Regular Season, Game 33: Hurricanes v. Florida Panthers

After having their last matchup right after Christmas canceled, the Canes and Panthers are set to do battle for the second time this season. The Panthers got the better of the first encounter in early November, handing the Canes their first loss of the season, 5-2. Florida lit Frederik Andersen up with four goals in the first period, three of which came on the power play, and Anthony Duclair contributed two goals and two assists that night. After a strong showing last night against Calgary, Andersen is getting the night off, but Antti Raanta won't be taking the net. It has been reported that Raanta is out tonight with an injury, meaning Alex Lyon will be in the starter's crease for the second time this season. Lyon won his previous start on November 13, 3-2 against St. Louis. Florida dropped a 6-5 decision in a shootout against Dallas on Thursday night. Florida has several key contributors out of the lineup tonight. Spencer Knight, Mason Marchment, Sam Reinhart, and Patric Hornqvist are all out in COVID protocol and Sam Bennett is serving a suspension that keeps him out of the game as well. This doesn't mean the Panthers aren't more than lethal. Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau are two of the most exciting players in the league to watch. MacKenzie Weegar and Aaron Ekblad are one of the best defensive pairings in the league. Tonight's starter, Sergei Bobvorsky, is having a bounceback season and he's a former two-time Vezina winner. There's a reason they're one of the best teams in the league. Tonight two Goliaths are entering the ring and only one can come out with two points. I've been looking forward to this matchup since they last played. They're on a collision course and it's going to be a heavyweight battle.

1st Period

Scoring

(FLA) 1:05- Jonathan Huberdeau (13) (assisted by Anthony Duclair (11) & Gustav Forsling (18))

(CAR) 3:34- Teuvo Teravainen (10) PP (assisted by Tony DeAngelo (18) & Sebastian Aho (21))

(FLA) 17:40- Carter Verhaeghe (9) (assisted by Aleksander Barkov (11))

Thoughts

For a minute there, it felt like things were going to be very bad. Florida scored on their first shot after Anthony Duclair put on a masterclass in skating before finding Huberdeau just over a minute into the game. The Canes managed to respond quickly on the power play with a bullet from Turbo that beats Bobrovsky top shelf. They'd continue to control play for the next few minutes, but then it felt like neither team did a whole lot until Carter Verhaeghe squeezed one through Lyon to give Florida a 2-1, which they took into the intermission. Lyon had to make some big saves in between the goals and he was up for the challenge. Bobrovsky has played a couple pucks awkwardly from weird angles, most notably on Seth Jarvis as it leaked through and sat on the goal line. He looked good, but definitely beatable, which is something I rarely say about goalies against the Canes. They need to find their game and stop playing into the Panthers' game. 

2nd Period

Scoring

(FLA) 0:35- Carter Verhaeghe (10) (assisted by MacKenzie Weegar (19))

(CAR) 14:14- Brady Skjei (5) (assisted by Brett Pesce (10) & Jordan Staal (8))

Thoughts

Another less than ideal start for the Canes as Verhaeghe scores his second goal of the game just 35 seconds into the frame. Then there was a bunch of skating up and down the ice without much direction. The Canes didn't do much on their one power play opportunity in the period and then didn't get many good chances in the early stages. Seth Jarvis was noticeable again this period and he almost set up Jordan Staal in front of the net. The Canes finally broke through again when Brady Skjei stayed hot with a blast from the point. Alex Lyon made some huge saves to keep it a one-goal game after a bad turnover in the Panthers' zone, his biggest being on Brandon Montour. I still don't think the Canes have found their game through 40 minutes, yet they managed to come into the intermission down a single goal. Step one is going to be not allowing the Panthers to get another early goal. Step two is finding a way to score early to give yourself plenty of time to win the game in regulation. 

3rd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 1:45- Seth Jarvis (6) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (22) & Ian Cole (6))

Thoughts

The Canes deserved to earn this point with their effort in the third period. Seth Jarvis got the Canes tied early in the period and the defense shut the door on the Panthers. It never felt like the Panthers had too many great chances. They did get one while short-handed, but Svechnikov made a great diving play to break up the pass. A lot of penalties and a lot of hits were thrown in this period. My favorite part was Frank Vatrano taking a clear interference penalty and then trying to chirp Alex Lyon, who just drank from his bottle with his back to him. Shows that he's locked in the zone right now. The Canes need to get this extra point, but I'm glad they fought back for this initial point. 

Overtime

Scoring

(FLA) 2:53- Anthony Duclair (14) (assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau (33))

Thoughts

Not much to say about this overtime. The Canes had a great chance from Svechnikov early in the session, but the winner is courtesy of a beautiful dish by Huberdeau as he feeds Duclair and he undresses Lyon. The Canes made some great stops defensively but never got to do much with the puck. They'll take the point with the great comeback effort tonight, but are unable to finish it for the final point. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Sebastian Aho (2 Assists)

After being relatively quiet in the first two games of 2022, I thought Aho was very good tonight. His hard work allowed DeAngelo to get the puck to Turbo for the Canes' first goal on the power play and then he directly set up Jarvis for the tying goal in the third period with a great stretch pass. It has been second nature for him to put up points this season, so this was a nice return to form. 

Second Star- Jordan Staal (Assist)

He was so close to tying the game early in the third period, missing high off the crossbar in the first 15 seconds of the third period. He's quietly started a point streak in a season where they've been hard to come by for long stretches. He's mister reliable on the kill and he laid some punishing hits tonight. The penalty he got in the third was brutal, but the team was able to kill it. 

First Star- Seth Jarvis (Game-tying Goal)

Jarvis could've had a couple tonight but he'll have to settle with just the one. It was a big goal nonetheless. I said after the second period that the team needed to find their game and score early in the period. I'm happy that someone took that advice. He's someone I'm hoping will add to this and put together a little streak of his own.  

Final Thoughts

The way this game started, I'll settle for just the one point. I'm not upset they couldn't get the second one because it felt like Florida was the better team for long stretches of this game. They controlled the puck for most of overtime, so they deserved to win this game. That doesn't discount the incredible comeback the Canes had to draw even in the third period and then shut the door to earn the point in the first place. Alex Lyon was not great and neither was the team in front of him at times, but he was good when he needed to be and made some timely saves in all three periods to keep the Canes in it. There are just a few players on the Panthers that seem to have the Canes' number and unfortunately for us, they were problems tonight. Duclair had two more points, as did Huberdeau and Verhaeghe, and Barkov added an assist. A playoff series between these two would be a blast to watch, but bad for my nerves. We sadly have to say goodbye to Kotkaniemi's career-high point streak as it ends tonight at six games, but they were a fun six games. Not too much to be sad about. The team earned three points in two nights and have plenty of games in hand on everyone, so they'll be fine. They welcome the Flyers into town for a game on Tuesday night, so we'll have to wait a few more nights before we get the Canes on the ice again.