2022-23 Regular Season, Game 55: Hurricanes (36-10-8) v. Washington Capitals

The game that has been three years in the making has finally arrived and it is easily the most anticipated regular season game in franchise history. On the heels of another celebration on Thursday night, the Canes will play in their first outdoor game ever after originally being slated to host the game in 2021. They celebrated the career of Cam Ward at PNC Arena on Thursday as they announced their inaugural Hall of Fame class. The game that proceeded was actually pretty close through two periods. Montreal scored early in the first before the Canes responded late in the period on goals from Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Seth Jarvis. Montreal scored the lone goal of the second period on the power play to make it 2-2 through two. When the Canes came out to start the third period, they were on a mission. Sebastian Aho got it started, followed by Jarvis' second of the night, and Jordan Staal burying one to give the Canes a 5-2 lead five minutes into the period. The score would remain that way until the very end of the game when Jarvis finished his first-career hat trick while the team was short-handed to win the game 6-2. Antti Raanta was very good and earned a point for his 13th straight decision, a new franchise record. Andrei Svechnikov and Brent Burns each had multi-assist nights. The Canes got contributions from the entire lineup to earn a big win before their big game. Now, they get to showcase what hockey in North Carolina is all about. They'll be at the center of the hockey world tonight as they host a team they've grown very familiar with. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Andrei Svechnikov-Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Teuvo Teravainen-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

Injuries/Scratches- Dylan Coghlan (healthy)

IR- Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Ondrej Kase (LTIR- concussion)

The Canes will roll the same lines that earned them the win on Thursday night. The switch to the first line paid off for the Canes as Svechnikov, Aho, and Jarvis combined for eight points in the victory. Frederik Andersen is the only goalie with any outdoor experience for either team. He's dressed for three previous outdoor games and started in two while with the Maple Leafs. He's 1-1-0 in those games, though his numbers aren't great. He'll look to earn his 13th win of the season tonight and his 8th in nine games since returning from injury. 

Tonight's Opponent: Washington Capitals (28-23-6, 62 Points, 5th in the Metropolitan Division)

The Capitals are trending in the wrong direction since their big win over Boston last Saturday. Since then, they've lost their last three including Thursday night when they dropped a 6-3 decision to the Florida Panthers at home. Florida jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the halfway point of the game, causing problems with Darcy Kuemper. Dylan Strome was able to get one back before the end of the period, but Aleksander Barkov regained the three-goal lead for the Panthers before the second intermission. Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov each scored on a power play to pull the Capitals within one with 2:32 left in regulation. Unfortunately, the comeback would fall short. They'd pull Kuemper for the extra attacker but would allow two empty-net goals to put the game away for good. Erik Gustafsson assisted on all three Washington goals and Kuemper made 30 saves as the Capitals dropped their third straight. A lot of their recent struggles come down to injuries. They're without some of their best players, including Alex Ovechkin who will miss tonight's game. They don't have their full complement of guys and as a result, they barely are holding onto a playoff spot. 

Last Meeting v. Carolina- We don't have to go back very far since the two teams met in D.C. on Tuesday night. Each side scored in the first period with Brent Burns kicking it off before TJ Oshie responded in the final minute of the period. Paul Stastny scored early in the second period but Joe Snively, recently called up from Hershey, tied it once again a few minutes later. The score would remain that way until Stefan Noesen redirected a shot from Brady Skjei under the glove of Darcy Kuemper on the power play to take a 3-2 lead. From there, Frederik Andersen did his part by keeping the Capitals out of the net except for a shot by Trevor van Riemsdyk that was later overturned. Andersen would make 34 saves as he outdueled Kuemper to help earn a 3-2 win for the Canes. 

Washington's Starting Goalie: Darcy Kuemper (16-16-4, 2.63 GAA, .914 SV%)- It has been a busy week for Kuemper but not one that has been kind to him. He was in the net for both losses to Carolina and Florida, allowing seven goals across the two contests. He'll look to rebound tonight as he faces the Canes for the second time this week and the seventh time in his career. 

Washington Player to Watch: Erik Gustafsson- Does anyone else remember the year Gustafsson scored 60 points with the Blackhawks? I surely didn't and it was only four years ago. Since then, he's been traded twice, re-signed with Chicago, and found his way to Washington. It has been a bit of a resurgence for him, currently sitting fourth on the team in scoring with 33 points, the second-most of his career. He had a great game on Thursday against Florida and has six points in his last five games. He's stepped up in the absence of John Carlson and will look to continue that tonight on a big stage. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR)- 2:11- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (10) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (21) & Martin Necas (28))

2nd Period

(CAR) 5:47- Paul Stastny (7) (assisted by Jalen Chatfield (7) & Jordan Martinook (17))

(CAR) 8:48- Martin Necas (22) PP (assisted by Brent Burns (30) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (14))

(CAR) 11:17- Teuvo Teravainen (7) (assisted by Martin Necas (29) & Frederik Andersen (1))

3rd Period

(WSH) 10:32- Tom Wilson (3) (assisted by Sonny Milano (15))

Let's Talk About the Game

This will easily go in my top five favorite sports memories ever. I'd never been to Carter-Finley Stadium before but it served as the perfect venue for a hockey game. There wasn't a bad seat in the house for this one and I should know. I was five rows from the top surrounded by Caps fans and it felt like watching from the third level inside of PNC Arena. Outside of the three and a half hours it took to park the car, the entire experience was amazing. It didn't hurt that the Canes dominated the Canes for 60 minutes. The organization and the league put on a spectacle and showed that Raleigh is a place where hockey can and will continue to thrive behind a fanbase that loves its team. 

As for the game itself, the Canes wasted very little time getting started. Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored the first outdoor in team history with the help of his skate as he won a race to the net and while he wasn't able to get his stick on it, he didn't kick it either. The puck redirected past Darcy Kuemper and barely made it into the net as the stadium erupted and so too did the players. The entire line got in on the act and the Canes took an early lead. The rest of the period would be about Kuemper and Frederik Andersen going save for save. Washington would earn two power plays in the first 11 minutes but the Canes didn't allow them to get a shot on the net. The Canes would be unsuccessful on their first attempt of the night and would go into the intermission up 1-0. 

Much like they did in the third period on Thursday night against Montreal, the Canes came out flying in the second period and it showed on the scoreboard. The power play would earn a second chance very early in the period but it would fall flat as Washington killed it. Soon after the kill, the Canes' fourth line would strike. Calvin de Haan's shot from the point was deflected by Jordan Martinook but Kuemper got a pad on it. The rebound chance came right to Jalen Chatfield and his shot was also stopped. Paul Stastny wouldn't be denied though as he chipped the second rebound past Kuemper to double the lead. The Canes would soon get a third chance with the man advantage and this time, they wouldn't miss. Martin Necas did his best Ovechkin impression by blasting a shot from the left circle to make it 3-0. The fun would continue and this time, Andersen wanted in on the fun. He hit Teuvo Teravainen with a stretch pass and it would spark a 2-on-1. Teravainen would slide it to Necas and he'd give it right back for Teravainen to finish it. At this point, the Caps were pretty much out of it. We got a short fight between Martinook and Anthony Mantha but the Caps couldn't build anything against the Canes' defense as it remained 4-0 after two. Washington would get one back in the third as a returning Tom Wilson snuck a shot past Andersen and the Canes pushed for more goals in the third period. While they would come up empty in that regard, the Canes would come out on top in this one with a 4-1 win in their first outdoor game. This meant we got to see the first outdoor Storm Surge and some fireworks, and a lot of Canes fans went home happy. 

The game itself was a bit anti-climactic but it was so much fun. I've been to plenty of hockey games in my lifetime but I've never seen too many with an atmosphere as great as this one. Even though I was surrounded by Caps fans, they were great sports and I think we all had a good time. As for the action on the ice, the Kotkaniemi line stole the show. The three stars combined for seven points, led by Necas' three. It was a collective effort to keep the Capitals at bay and while they did give up a goal, it was largely inconsequential and it was one of the very few chances Washington had all night. The rest were stopped by Andersen, who was once against spectacular. This has been a crazy week with all of the big events and the Canes met the moment with flying colors. They beat Washington in front of their dads and mentors on the road. They celebrated the best goalie in franchise history with a big win over Montreal. They brought hockey outdoors to Raleigh and didn't shy away from the majesty of it all by completing the season sweep of Washington. They're now a combined 7-0-0 against Washington and Pittsburgh, two teams they could likely see in the first round. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Frederik Andersen (24 Saves, Assist)

It's no secret that Andersen has been great since returning from injury, improving his record to 8-1-0 over his last nine decision. He broke his struggles in outdoor games by allowing just one goal and adding his first point of the season on the fourth goal. He's allowed two or fewer goals in seven of those wins and he's now tied for fifth in franchise history with five assists as a Hurricane. 

Second Star- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Goal, Assist)

There are a lot of guys on the team that are playing very well right now and Kotkaniemi is one of them. He has seven points in the team's last six games, tied for the most in that span with Burns and Svechnikov, and has two multi-point games in his last five. His line took over the game tonight and he was a big part of it. 

First Star- Martin Necas (Goal, 2 Assists)

For as big as this moment was for the franchise, it clearly wasn't too big for Necas. His three-point night led the way as he becomes the first on the team to eclipse 50 points this season. It felt like he could do no wrong tonight whenever he stopped on the ice. He was part of all but one of the team's goals and his bullet on the power play might've made Ovechkin blush a little. 

What's Next

Now that all of the pomp and circumstance is behind them, things can return to normal for the team. They'll conclude their five-game homestand with three more this week, starting with a visit from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night to finish the season series. St. Louis will be on the road against Carolina's opponent on Friday night, Ottawa, on Sunday afternoon before making the trip to Raleigh. The Canes will then play a back-to-back this weekend, beginning with the aforementioned Ottawa Senators on Friday for the first of three meetings this season before hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night. These are three teams that are currently out of a playoff spot so these are winnable games for the Canes as long as they don't play down to their opponents.