoring a goal in the first period, setting up both goals in the second period, and getting into a fight in the third period. He had the crowd chanting and his post-game interview showed glimpses of personality. He's starting to win the fans over by how well he's playing.

Final Thoughts

The perfect season remains intact. There was a point in the first period where the score was 2-1 Chicago and the Blackhawks were looking really good. Then the Canes scored twice in 17 seconds and the Stepan goal was the dagger, even though it was just 3-2. The Canes took control thereafter and seized the moment to jump to 7-0-0. I didn't like how many penalties the Canes took, which is something I'm going to continue to say. Antti Raanta didn't always look great, but he won in his Canes' debut with 23 saves. DeAngelo's Gordie Howe Hat Trick is going to be the main focus, as it should be. I doubt Nino will be ready to go on Sunday and even if he is, I still think we're likely to see Seth Jarvis against Arizona for the afternoon start. I get that it's Halloween, but 1 pm on a Sunday feels weird. Arizona is another team without a win, losing tonight, so I expect it to be a slugfest. Good team win tonight.