2022-23 Regular Season, Game 10: Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning

It took extra time for the second game in a row, but the Hurricanes fought off Washington with a 3-2 victory in a shootout. Martin Necas stayed hot, picking up two more assists, while Stefan Noesen and Andrei Svechnkikov provided the offense during regulation. Brent Burns got things going in the shootout and Svechnikov added another to secure the second point. With their win on Monday night against the Capitals, the Canes seem to be building some momentum as they get ready for a busy November. They've won three of their last four games and are set for a tough road for the next 30 days. The job begins tonight when they travel to Tampa Bay to face the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champions. There are going to be a lot of players on the Canes to watch tonight after not producing much in October, namely Seth Jarvis (two goals, three points) and Teuvo Teravainen (three assists). Special teams will also be a storyline for the next little bit after the Canes struggled on both at times last month. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Teuvo Teravainen-Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Andrei Svechnikov-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Martin Necas

Jordan Martinook-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Stefan Noesen-Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Calvin de Haan-Jalen Chatfield

Frederik Andersen

Antti Raanta

Extras- Ondrej Kase (concussion protocol), Dylan Coghlan (healthy)

The only notable change from Monday night is the return of Calvin de Haan to the lineup. de Haan has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury that he likely suffered during the Calgary game. This will make Dylan Coghlan the healthy extra tonight. Otherwise, it'll be the same group. Frederik Andersen will get the start again tonight for the Canes after making 18 saves and stopping two of three shots in the shootout against Washington. 

Tonight's Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4-0, 12 Points, 3rd in the Atlantic Division)

After a bit of a slow start to their season, the Lightning have found their groove in the last week. They have won their last three contests, most recently over Ottawa on Tuesday night. I actually watched their game with the Senators since it was an off night for the Canes. This was actually a very tough game for the Bolts. Despite an overwhelming lead over Ottawa in shots, the Senators led the game 1-0 after the first period. They would tie it on the power play, then Dylan Gambrell was assessed a match penalty for a hit on Erik Cernak, giving them five minutes to take the lead. They even had another penalty called to make it a 5-on-3 at one point. Instead of taking advantage of the Senators, Mathieu Joseph burnt his former team with a short-handed goal. Ottawa was held to eight shots in the first two periods, yet had the 2-1 lead. It would take the Bolts a while to get the tying goal with Alex Killorn burying home a loose puck 11:04 into the period. 40 seconds later, Andrei Vasilevskiy misplayed a puck behind the net due to pressure from Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux scored into an empty net to regain the lead again. Not long after that, Brayden Point found himself on a breakaway and beat Anton Forsberg clean to tie it 3-3. After combining for three goals in just over 51 minutes of play, they'd scored three more goals in 1:51. The Bolts would earn the win with 2:30 left as Nikita Kucherov earned his third point of the night on a one-timer that beat Anton Forsberg to serve as the game-winner. It was a sloppy effort from Tampa Bay, but it earned them two points. Kucherov has been on fire to start the season, sitting tied for third with 11 assists and seventh with 15 points. One big thing tonight is that Victor Hedman is listed as doubtful. He missed Tuesday's game with an injury and is considered day-to-day. 

Last Season v. Carolina- I'm not sure you'll find two teams that played tighter games than these two last season. All three meetings were decided by one goal, two were decided in overtime, and the Canes had the edge with two wins overall. The Lightning held a 1-0 lead through two periods in the first meeting before Teuvo Teravainen tied it in the third period on the power play. In overtime, after Brady Skjei's game-winner was called off due to offsides, Martin Necas really ended it, stunning the home crowd. A few months later, they'd play twice in a week, starting in Raleigh. The second game got chippy by the very end, especially between Sebastian Aho and Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov was clearly off his game that night and after a late penalty on Aho, he was really upset and he went after Aho once the buzzer sounded. As for the game, the Canes scored twice on the power play in the second period and held on to a 3-2 win. In the final meeting a week later, the Lightning got their revenge. The Canes led 3-2 after two periods but after Brayden Point tied it in the third period, Steven Stamkos completed the comeback in overtime. The Lightning scored three times on the power play in their win.

Tampa Bay's Starting Goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy- It hasn't been the start to the season Vasilevskiy had been looking for. His save percentage is barely above .900 and his goals-against average is at 2.89. In his career against the Canes, he's been phenomenal. In 17 career games, he's 11-4-2 with a .930 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average. That doesn't include the five-game series in the 2021 playoffs that he was very good against the Canes. He was in the net for all three games last season against the Canes, allowing eight goals on 91 shots. 

Tampa Bay Player to Watch: Corey Perry- While there are a ton of stars on the Lightning to watch for, I've chosen to focus on a veteran that is going to be dwelling in the bottom six and causing a lot of problems. The former league MVP is far from his days of being a 30-goal-scorer, but he still tries to get in the middle of everything when he can. He's going to be a physical presence for sure and he could still score a goal every once in a while. He hasn't recorded a point in four games and he has just four points in ten games. Keep an eye on him to do something tonight to disrupt the flow of things. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR) 8:29- Seth Jarvis (3) (assisted by Paul Stastny (4))

2nd Period

(TB) 5:50- Ross Colton (3) PP (assisted by Mikhail Sergachev (8) & Brandon Hagel (4))

(TB)- 9:19- Nick Paul (3) (assisted by Steven Stamkos (5))

(CAR) 14:01- Martin Necas (6) PP (assisted by Brent Burns (6) & Andrei Svechnikov (3))

(TB) 19:00- Nikita Kucherov (5) PP (assisted by Alex Killorn (4) & Brayden Point (6))

3rd Period

(CAR) 13:34- Brady Skjei (2) SH (assisted by Sebastian Aho (7))

Overtime

None

Shootout

1. Steven Stamkos is stopped by Frederik Andersen

2. Brent Burns is stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy

3. Nikita Kucherov is stopped by Frederik Andersen

4. Andrei Svechnikov is stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy

5. Brayden Point is stopped by Frederik Andersen

6. Martin Necas is stopped by Andrei Vaslievskiy

7. Ross Colton scores on Frederik Andersen

8. Teuvo Teravainen scores on Andrei Vasilevskiy

9. Brandon Hagel is stopped by Frederik Andersen

10. Seth Jarvis is stopped by Andrei Vaslievskiy

11. Corey Perry is stopped by Frederik Andersen

12. Sebastian Aho scores on Andrei Vasilevskiy

Let's Talk About the Game

In any game where you outshoot your opponents 55-27, you probably should win it. Yet, the Canes were playing from behind in the third period. I was happy with just the one point, but getting the second point felt nice after what I really thought was an excellent 2/3 of a game from the Canes. The Canes were clearly the better team in the first period and it didn't seem that close. The Lightning came out of the gates a little bit hotter, getting a few good chances against Frederik Andersen, but the penalty they took seemed to turn the tide back in the Canes' direction. While they didn't score on the power play, Seth Jarvis would bury a beautiful touch pass from Paul Stastny five seconds after Corey Perry got back onto the ice to give the Canes a 1-0 lead. The Canes continued to push for the rest of the period and while they didn't score again, it was an excellent effort from the team as they went into the break up by a goal. 

The second period epitomizes every single recent loss the Canes have had against Tampa Bay in recent memory. After staying out of the box in the first period, the Canes slipped into lapses of judgment that killed them against the Bolts in years past. After starting the period well, Jalen Chatfield gets called for two minor penalties. The tripping call on Haydn Fleury was a bit of a cheap one because I thought he played the puck well and then Fleury just ran into him. The high sticking penalty was the correct call. So, now the Canes had to play on the kill for four minutes. After a Vladislav Namestnikov goal was taken off the board for a distinct kicking motion, Ross Colton deflected a point shot from Mikhail Sergachev past Andersen to tie it. Fortunately, it would put things back even after the Canes had killed the first half of the penalty. The Bolts used that goal to build a period and they'd get a leaky goal through Andersen after Nick Paul redirected a pass from Steven Stamkos through his pads to give the Lightning the lead less than four minutes later. After a third failed attempt on the power play, Jordan Martinook drew a penalty after a dangerous hit from Colton in the neutral zone to get a fourth opportunity. Right off the draw, Andrei Svechnikov rang one off of the post. Shortly after that, Martin Necas blasted a one-timer past Andrei Vasilevskiy with the help of some excellent screening from Stefan Noesen to tie the game a two. Late in the period, things got very interesting. Chatfield was called for cross-checking Colton to gain some separation. I'm not arguing that shouldn't have been a penalty. What I am arguing is that Colton deserves an Oscar for his dive because he went down like he'd been shot in the back. After the whistle blew, Martinook gave Colton a little bit extra with his stick below Colton's belt and he again went down in a heap. They ushered Martinook off as well, giving the Bolts a 5-on-3. 35 seconds later, Nikita Kucherov got a clean look at Andersen and he gave Tampa Bay the lead again. The Canes had done such a good job of not going back at the Lightning in the first period but it went away in the second period and it cost them three goals. 

With the second period behind them and after killing the Martinook penalty, the job would turn to coming back and tying this game. The Canes had plenty of chances but Vasilevskiy continued to remind us why he's still one of the best goalies in the world. The only real chance Tampa Bay had at the beginning of the period was a shot from Colton on a 2-on-1 that hit the post. The Canes drew their fifth power play of the night before the midway point of the period but failed once again. I'll be honest, I thought when Brett Pesce was called for tripping that the game was over. I was certain that the Bolts would score to make it 4-2 and the game would be out of reach from there. Instead, the Canes dug in a put together a great kill. They did so good that they tied the game with Pesce in the box. The penalty killers broke out on a 3-on-2 and Brady Skjei, with Vasilevskiy getting a good look at him, sniped one past the Russian netminder and twirled his stick to tie the game at three. Each team would get their chance to win the game in regulation. Jordan Staal missed a wide-open net. Namestnikov almost capitalized on a defensive breakdown but was met by Andersen and was denied. Aho got a good chance in close that Vasilevskiy stopped. No one wanted to go without a point tonight and for the third game in a row, the Canes had secured a point by coming from behind. 

In overtime, things got moving and stayed hot for about two minutes. Both goalies were on their A-game and denied every chance they faced. Then, the Canes drew a penalty as Brayden Point decided to take a hack at Pesce's stick. With a 4-on-3 advantage, the Canes peppered Vasilevskiy with everything they had. Just like he had almost all night, Vasilevskiy didn't bend and the Bolts killed it off. The Canes got lucky that time ran out before Svechnikov was sent to the box in the final seconds because no one touched the puck. Instead, we'd get another shootout. The Canes sent out the same three that they did against Washington, while Tampa Bay countered with Stamkos, Kucherov, and Point. Neither side's shooters found the back of the net so, through three rounds, we were still scoreless. Tampa Bay sent Colton out to be their fourth shooter and he beat Andersen with a subtle deke before beating him stick-side to put the Bolts on the verge of winning. Rod Brind'Amour countered with a snakebitten Teuvo Teravainen. While he hadn't scored this season, he gave Vasilevskiy a beautiful head fake before roofing a backhand shot to tie things up and extend the shootout. Brandon Hagel, Jarvis, and Perry all came out and missed the net, bringing up Aho in the bottom of the sixth. He came in hot before slowing down, faking Vasilesvkiy out of his jock strap, and sliding the puck past his outstretched pad to secure the second point and push the Canes' win streak to three games, all in extra time. 

The Canes deserved to win this game, yet it almost turned into the classic tale of a goalie stopping an ungodly amount of shots to beat them. To his credit, Vasilevskiy did stop 52 shots through regulation and overtime before making four more saves in the shootout. The difference was Andersen making one more stop at the end of the day and that's how the standings will remember it. I thought the Canes were by far the better team at 5-on-5, as they have been in almost every game this season. I also noticed very early on that they dominated the neutral zone for most of the game. Tampa Bay wasn't passing the puck well and it always seemed to find a Carolina stick when it entered center ice. The problem was their lack of focus in the second period which almost led to them losing in regulation. There isn't too much to be mad about with this performance. You'll look at 1-for-6 on the power play and scoff, but they got their chances. They had 16 shots on the power play in six attempts. They were clearly moving the puck well, but Vasilevskiy had an answer. Every player on the team had at least one shot tonight. Almost every player had at least one hit, finishing with 38 as a team. Hopefully, this will be a catalyst for Teravainen to get it going because that was a disgusting goal he scored in the shootout. I also liked that Jarvis found the scoresheet tonight with his first since Seattle. They earned these two points, even if they had to come from behind again. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Brady Skjei (SH Goal)

We'll all remember the short-handed goal that tied the game in the third period, but tonight was a great night for Skjei. To go with his goal, he was a stud on defense. He blocked a couple of shots and finished with a game-high five takeaways. He also laid three hits. Still, the goal was the second time in a year that he's beaten Vasilevskiy cleanly, only this time is actually counted. 

Second Star- Seth Jarvis (Goal)

I'm not sure how to diagnose what had been going on with Jarvis before tonight. It's felt like he's been around the net and has had the chances, but he couldn't quite figure it out. Tonight, he finally broke through with the help of Stastny on a beautiful goal in the first period to get things going. He finished the night with four shots and added two hits. 

First Star- Sebastian Aho (Assist, Game-winner in the shootout)

While he hasn't scored at home just yet, I'm liking Road Warrior Aho this season, especially since they've been on the road for most of the season. He continued his good start by setting up the game-tying goal before winning the game in the shootout. Now, if we could just get him to score at home to make the home fans go nuts. 

What's Next

It'll be a quick turnaround as the Canes welcome the Buffalo Sabres into town. They, like the Canes, will come into the game with seven wins. They, like the Canes, have won three straight games. They, unlike the Canes, have been torching the back of the net. They scored eight times on 46 shots against Detroit on Monday night before scoring six more times against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, five of which came in the third period to erase a 3-1 deficit. Tage Thompson has been on fire of late, scoring six goals and 11 points during Buffalo's recent win streak. I'd be willing to bet that we'll see Antti Raanta for the Canes tomorrow night with this being a back-to-back. Eric Comrie started in Buffalo's win over Pittsburgh, but Craig Anderson has been excellent in his three games this season. I'm even more excited for the game because I'll be in attendance for the first time this season, a last-minute decision after tonight's win. I have a feeling this will be a fun game between two of the league's best in the first month.