Regular Season, Game 75: Hurricanes v. Detroit Red Wings

The Canes are coming off an emotionally charged victory in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. They're returning home to play a non-playoff team. What's the worst that can happen? The Canes rolled into the Big Apple on Tuesday night with a slim lead on the Rangers in the division and they gutted one out. They allowed a goal early in the second period, but Andrei Svechnikov got it back by creating a chance from behind the net that ended up past Shesterkin. They then scored twice before the first commercial break of the third period, courtesy of Seth Jarvis and Jordan Staal, to take a two-goal lead. The Rangers got one back late, but Sebastian Aho scored the empty-netter to secure a 4-2 win in a place the Canes have notoriously struggled in. The Detroit Red Wings await the Canes tonight for their third and final meeting of the season. The two previous games have been polar opposites of one another. The win in Raleigh back in December felt like an easy one despite it being just a two-goal game. The visit to Detroit on March 1 was frustrating, to say the least. Aho scored on the power play in the first period and Detroit responded in the second to tie it up heading into the third period. The Red Wings took the lead early in the second, but Jesper Fast tied it right back less than five minutes later. Staal would score late in the game to take the lead, but Dylan Larkin tied it right back 38 seconds later and the game went into overtime. The Canes' undoing was a too many men penalty that Lucas Raymond would score on with less than eight seconds left to go in overtime to win it. The Canes earned a point, but they should've finished with both in regulation. There is a lot of good news tonight as far as the lineup is concerned. Jesperi Kotkaniemi will return to center the fourth line. Ethan Bear will hop back in for Brendan Smith. Max Domi is up on the second line with Trocheck and Teravainen. Antti Raanta will get the start in the net having last played against Buffalo a week ago.

Detroit comes into tonight's game knowing they won't be in the playoffs. They've lost their last two and eight of their last ten, which includes an 11-2 loss to Pittsburgh over two weeks ago. Since beating the Canes at the beginning of March, they've only won four games. That doesn't mean they should be taken lightly. Their last outing was a 4-1 loss to Ottawa on Tuesday night. Tyler Bertuzzi scored the lone goal for the Wings, but a three-point night from Tim Stutzle was the story. Thomas Greiss played very well, allowing just two goals on 30 shots, while the empty net allowed two goals on two shots. It's been said a million times that this is an incredibly young team. They have two Calder contenders and Dylan Larkin has been the straw that stirs the drink, leading the team in goals (31) and points (68). Alex Nedeljkovic gets the start tonight with Greiss playing Tuesday and this being his former team. He's also started the other two meetings. The Canes can't let this be a trap game with just a two-point lead in the division and a game in hand before heading out West to play Colorado on Saturday. Tonight needs to be an emphatic statement as the Canes look to find their groove before the playoffs.

1st Period

Scoring

None

Thoughts

It's a tale as old as time. The Canes dominated the shot chart in the first period, but the goalie stopped them all to keep this scoreless through the first 20 minutes. The Canes were the clearly superior team in almost every aspect. Their only bad stretch was when they were on the power play and looked really bad for two minutes. Raanta wasn't tested too much but was calm when he was. Nedeljkovic stopped a bunch of really good chances. I think each line had its moment to shine outside of the fourth line. It honestly didn't feel like it was a high volume period and it went rather quickly. I'm going to need the Canes to score early because the longer this game goes without a goal, the longer I'll worry. Another period like this one should yield some good results. 

2nd Period

Scoring

(DET) 19:47- Moritz Seider (6) PP (assisted by Dylan Larkin (38) & Tyler Bertuzzi (29))

Thoughts

This is officially the Alex Nedeljkovic Revenge Game after his performance in the second period. The Canes controlled the play for almost the entire period, but it's a late-period power play goal from Seider that is the only tally in the game so far. The kill was ending in a matter of milliseconds as the puck trickled through Raanta's arm and over the line. The Canes had a million chances to score and they just couldn't. Nedeljkovic is looking like the goalie he was in Carolina last year and it stinks when it's for the other team. I'm not sure what the Canes need to do to get one in because they've looked really good. Raanta faced some breakaway chances in the period that he was able to stop, so he'll be frustrated with that one. The Canes have played a good 40 minutes to this point. Something has to give here. 

3rd Period

Scoring

(DET) 3:01- Adam Erne (6) (assisted by Mitchell Stephens (6))

(DET) 13:33- Filip Zadina (10) (assisted by Filip Hronek (32))

Thoughts

The one stinks because the Canes look so good for 40 minutes and then so bad for 20 minutes when it mattered. The power play got two chances to score and they couldn't do it. Alex Nedeljkovic looked like a Vezina contender tonight for a team that was severely outshot. It honestly doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but it's a letdown sandwiched in between a win over New York and an upcoming game with Colorado on Saturday. There isn't too much to say about the period other than the Zadina goal shouldn't have gone in. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

I'm not going to think too much about this one, so I'll say some combination of Max Domi, Martin Necas, and Brady Skjei. I felt Skjei was the Canes' best defenseman, Necas was strong in the third period, and Domi seems to be thriving in a larger role. Everyone had a shot except for Kotkaniemi in his return to the lineup. They all tried, they just didn't score. 

Final Thoughts

As the game went on and they couldn't solve Nedeljkovic, I just had that feeling we all get when the Canes outplay a team so bad and outshoot them to oblivion. The power play really needs to get something figured out. They move the puck well, then make a bad pass and can't recover. They were so good in the first two periods, the second period especially, but the third period was bad and that's when they lost it. Hats off the Nedeljkovic for making a sub-section of the fanbase feel justified for being mad that the team traded him. I don't know what else to say other than it stinks to lose. The team will need to bounce back and face the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. They've beaten them once, but I'm not sure which team we're going to see from the Canes. It's going to be important that we don't dwell on this one because this fits exactly how the Canes have been all season. They look great against the good teams and struggle with the not-so-good ones. They're still in the playoffs, so there's that.