Carolina Hurricanes Month in Review: December 2021

November wasn't as kind to the Canes as October was, but it was still a good month for the team. They sat in a playoff position heading into the final month of 2021 with a full 14 games on the schedule, including another trip out west through Western Canada and Minnesota. COVID had already reared its ugly head with three defensemen heading into protocol coming into the month. The team finished the month on a bit of a losing stretch, losing four of its final five games, but they still had some fun games on the schedule against some quality opponents. Here's a look back at the month of December for the Carolina Hurricanes. 

The Month in Review

Before we get into the games from this month, the story continued to be COVID ravaging the league. The Canes had Pesce, DeAngelo, and Bear in protocol to begin the month, but several more would enter protocol throughout the month. Sebastian Aho entered protocol following the Edmonton game on December 12 and Seth Jarvis followed shortly after on December 13. Four more positive tests forced the game in Minnesota to be canceled on December 14 as Staal, Svechnikov, Cole, and Lorentz joined the list. Stefan Noesen, Brendan Smith, Frederik Andersen, and Jesper Fast would join the list by the end of the month. By the time the Montreal game came around on December 30, only Smith was still in protocol. Add to this that Jordan Martinook was injured during the Ottawa game on December 2 and Jalen Chatfield, who'd stepped in for the defense with guys out, got hurt after the Vancouver game, and it was a rough month for the Canes from a health standpoint. 

Before all this insanity, there was hockey to be played. After limping out of November, the Canes were able to reverse their fortunes against Ottawa despite erasing a two-goal lead late in the third period. After that game, the month turned around for the better. The team won their last home game before heading west 6-2 against Buffalo, chasing Malcolm Subban in the third period. The team then headed to Canada to play against some of Western Canada's finest. The trip began with three big wins over the Jets, Flames, and Oilers. The team got to Hellebuyck for four goals, including two on the power play. Sebastian Aho scored both goals in the win over the Flames, including the game-winner in overtime. Aho then added two more goals and an assist against Edmonton, while the team held both McDavid and Draisaitl scoreless. The team laid a major egg against the Canucks, losing 2-1 with Aho out of the lineup. This is the point in the month where things get weird. The game against Minnesota to close the road trip was canceled, meaning the returns of Pesce and DeAngelo had to be delayed. They eventually made it back on the ice when the team returned home against Detroit. With all the guys out with COVID, the team had to play the game against the Red Wings with two fewer players, which included three plays making their season debuts. Despite this disadvantage, the team beat Detroit 5-3, then followed this effort up with a 5-1 win over Los Angeles two nights later with two more players being added into the fray. The next five games would be canceled between December 18-27, before they ended the month with a win over Montreal 4-0 with a bunch of the regulars returning. 

Despite the COVID issues, the Canes finished with a 6-2-0 record for the month. Sebastian Aho only played six games, but he recorded multi-point games in all six contests, pacing the team with 14 points in December (5-9-14). His 14 points were tied for fifth-most in the league for the month, despite playing fewer games than anyone ahead or tied with him. Aho's five goals this month tied him for second on the team with Nino Niederreiter and just behind Teuvo Teravainen's team-leading six. Frederik Andersen (5-0-0, 1.58, .937 in 5 games) and Antti Raanta (2-2-0, 1.77, .934 in 4 games) only allowed 15 goals in the nine games the team played this month as the team remains at the top of the list with the fewest goals allowed this season (62) and goals allowed per game (2.07). Jack Drury scored in both of the games he played in and Andrew Poturalski added assists for his first two career points in those same games. Jesper Fast and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also deserve some praise for their play while the team was dealing with COVID. Both recorded back-to-back multi-point games against Detroit and Los Angeles, while Kotkaniemi finished the month on a four-game point streak (1-5-6).

The Canes' special teams continued to be major problems for opponents. The penalty kill went 28 for 30 (93.3%), scoring as many short-handed goals (2) as they allowed power play goals. Teuvo Teravainen scored both short-handed goals, the only two for the team this season. The power play scored ten times on 24 attempts (41.7%). They converted multiple times three times in the month, including each of the last two games, twice against Lost Angeles and three times against Montreal. The power play has jumped to eighth in the league (24.5%), while the kill still sits in second (89.2%). They finish the month tied with Washington at the top of the division with 45 points with two games in hand and trail Tampa Bay by just one point in the President's Trophy race, who they also have two games on. 

Moment of the Month- Jack Drury's First NHL Goal (12/16)

There's not enough that can be said about the effort from the team in the two home games before the premature holiday pause. The game against Detroit started with a hectic first period with the teams trading goals through the first 14 minutes. The team managed to make it to the intermission with the lead thanks to the dual effort from Jesperi Kotkaniemi holding onto the puck and finding Jack Drury, playing in his first NHL game. The pass found Drury with just a single defender in front of him as he put it on the net and the initial shot was stopped by Alex Nedeljkovic. Drury fought around the defender for the rebound and placed it perfectly over the goalie's shoulder to give the team a 3-2 lead late in the first period. This is the type of effort that has been instilled in the players in the AHL and it translates perfectly in Rod Brind'Amour's system once they make the jump to the NHL.

Honorable Mention- Sebastian Aho's Overtime Winner in Calgary (12/9)

Game of the Month- 5-1 W v. Los Angeles Kings (12/18)

This was the second of the home games during the COVID trials for the team with almost a quarter of the roster being AHL players. The reason I chose this game as opposed to the Detroit game was just how much of a stranglehold they had on the Kings for 60 minutes. Jesper Fast recorded a power play goal and assist in the first 96 seconds of the game. Andrew Poturalski added his second assist in as many games. Jack Drury scored his second-career goal on a beautiful shot over Quick's shoulder. Jesperi Kotkaniemi recorded another multi-point game. Frederik Andersen made 32 saves to lead the team to another win. There are a lot of games that I considered. The Calgary game was a close second because of how tight it was, culminating in an overtime win. The Edmonton and Montreal games were also in contention, but this is the game that made me the proudest of the team. 

Three Stars of the Month

Third Star- Teuvo Teravainen (6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points in 9 games)

Turbo got the job done this month at every strength. Six of his points came while either on the kill or with the man advantage. He scored the first two short-handed goals of the season against Buffalo and Montreal. He led the team with three power play goals in December. He did this while logging almost 19 minutes per game and as a fixture on an amazing penalty kill.

Second Star- Frederik Andersen (5-0-0, 1.58 GAA, .937 SV%, Assist in 5 games)

After a slight stepback in November after being the league's third star in October, Andersen had another perfect month, winning all five of his starts. He only allowed eight goals in those games, three times holding the opponents to one goal. Andersen also recorded his third assist of the season, setting up the game-winner in overtime against the Flames. 

First Star- Sebastian Aho (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 6 games)

Before being taken out of the lineup and being placed in COVID protocol, Aho was unstoppable. There was a stretch where he recorded a point on six consecutive goals between the final goal of the Winnipeg game through the Edmonton game, where he recorded three points. He scored at least two points in all six games he played in, including two assists in his return game against Montreal after 19 days without playing. 

Preview for January

This is subject to change as we've learned, but the team is scheduled to play 13 games in January, with the January 3 game in Toronto already being canceled. It's a home-heavy month, with eight games at home. They also get six divisional games against the Metro. They're scheduled for three back-to-backs, but only one of them is going to require any travel when they host the Rangers before heading to New Jersey on January 21 and 22. 

Games to Watch for January

1/7 v. Calgary and 1/8 v. Florida

Of the three back-to-backs in January, this is arguably the toughest in terms of matchups, but it's also the one that could provide the most fun. The Canes beat Calgary in December in overtime with Frederik Andersen outdueling Jacob Markstrom. It was probably the toughest game of the month and it was a nail-biter. The Panthers were supposed to come into town out of the Christmas break, but the game was canceled by the league with COVID cases rising. They handed the Canes their first loss of the season in November and they're one of the most electric teams to watch. These two games are going to be tough, so getting at least one win would be nice. 

1/18 at Boston

The Bruins were part of the Canes' season-opening winning streak in mid-October when the Canes shut them out 3-0. It has been an uncharacteristically slow start for a team that has given Carolina fits in the last several years, especially in the postseason. They've played the fewest games in the league through the end of December, so there's plenty of time for them to turn things around. I still think they have the best line in the NHL with the "Perfection Line" of Marchand, Bergeron, and Pastrnak. They've recently re-signed Tuukka Rask too, so maybe he'll be ready by the time this matchup rolls around. Add that this game is in Boston and it's a recipe for a rough night. 

1/21 v. New York (R)

It's crazy to think this is the first of the four meetings between these two teams this season. It'll be the first time they've played since they met in the bubble in August 2020. The Canes swept that series and it's most remembered for the goal by Sebastian Aho when he made Tony DeAngelo look really bad. Game two of that series was Henrik Lundqvist's last game in the NHL. The series never felt that close, but a lot has changed for these two teams since that meeting. The Rangers have a good balance of experience and youth and are pushing for a playoff spot this season. Artemi Panarin is one of the most exciting players in the league, Mika Zibanejad is a sniper, Chris Kreider is a power play menace, and Igor Shesterkin is emerging as one of the best goalies in the NHL. I'm excited to see these two teams hit the ice for the first time.