2022-23 Regular Season, Game 39: Hurricanes (25-7-6) v. Nashville Predators

For the first time since early December, the Canes will be playing after a loss. After setting some big records, the Canes' streaks came to an end on their first visit to Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. The Canes played with the lead for most of the first two periods with Brent Burns opening the scoring and both Martin Necas and Jalen Chatfield responding to New York's goals within 30 seconds of them scoring to hold a 3-2 lead through 40 minutes. The Rangers controlled the third period, tying it within the first minute and eventually scoring two more goals to put the game away and hand the Canes their first loss in 11 games and their first regulation loss since late November. It was a tough night for Pyotr Kochetkov, allowing four goals and losing just his second game in regulation this season. It was a rough way to stop the hot streak they were on but with each end, there is a chance for a new beginning. That new beginning could come in the form of the Nashville Predators as they meet for the first time this season in Raleigh. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Andrei Svechnikov-Sebastian Aho-Martin Necas

Teuvo Teravainen-Paul Stastny-Seth Jarvis

Jordan Martinook-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Max Pacioretty-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Derek Stepan

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Calvin de Haan-Jalen Chatfield

Pyotr Kochetkov

Antti Raanta

Injuries/Scratches- Stefan Noesen, Dylan Coghlan

IR- Frederik Andersen (lower-body injury), Ondrej Kase (LTIR- concussion)

The day has finally come! After becoming one of the most exciting acquisitions in recent memory and tearing his Achilles, Max Pacioretty is set to make his Hurricanes debut tonight. It's a bit bittersweet because it does mean that Stefan Noesen is out. Rod Brind'Amour seemed to suggest that he'll be playing with a bunch of different guys tonight to see where Pacioretty fits best. I'm holding low expectations but also am imagining how crazy PNC Arena will go if he scores tonight. This game also marks Jordan Staal's 700th game as a Hurricane. Pyotr Kochetkov will be in the net again tonight as he tries to bounce back from a tough loss to the Rangers on Tuesday. 

Tonight's Opponent: Nashville Predators (16-14-6, 38 Points, 6th in the Central Division)

The only consistent thing about this Nashville team is that they're consistently inconsistent. None of that really makes sense but I digress. The Predators have been very streaky all season until their most recent stretch. They'll play really well for a few games, then disappear for a few. After starting 2-0-0, they won one of their next eight games (1-6-1). They made up for it by winning nine of their next 13 only to fall right back into a hole with six straight losses (0-4-2). They're playing a little bit better with points in six of their last seven games and their power play has been a major force. Seven of their 28 goals during this stretch have come with the man advantage and they've converted in each of the last three games, including twice in their most recent victory over Montreal on Tuesday night. They jumped out to a big lead over Montreal, scoring three times in the first 10:42 of the game and though Montreal brought it back to within one early in the second period, the Predators scored three more goals to leave no doubt as they won 6-3. Six different Predators scored goals and former Hurricane Nino Niederreiter picked up three assists as five players finished with multi-point games. Juuse Saros made 24 saves to lead the charge. This will be the first stop of a five-game Eastern Conference trip for the Predators and the first half of a back-to-back. 

Last Season v. Carolina- After meeting 14 times during the COVID season as division rivals, things were back to normal with the two sides facing off just twice last season. They met in just the second game of the season in Nashville to feed off of the budding rivalry that had already begun from their postseason series and just like they did in that six-game series, the Canes picked up the win. Jesper Fast scored his second goal in as many games, Andrei Svechnikov gave the Canes the lead with six minutes left, and Teuvo Teravainen added the empty-net goal for the Canes. Filip Forsberg scored in the final minute to make it close, but the Canes held on for the 3-2 victory. When the two met in Raleigh, the Canes made life tough for Saros. Four different Hurricanes scored to jump out to a 4-1 lead early in the third period. Forsberg and Tanner Jeannot got Nashville back to within one goal before Svechnikov scored his second of the game into the empty net as the Canes swept the season series with a 5-3 win. 

Nashville's Starting Goalie: Juuse Saros (13-10-5, 2.76 GAA, .915 SV%)- It is my strong belief that Saros is one of the most overworked goalies in the league. Since the start of the decade, he's tied for third in the league in games started and he's one off of the league lead this season. Few goalies are more valuable to their team than he is and that was evidenced in the playoff last season when he got hurt. Saros hasn't had much success against the Canes in his career. He's 1-7-1 in 12 appearances, not including 2-4 against them in the playoffs. The seven regulations losses are tied for the most against any team in his career. 

Nashville Player to Watch: Ryan Johansen- It feels like every time the Canes play the Predators, Johansen has a great game. I'm sure there are exceptions to that but they are few and far between. He recorded points in both games last season and has 17 points in 27 meetings against the Canes in his career. He's off to a slower start this season with just nine goals and 18 points, sixth-most on the team, compared to the great year he is coming off. This just means he's scoring a hat trick tonight.  

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR) 7:41- Paul Stastny (2) PP (assisted by Brett Pesce (11) & Teuvo Teravainen (11))

(NSH) 10:29- Filip Forsberg (15) PP (assisted by Juuso Parssinen (7) & Roman Josi (22))

2nd Period

(CAR) 0:35- Brady Skjei (7) (assisted by Brett Pesce (12) & Martin Necas (21))

(NSH) 2:47- Mattias Ekholm (4) (assisted by Juuso Parssinen (8))

(CAR) 9:54- Jordan Staal (11) (assisted by Jesper Fast (10) & Jordan Martinook (11))

(NSH) 11:55- Cody Glass (4) (assisted by Mikael Granlund (21) & Alexandre Carrier (3))

3rd Period

(NSH) 5:06- Mark Jankowski (4) (assisted by Ryan Johansen (10) & Matt Duchene (18))

(NSH) 19:57- Colton Sissons (6) EN (unassisted)

Let's Talk About the Game

It's not every night that you get 67 shots on a goalie and still lose the game. That is unless you're the Carolina Hurricanes because there are a bunch of times where we can point to the Canes absolutely dominating another team and still coming out on the wrong end of the game. So was the case tonight. Juuse Saros allowed three goals in the first half of the game, then was unbeatable for the second half. Just like the Rangers did on Tuesday night, the Canes were unable to beat a world-class goalie in the third period. Despite the loss, the Canes played a good game. They just couldn't get the job done at the end of the game.

It was really cool to see Max Pacioretty on the ice in a Hurricanes uniform. It was even cooler to see him playing on the top unit of the power play in his first game. He didn't shy away from shooting the puck either. Though the first unit got some good looks, it was the second unit that found the back of the net. A shot from the point by Brett Pesce hit a Nashville stick before hitting the leg of Paul Stastny and finding the back of the net for his second goal of the season. Nashville would respond with a goal on the power play of their own. Filip Forsberg had all the time in the world and he picked the top corner on a leaning Pyotr Kochetkov to tie the game. The game would remain tied through the first period, though the Canes seemed to have a decided edge. 

The Canes wasted little time to regain the lead as they moved the puck beautifully up the ice during a 4-on-4. All four men on the ice touched the puck but it was the pass from Pesce to Brady Skjei that would lead to the goal 35 seconds into the period. The Predators responded quickly again off of an offensive zone face-off as Mattias Ekholm clapped a shot past the blocker of Kochetkov to tie it again. The Staal line got into the act and gave the Canes their third lead of the night. Jordan Martinook stole the puck on a backcheck. Jesper Fast got the puck and passed it to a wide-open Jordan Staal. The captain finished the play with a wicked shot that was perfectly placed over the right shoulder of Saros. The Predators just wouldn't die though as Cody Glass took advantage of a defensive breakdown by the Canes and he buried a puck at the side of the net with Kochetkov having no chance of stopping it.

The third period was all Carolina. The Canes threw shots at the net from every angle at Saros for 20 minutes and despite this onslaught, it was Nashville that would play with the lead for most of the third period. A seemingly easy shot from Ryan Johansen would be redirected by Mark Jankowski to the short side of Kochetkov and it found some daylight to give Nashville the 4-3 lead. The Canes had chance after chance to get the tying goal, even getting a power play late in the third period, but it just wasn't meant to be. Andrei Svechnikov had a wide-open net at one point and Saros made an unreal save with the toe of his skate to preserve the one-goal lead. The Canes did all they could but with Kochetkov out of the net, the Predators were able to get the puck out of the zone and Colton Sissons did the honors to put the game away. 

For a team that has been re-writing history for the franchise, they did it again tonight with their 67 shots. I'm sure they wished they were on the other side of the decision. Everyone but Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a shot on the net tonight, though he did lead everyone in tonight's game with six hits. I thought Pacioretty played very well in his season debut and he played a lot more than I expected him to in some high-stress situations. The Stastny line was the team's most dangerous for the second game in a row, combining for 17 shots and a couple of points. This was another rusty game from Kochetkov as he loses his second straight start in regulation. I'm not sure if there is anything else to say about this game that hasn't been said before. The Canes were the better team and finished the night with zero points.  

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Max Pacioretty (6 Shots in Canes' Debut)

As I've already said, Pacioretty was very good in a Canes uniform for the first time. I'm not just putting him in this spot because of his debut. He had some quality looks at the net all night, finishing third on the team with six shots in over 16 minutes of ice time. He played a lot more than I expected him to and I hope we get to see him on Aho's wing sooner rather than later. 

Second Star- Brady Skjei (Goal)

There was one defensive pair that made the most noise tonight and they occupy my top two spots. Skjei picked up a big goal to start the second period, part of his six-shot night. He was jumping into the play all night as he continues to grow his lead for goals among the defensemen on the team. If 2022 was his year, 2023 seems to be going on the same trajectory. 

First Star- Brett Pesce (2 Assists)

Two weeks ago against the Penguins, Pesce was the only defenseman to not find the scoresheet. Since then, only Necas has had more points than him. He has points in four of his last six games and picked up two primary assists tonight. He also shot the puck a lot tonight, credited with seven shots. He also got the job done defensively, coming up with a few huge plays, including a textbook play on Johansen on a breakaway. 

What's Next

After their long win streak, the Canes now have a losing streak. Their next chance to break the streak will be a late afternoon bout with the Columbus Blue Jackets. We haven't seen them since opening night and things are going well for them this season. They were on the losing end of a 6-2 decision tonight as they hosted the Washington Capitals. 12 different Capitals finished with a point tonight as they dominated Columbus all night long. Johnny Gaudreau scored his 11th goal of the season and Gavin Beyreuther picked up his first goal to do the lone scoring for the Blue Jackets as Elvis Merzlikins had another rough night. On the other side of the Columbus game will be the third meeting of the season against the New Jersey Devils next Tuesday night.