2022-23 Regular Season, Game 77: Hurricanes (49-18-9) v. Ottawa Senators

The Canes swept both games during their weekend back-to-back, beginning with a dominant 3-0 victory over the Canadiens on Saturday and finishing with a solid team victory at home on Sunday night against the Islanders. New York scored the first goal of the game in the first and Ilya Sorokin was stopping everything. Jesperi Kotkaniemi finally got one through Sorokin with a bit of a leaky one but the goal tied the game and gave Jesse Puljujarvi his first point as a Hurricane with a primary assist. The score would remain tied at one after two periods and it would be Jordan Martinook that would break the tie early in the third with a perfect shot over the blocker of Sorokin. From there, Frederik Andersen and the defense would do all of the work. They would melt the clock down, killing a late penalty, and securing two points in a 2-1 win over their potential playoff opponent. Paired with the Devils' loss to Winnipeg on Sunday, the Canes opened up a three-point lead in the division with time winding down in the regular season. Tonight, they play their penultimate home game as they look to further distance themselves in the division. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Jordan Martinook-Sebastian Aho-Martin Necas

Stefan Noesen-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Jesse Puljujarvi

Jack Drury-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan-Seth Jarvis

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Shayne Gostisbehere-Jalen Chatfield

Antti Raanta

Frederik Andersen

Injuries/Scratches- Teuvo Teravainen (illness), Calvin de Haan (healthy), Dylan Coghlan (healthy),

IR- Andrei Svechnikov (Torn ACL), Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Ondrej Kase (concussion)

The Hurricanes are sticking with the same group as Teuvo Teravainen will miss tonight's game, his fourth straight with an illness. The only change comes in the net as Antti Raanta gets the start. Raanta made 14 stops to record a shutout in his first start in a few weeks on Saturday night in Montreal. He stopped all 32 shots he faced when the Canes and the Senators met in February. 

Tonight's Opponent: Ottawa Senators (37-34-6, 80 Points, 6th in the Atlantic)

While they aren't technically out of the playoff race, there is a lot of work for the Senators to do if they want to steal a playoff spot. Recent injuries to Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun hurt their defense and the scary leg injury that Derrick Brassard suffered is going to leave some holes for Ottawa. The problem is that the Senators aren't winning much lately and are going to need a lot of help from the other teams. Ottawa is 4-7-2 in their its last 13 games, including losses in their last two during a back-to-back this weekend. It started with a 3-0 loss at home against Toronto to end an otherwise solid homestand before they traveled to Colombus on Sunday. The fireworks started early in Columbus with three goals in the first 4:05 of the game as the Blue Jackets got out to an early 2-1 lead. Marc Kastelic would tie it before the halfway point in the period and Alex DeBrincat gave Ottawa its first lead of the night before the horn sounded for intermission. The 3-2 lead would stand until late in the third when Boone Jenner scored with 5:49 left in regulation to eventually force overtime. Kirill Marchenko wasted no time in overtime, scoring 16 seconds in to win the game for Columbus. Cam Talbot stopped 18 shots in the loss. A quintet of Senators has carried the majority of the load, starting with Tim Stutzle's team-leading 37 goals, 47 assists, and 84 points. Captain Brady Tkachuk is right behind him with 34 goals and 78 points, while newcomers Claude Giroux and DeBrincat have been equally as impressive. Rounding out the group is Drake Batherson with 58 points. They feature one of the best power plays in the league, currently sixth at 24.4%. 

Last Meeting v. Carolina- The first meeting took place in late February in Raleigh and it was all Carolina. Brent Burns and Seth Jarvis kicked things into gear early in the first getting the Canes out to a 2-0 lead 6:29 into the game. The two-goal lead would remain through 40 minutes before Martin Necas made it 3-0 with 7:26 left and Brady Skjei scored into the empty net to finish a 4-0 shutout win for the Hurricanes. Antti Raanta stopped all 32 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season. Talbot made 26 stops in the loss. 

Ottawa's Starting Goalie: Leevi Merilainen (NHL Debut)- With the Senators still fighting for a wild card spot, they're turning to Merilainen tonight in his first NHL start. Merilainen is a third-round pick from 2020 that spent most of his season playing for Karpat in Finland. In 42 games, Merilainen posted an 18-13-7 record with a 2.02 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He recently made the move to North America, starting one game for the Belleville Senators in the AHL. He made 41 stops in a shutout against the Toronto Marlies before getting the call-up with Mads Sogaard feeling sick. 

Ottawa Player to Watch: Mathieu Joseph- While Joseph hasn't scored a goal in 21 games, he's made it up by setting up his teammates. Joseph has recorded five assists in the last ten games, bringing him to 15 assists for the season. He hasn't continued his torrid pace after being traded to Ottawa last season and picking up 12 points in 11 games. He has just three goals and 18 points in 51 games. Joseph isn't known as being much of a scorer but he is extremely quick and will make you pay if he gets into some open space. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR) 1:50- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (16) (assisted by Brady Skjei (18) & Stefan Noesen (22))

(CAR) 15:58- Brady Skjei (18) PP (assisted by Jesperi Kotkaniemi (23) & Stefan Noesen (23))

2nd Period

(OTT) 10:39- Claude Giroux (30) (assisted by Ridly Greig (7) & Alex DeBrincat (37))

3rd Period

(OTT) 2:52- Brady Tkachuk (35) PP (assisted by Alex DeBrincat (38) & Drake Batherson (38))

Overtime

(CAR) 4:19- Martin Necas (28) (assisted by Seth Jarvis (22) & Brent Burns (43))

Let's Talk About the Game

This game had the potential to be a bit of a scary one because Ottawa always seems to play the Canes very closely. With Leevi Merilainen making his NHL debut for Ottawa, there was no telling how this game was going to go. With the Canes getting an early goal, my gut told me that they would be able to run away with this game. Jesperi Kotkaniemi redirected a pass from Brady Skjei under the arm of Merilainen to get the Canes running just 110 seconds into the game for a goal in his second straight game. Sebastian Aho had a beautiful chance that was set up by a filthy dangle by Brent Burns that Merilainen managed to stop. The Senators never really allowed the game to get out of hand after the early goal, forcing Antti Raanta to be on his A-game. The last eight minutes of the first period were simply crazy. It started with Patrick Brown catching Shayne Gostisbehere with a high stick that draws blood, forcing Brown to sit for four minutes. After Ottawa killed the first two minutes of the penalty, Skjei managed to get a puck through a lot of bodies and into the net for a power-play goal. DJ Smith and the Senators felt very strongly that the play should've been stopped roughly 40 seconds before the goal. Their argument was that Kotkaniemi knocked down a clearing attempt with a high stick to keep the puck in the zone. The referees looked at the play for a long time and decided that it wasn't played with a high stick and the goal stood. It gave the Hurricanes another power play, though Ottawa was able to kill it. After they killed it, the Senators drew a penalty with Brett Pesce sitting for interference. The Canes would kill the first 1:39 of the penalty before the horn sounded as they held a 2-0 lead. 

The second period seemed to bring a slight change in momentum in favor of the Senators. While the Canes killed their 200th penalty of the season, Jordan Martinook would take a penalty in the offensive zone about a minute later to give the Senators another chance on the power play. Once again, the Canes stood tall and killed it. From there, the bodies started to fly. Brady Tkachuk was hitting everything he could see and Gostisbehere laid a hit to prevent a chance. Raanta continued to make stops, including a stretching save on Ridly Greig that made everyone hold their breath with Raanta's recent injury. The Senators finally solved the Canes' goalie with a beautiful passing play that ended with Claude Giroux getting his 30th goal of the season with Raanta unable to get his pad on the shot. Ottawa continued to pressure from there. With the Canes unable to clear the zone on several attempts, the Senators were content to cycle the puck around and try to find the tying goal. Greig had a goal disallowed after he clearly put it into the net with his hand. Kotkaniemi laid a mean hit on Shane Pinto that left him struggling to get to the bench. More penalties were called at the end of the period. Aho was called for hooking but the Canes killed it. Giroux was called for hooking to prevent Jordan Staal from getting a great chance. Ten seconds later, Jake Sanderson was called for a delay of game penalty but upon further review, it was really Martin Necas that lifted it into the net. Since it can't be reviewed, it gave the Canes 1:50 of a 5-on-3. They made a late push to extend the lead before the intermission but Merilainen didn't allow anything past him as a good chunk of the 5-on-3 had disappeared by the end of the period. 

The Canes were unable to capitalize on the remaining time they had on the two-man advantage and would later take another offensive zone penalty with Jesper Fast being called for holding an Ottawa stick. This time, the Canes' kill couldn't get the job done as the Senators passed the puck beautifully, ending with Tkachuk elevating a redirection over Raanta to tie the game early in the period. With the game essentially back to square one, both teams pushed for even the slightest advantage. Neither goalie was allowing an inch as Raanta looked poised to extend his point streak and Merilainen looked like he'd been doing this in the NHL for a long time. I was really impressed with his game overall. He didn't allow the two goals in the first take away from an excellent game. Jaccob Slavin almost gave the game away to Ottawa with a terrible pass to spring a 2-on-1 but he was bailed out by his teammates. Merilainen withstood a late push from the Canes as the final horn sounded and both side secured an important point. The second point was equally important for both teams. Carolina needed it to keep their division lead at three points, while Ottawa is scratching for every point they can get to stay in the postseason chase. The overtime session was largely dominated by the Canes. The two best chances of overtime were on the stick of the same player. After being denied by excellent defense on a wrap chance, the game was ended by the heroics of Necas. Seth Jarvis busted into the zone and dropped the puck for Necas, who wasted no time throwing it at the net. The puck hit the inside of the left goalpost and hit the back of the net to pick up the important second point with his league-leading fourth overtime winner of the season. 

It didn't need to be the prettiest win of the season, it just needed to get the Canes two points. In that regard, it was a success. The fast start didn't last the entire game but the team recovered and got it done in overtime to maintain a three-point lead over the Devils, who also won tonight. The second line set the pace early in the game with the opening goal and contributed on the power-play goal. Raanta got the job done from there. I can't give him any grief on either goal. Ottawa fought hard and chipped away at the Canes until they eventually allowed them some daylight. The Canes withstood the physicality of the Senators and got the job done. I don't think anyone had a truly outstanding game and only a few guys didn't have great nights but it was a strong team victory overall. The win gets the Canes to 50 for the third time in franchise history and the second year in a row as we head down the home stretch. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Martin Necas (Goal)

After a string of tough games where he hadn't scored in eight straight and was held without a point in his last four, the monkey is off of Necas' back. He led the team with five shots and while the first four didn't find the back of the net, the fifth one did. Necas has been able to find scoring at very important times this season, showing his heroics on numerous occasions. Tonight, he was needed in overtime and he delivered. 

Second Star- Brady Skjei (Goal, Assist)

Only two defensemen have more goals this season than Skjei does. One is likely to win the Norris this season and the other is a former teammate turned division rival. He got off to a very fast start with two points in the first period, including his goal on the power play. Skjei played the second most of the Canes' defensemen tonight, including over 3:30 on the penalty kill. 

First Star- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Goal, Assist)

There was an article written in the last few days about Kotkaniemi playing in Raleigh compared to Montreal where he said Carolina is an easier place to play. Many Montreal fans seemed to be very critical of him, as they have been for two years now. Tonight, Kotkaniemi recorded his seventh multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist in the first period. He also laid the hit of the night on Pinto in the second. 

What's Next for the Canes

There are only five games left for the Canes, four of them coming on the road. A three-game road trip kicks off on Thursday night in Nashville against the Predators. Nashville is fighting for its playoff lives, picking up a huge 3-2 win in overtime tonight against Vegas. Kevin Lankinen played in the net tonight, meaning there is no doubt that Juuse Saros will be ready for Thursday. The Canes will then travel up north for an early afternoon tilt with the Buffalo Sabres. They dropped a tough one tonight to the Florida Panthers, putting a major damper on their playoff hopes. The road trip will end with another meeting with the Senators, this time in Ottawa next Monday. It'll be the first half of a back-to-back for the Canes as they'll return home to play the Red Wings a week from tonight before finishing the season against the Panthers next Thursday. 

What's Next for the Teams in the Playoff Hunt

New Jersey (106 Points, 4 GR, 3 Points Behind the Canes for 1st)- After being beaten badly by Winnipeg, the Devils took that frustration out on Pittsburgh as Dawson Mercer scored his first hat trick. They will host Columbus on Thursday before traveling to Boston on Saturday. 

New York (R) (101 Points, 5 GR, 3rd in the Metro)- The Rangers have been off for a few but will be back in action tomorrow night. They will begin a back-to-back by hosting the Lightning before traveling to St. Louis to play on Thursday night. 

Florida (87 Points, 4 GR, 1st WC, the Canes' current 1st round opponent)- The Panthers have gotten hot at the right time as they won their fourth straight tonight against Buffalo to jump into the 1st WC spot. Florida will host Ottawa on Thursday before going to D.C. on Saturday to play the Capitals. 

New York (I) (87 Points, 4 GR, 2nd WC, 1 RW behind Florida)- With the Islanders idle since losing in Raleigh, the Panthers have taken their top WC spot. They still have another day off before hosting Tampa Bay on Thursday and Philadelphia on Saturday. 

Pittsburgh (86 Points, 4 GR, 1 Point out of the Playoffs)- Tonight's thumping at the hands of the Devils has dropped the Penguins out of a playoff spot with four games left. After playing Minnesota on Thursday, the schedule gets easy for Pittsburgh with remaining games against Detroit, Columbus, and Chicago.