Regular Season, Game 69: Hurricanes v. Minnesota Wild

The games are ticking down as the final month of the regular season kicks off tonight for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are coming off a dominating 4-0 shutout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Frederik Andersen stopped 32 shots and five different players recorded multiple points to secure the season sweep against Montreal. After losing four straight in mid-March, the Canes have points in six straight games (4-0-2), sit at the top of the Metropolitan Division, and have an easier strength of schedule in April as they seek another division crown. Tonight they'll play one of the few opponents they have left that are currently in a playoff spot in a cross-conference clash with the Minnesota Wild. When these two met in Minnesota on February 12, it was the first time they'd see Kirill Kaprizov in person since he broke into the league. Suffice it to say he didn't disappoint on that night. He scored a goal and both Kevin Fiala and Frederik Gaudreau recorded two-point nights as the Wild jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice to bring the Canes within one and he had a few chances to tie and even win the game for the Canes, but they would ultimately fall short as Cam Talbot stopped 37 shots to secure a 3-2 win for the Wild. Frederik Andersen will get the start tonight and the lineup will likely look the same tonight. 

Minnesota has been on a serious heater in the last three weeks. They lost 4-3 in overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, snapping a seven-game win streak. Dumba, Gaudreau, and Kaprizov scored the goals for the Wild, but it was two goals from Rickard Rakell and the overtime winner from Evgeni Malkin that spelled the end of the streak for Minnesota. Cam Talbot allowed four goals in the loss. The Wild made an interesting move at the deadline, bringing Marc-Andre Fleury and trading away Kappo Kahkonen to sure up their goalie situation heading into the playoffs. Fleury will make his third start with the Wild tonight. They sit well behind the Avalanche in the Central Division but have St. Louis and Nashville breathing down their necks for second. Kaprizov is knocking on the doorstep for 40 goals and could hit 100 points by the end of the season. The Canes can't clinch a playoff spot tonight, but two points would put them at 100 points for the second time in franchise history. They'd likely need just a point or two against Buffalo on Tuesday night to clinch a playoff spot if they get the job done tonight. I'm sure both teams are hungry to cement themselves as legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup, so tonight should be a fun game.

1st Period

Scoring

(MIN) 10:20- Mats Zuccarello (20) PP (assisted by Kirill Kaprizov (46) & Jared Spurgeon (25))

Thoughts

All credit to the Wild for playing an absolutely strong period on the road to open things up. The Canes couldn't convert on an early power play, the Wild do as they score the only goal of the period. They should've had one earlier, but it tang the post behind Andersen and he managed to keep it out despite almost everyone laying in the crease trying to get to it. The difference in the period was easily Marc-Andre Fleury's ability to move the puck and create chances for the Wild as the Canes tried to change. He did it a few times, most notably on the power play, to try and help the Wild get into the zone easier. Martin Necas rang a post of his own with a one-timer late in the period that could've tied it, but it didn't want to go. I didn't love the period for the Canes, so I'm going to need a little more in the second. 

2nd Period

Scoring

(MIN) 4:10- Dmitry Kulikov (5) (assisted by Tyson Jost (10) & Jonas Brodin (22))

Thoughts

The Wild extended their lead on the Canes after Kulikov scored coming out of the box. It's a goal Andersen is going to want back, but it was also a bad mental lapse for the Canes as a turnover created the transition in the first place. Fleury continues to be the sole difference in this game. The Canes built a good period after the Wild goal and limited the chances of their opponent for the most part. Necas has been flying. Trocheck had several chances. It's turning into one of those games for the Canes, though the shot differential isn't nearly as monumental as other games. They have to be right on the verge of getting one to go in, but Fleury is looked nearly unbeatable tonight. 

3rd Period

Scoring

(MIN) 7:24- Kirill Kaprizov (39) (assisted by Mats Zuccarello (49) & Ryan Hartman (25))

(CAR) 13:41- Teuvo Teravainen (18) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (38) & Jaccob Slavin (34))

Thoughts

I think the puck that got past Fleury at the end with Andersen on the bench should've counted. Niederreiter was kept in the crease by Spurgeon as the puck went in. You can make the argument that Nino didn't try hard enough to get out, but it should've counted. In the grand scheme of things, that goal, or no goal, doesn't matter. The Kaprizov goal was another bad one for Andersen to all and it was more than enough to help the Wild win this game. Fleury continued to look great and truly earned this win. The Teravainen goal allows him and Aho to keep their point streaks alive for another game and prevented the Canes from being shut out, so that's great. We'll have to wait a little longer to celebrate anything big. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Brady Skjei (7 Shots)

The defense was jumping into the play all night and no one was more apparent than Skjei on the backend. He was trying everything he could to get pucks through and onto Fleury to try and create something. He had a game-high seven shots and while he didn't get anything past the goalie, he was trying his best to get it done. 

Second Star- Sebastian Aho (Assist)

Aho's point streak is alive and well despite waiting until the very end of the night to extend it. The slap pass to Teravainen to get the Canes on the board made me breathe a sigh of relief because I hate watching the Canes get shut out. He also had a quality chance at the end of the second period that got gloved away and almost deceived Fleury in the third to score. 

First Star- Teuvo Teravainen (Goal)

Teravainen took a puck to the face early in the game and missed some considerable time getting it attended to in the back. Seeing him on the bench to begin the third period, there was a nice scar above his lip. Seeing him come back and score to extend his own point streak was pretty awesome. We're used to seeing him feed Aho, so it was nice to see him on the receiving end as he broke the shutout. 

Final Thoughts

Marc-Andre Fleury showed that he is far from being done in the NHL tonight. He made things look very easy as the Canes tried to get it done from every angle. He outdueled Frederik Andersen fair and square. It was a rare bad night from Andersen tonight. I mentioned it earlier but the defense jumped into the play a lot tonight. It came down to a few defensive breakdowns and a couple rough goals. Not the best way to begin the month, but it is what it is. I felt the Canes came out flat in the first period and were unable to dig themselves out of a self-created hole. It was very reminiscent of the first meeting. The Canes will now have a home and home with the Buffalo Sabres next week, so the two will become well acquainted with Jeff Skinner and a sneakily hot Sabres team. They're still ahead in the division, so there's no need to panic. It'll be important to earn at least three points in these two games with Buffalo.