Thoughts From My Couch

After starting the season in an excellent position, November really felt like the season was hitting its stride and getting into the swing of things. Sitting at the top of a tight division, it was going to be about sticking to their game and making sure they beat the teams they were supposed to beat. The problem with November for the Hurricanes was their health. They'd lose their starting goalie and one of their best wingers during the month, leading to guys stepping up in their place. It was a rocky month for the team overall and they'd be the first to admit that. Not everything went their way, but it's not time to panic at all. There is still plenty of time left this season. Here's my look back at November for the Hurricanes.  The Month in Review Through Headlines 11/3 at Tampa Bay- "Skjei Saves the Day"- Skjei's short-handed goal in the third period forces overtime as the Canes win their third straight game in extra time in the shootout.  11/4 v. Buffal...

The Hurricanes got back into the win column on Saturday night when they held on to a 3-2 decision against the Calgary Flames. Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas, and Brett Pesce provided the offense for the Canes, with the latter two scoring on the power play. This gives the Canes four goals on the power play in the last two games. Antti Raanta was very strong in his first game in about two weeks. Despite the pushback from Calgary, the Canes' defense held strong to come out on the right side of the game. The win gave the Canes the momentum they need as they embark on their second long road trip. The journey begins in Pittsburgh tonight in the final game of the month. It's the first division game in over a month as the team looks to get back into the race for the Metropolitan Division.  Projected Lines/Pairs Seth Jarvis-Sebastian Aho-Martin Necas Stefan Noesen-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Andrei Svechnikov Jordan Martinook-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast Jack Drury-Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan Jaccob Slavin...

The winless streak is now at five games after the Canes lost yesterday afternoon to the Boston Bruins in Beantown. Stefan Noesen and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each scored on the power play in the first period, but Boston scored three unanswered, including the game-winner in overtime, to complete the comeback and secure the two points. The Canes picked up a point for the fourth time during this five-game drought, but they really need to get on the right side of things. Pyotr Kochetkov was excellent once again, turning away 38 shots, his new career-high. He didn't get the goal support he deserved, but nothing can be done about it now. They'll now get back to Raleigh and the friendly confines of PNC Arena to complete the second half of a back-to-back as they welcome the Calgary Flames. They've lost two straight at home, the last win coming on November 10 against Buffalo. This feels like when it all changes and they get back in the win column. Projected Lines/Pairs Seth Jarvis-Sebasti...

Wins have been hard to come by for the Hurricanes in the last two weeks. Since dominating the Edmonton Oilers on November 10, the Canes have just one win (1-2-3) and they're coming off one of their worst efforts of the season, a 4-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes in Raleigh on Wednesday night. After missing a wide-open net in the first period, nothing was coming together for the Hurricanes, despite the best efforts of Pyotr Kochetkov. Even with the lines moving around, the team wasn't able to solve Karel Vejmelka as they were shut out for the second time this season. The social media community surrounding the team is starting to get very antsy and while everyone is likely overreacting to their recent play, it would be nice to see something back in the win column for the Canes. It's time for the team to get angry, but also play a disciplined game because this afternoon's opponent is a tough one. Projected Lines/Pairs Jordan Martinook-Sebastian Aho-Martin Necas Andrei Svechn...

There are a couple different ways to look at the most recent stretch of games for the Hurricanes. Since winning four straight, the Canes have just two wins in their last eight, including three straight losses in overtime. It could be argued that the Canes should've won at least two of those last three. That being said, the team is on a four-game point streak because of those losses in overtime. They've managed to earn points despite their inability to finish games. The most recent of these defeats came at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. The Jets looked like they had the game in the bag with a 3-0 lead in the third period after playing 55 minutes of solid hockey against the Canes. In the final five minutes, the Canes' offense came to life. Goals from Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov, and Martin Necas in the final five minutes with Pyotr Kochetkov on the bench and three assists from Sebastian Aho got the Canes to overtime and secured a point in a game they wer...

Things need to change quickly for the Hurricanes after two disappointing results. Though they've earned points in three straight games, the last two have been overtime losses in games the Canes played well enough to win in regulation against Colorado and Minnesota. While the Colorado game was complete dominance that ended in heartbreak, Saturday's loss to Minnesota was due in large part to their inability to finish the game the way they started. The Canes controlled most of the first 30 minutes, scoring the lone goal of the first two periods on a 2-on-1 finished by Sebastian Aho. The tides started to turn in the second period and on into the third period before Sam Steel finally beat Pyotr Kochtekov through traffic to tie the game with under three minutes left. In overtime, Alex Goligoski won a race to the net to bury his first of the season and send the Minnesota crowd into a frenzy. It was an unsatisfying result to the game for the Canes. Now, they look to recover as they beg...

It was not a fun week to be in the Top 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The top four each found themselves in tight games, while Tennessee was given a rude awakening. The PAC-12 situation got a little clearer with two of the best games of the week, while the Big Ten West continued to be an absolute circus. In the penultimate week of the regular season, there was a lot of movement that needed to be made. With some huge games coming next week, this was a week to prove teams are ready for the big matchups in Week 13.  Game of the Week-  #7 USC 48, #16 UCLA 45 (Pasadena, CA) The weeks' two big matchups both came from the PAC-12 and both carried major implications for the conference title game. A win for the Trojans secured their spot, while a Bruins win would put them in the driver's seat going into the final week. Things started according to plan for UCLA as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a touchdown run and pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Caleb Williams got the...

The Hurricanes played an excellent game against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. They dominated in every aspect of the game, except for the scoreboard. Despite outshooting the Avalanche, 48-15, the Canes played from behind for most of the night and would lose the game in overtime, 3-2. After allowing a power-play goal in the first period, Sebastian Aho scored for the first time since his hat trick against Buffalo to tie the game. In the third period, after Colorado had scored at the end of the second, Martin Necas outwaited Pavel Francouz and put one home to tie it. The Canes were unsuccessful on a power play to end regulation and their urgency to score in overtime would be their undoing as Artturi Lehkonen fired a one-timer past an outstretch Antti Raanta to hand the Canes' goalie his third straight losing decision. The Canes will now hit the road for two more games out west, beginning tonight in The State of Hockey. It'll be a good night to try and rebound from a gam...