2022-23 Regular Season, Game 81: Hurricanes (50-21-9) v. Detroit Red Wings

To call the Canes' recent three-game road trip "disappointing" would likely be a large understatement. They dropped all three games in regulation, failing to separate themselves from the Devils or the Rangers in the division. This makes the final two games of the season even more important. Last night's loss in Ottawas was one of the rare nights when the Canes were the second-best team at 5-on-5. They failed to score when both sides were at full strength, while Ottawa did so twice in the first period. The Canes' two goals would come in the second period at 4-on-4 thanks to Brett Pesce and early in the third on the power play from Brent Burns. The difference in the game was a goalie interference call on Stefan Noesen while the Canes were on the power play. It put the two sides at 4-on-4 for the second time in the game and 14 seconds later, Claude Giroux scored his second goal of the night for his 1,001st NHL point. It would serve as the game-winner as Mads Sogaard fended off some late chances to outduel fellow Dane Frederik Andersen for a 3-2 victory. Martin Necas provided two assists and Brady Skjei and Seth Jarvis added one each. It was still a sour ending to a road trip the Canes really needed a positive result during as they now must go down to the wire to repeat as division champions. They can clinch the division with a win and a regulation loss by the Devils but that seems unlikely. Tonight, the Canes will play their final home game of the regular season as they try to find their way back into the win column. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Teuvo Teravainen--Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Stefan Noesen-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Martin Necas

Jordan Martinook-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Jack Drury-Paul Stastny-Jesse Puljujarvi

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Shayne Gostisbehere-Jalen Chatfield

Antti Raanta

Frederik Andersen

Injuries/Scratches- Derek Stepan (healthy), Calvin de Haan (healthy), Dylan Coghlan (healthy),

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

Paul Stastny will draw back into the lineup tonight for Derek Stepan as the lines do a little bit of shifting. Jesse Puljujarvi will drop to the fourth line tonight to play with Stastny and Jack Drury. Seth Jarvis will jump back to the first line with Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho, while Stefan Noesen will play alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Martin Necas. Antti Raanta will get the start, as is customary during a back-to-back. He was his point streak snapped in the 4-3 loss to Buffalo on Saturday. He's 3-1-1 in his career against the Red Wings with a 2.22 GAA and a .925 save percentage. 

Tonight's Opponent: Detroit Red Wings (35-35-10, 80 Points, 7th in the Atlantic)

After a stretch when they won four of their five games between late March and early April, the Red Wings, like the Canes, have dropped their last three. Where the Canes' problem has been scoring, Detroit's problem has been preventing the other team from scoring. They've allowed five or more goals in all three losses, including six goals last night in a 6-1 loss to Dallas at home. Ville Husso got the start for the Red Wings and he lasted 12:10 into the game as the Stars scored three times on five shots to chase him. Magnus Hellberg came in to relieve him and while he had a little more success in stopping the puck, he also allowed three goals. David Perron recorded the only marker of the night for the Red Wings. It broke a string of six straight goals late in the second period as Dylan Larkin was credited with the only assist. They've been out of the playoff picture for a little bit now, so they're only playing for the draft lottery at this point. 

Last Meeting v. Carolina- If the Canes are unable to win the division, we'll likely look back at this meeting a few weeks ago as a big part of the reason. Dominik Kubalik started the scoring early as he beat Frederik Andersen on a breakaway just 50 seconds into the contest for the only goal of the first period. Brent Burns returned the favor early in the second period as he tied it up 42 seconds into the frame. The Canes jumped ahead less than four minutes later as Jaccob Slavin got one for his second point of the night. The good times would be short-lived as Larkin scored on the power play just over three minutes later to tie it once again. This stalemate would remain for the remainder of the second period and it looked like things were heading to overtime as the time was winding down. Instead, Jake Walman decided to end things in regulation as he scored with less than four seconds left to win the game and cost the Canes at least one point. Alex Nedeljkovic haunted his old team again, stopping 31 shots in the win for the Red Wings. 

Detroit's Starting Goalie: Alex Nedeljkovic (5-6-2, 3.56 GAA, .895 SV%)- As was expected, the former Hurricane will face his former team once again tonight. Nedeljkovic has started once since his win over Carolina at the end of March, stopping 43 shots in a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 2. He's won each of his last three starts, making 30+ saves in all three. He's 3-1-0 with a .936 SV% against the Canes since being traded to Detroit. 

Detroit Player to Watch: Jake Walman- I'm watching him only because of his game-winning goal against the Canes. That's about all the reason I need to watch him too. Dating back to the game against the Canes, he has points in four of his last six contests and he hasn't scored a goal since the win over the Canes. He's one shy of breaking into double digits and he'll likely be playing next to Moritz Seider tonight. As a defenseman, it's not likely that he'll score but he can contribute in other ways. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR) 2:46- Stefan Noesen (13) (assisted by Jesperi Kotkaniemi (25) & Shayne Gostisbehere (27))

(CAR) 7:50- Jordan Martinook (13) (assisted by Brady Skjei (20) & Jesper Fast (19))

2nd Period

(DET) 5:05- Robert Hagg (2) (assisted by Joe Veleno (11) & David Perron (32))

(CAR) 9:10- Brent Burns (16) (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (20) & Jack Drury (5))

3rd Period

(CAR) 19:18- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (17) EN (unassisted)

Let's Talk About the Game

The Hurricanes needed a game like this desperately after a terrible road trip. Luckily, a fast start allowed them to play with a lead and hold it for the entire night. The Kotkaniemi line had an incredible first shift, holding the puck in the offensive zone for a long time. They would be rewarded as Stefan Noesen hounded the net before finishing a wrap chance to give the Canes an early 1-0 less than three minutes into the game. The onslaught would persist as the Canes threw pucks from every direction at Alex Nedeljkovic. Eventually, the Canes would find the back of the net again. This time, it was the Staal line that ground away at the Red Wings. In the end, it was a beautiful seam pass from Brady Skjei to Jordan Martinook that Nedeljkovic never saw as he left the net wide open. Martinook made no mistake about it as he doubled the lead. Almost immediately after scoring, Martinook would take a penalty in the neutral zone to put the penalty kill in action. The team would back him up and kill it without allowing a shot. The Red Wings made a major push at the end of the first period and sustained some serious pressure for long stretches. Antti Raanta was there to keep the puck out of the net no matter how much they pushed as the period ended with the Canes staying ahead 2-0. 

The Red Wings' pressure would eventually lead to them taking their first penalty of the night. The Canes' power play had a few good looks, the best coming as Sebastian Aho couldn't finish a slap pass at the side of the net. After Detroit killed it, they would finally solve Raanta. Robert Hagg walked down from the point and fired a pass from Joe Veleno to the short side of Raanta to cut into the Canes' lead early. The Canes would find some new life in the minutes after the goal and would get a friendly bounce to regain the two-goal lead. It starts with some excellent pressure from Jesse Puljujarvi to create a turnover and get the Canes back in the offensive zone. Jack Drury would the puck back to Jaccob Slavin and he would send it to Brent Burns. With Paul Stastny stationed in front of Nedeljkovic, Burns' shot would get a friendly bounce off of the butt of a Detroit defender and trickle into the net to restore the multi-goal lead. Everyone on the fourth line played an important part in the goal and from there, the Canes were in cruise control. Skjei would be called for a penalty at the end of the second period, meaning the kill had to come out and get the job done again. Like the first kill, the Canes wouldn't allow a shot while down a man to keep it 3-1. Both goalies stood on their heads in the third period as Raanta made some huge saves on Ben Chiarot, Jake Walman, and Taro Hirose, while Nedeljkovic used every part of his body to keep the Red Wings in it. With Nedeljkovic on the bench, Jesperi Kotkaniemi would deposit into the empty net from the defensive zone as the Canes snapped the losing streak at three games. 

This was a much better effort and I'm not just saying that because the Canes won. It was very clear that last night's loss was taken personally and it was clear in how the Canes scored twice before the first commercial break. All four lines had good nights but it was the middle six that really carried the load offensively. Both lines were responsible for a goal each in the first period and Kotkaniemi picked up the empty-net goal. The fourth line picked up the other goal. The defense remained red hot with another goal from Burns and four of the six defensemen picking up points tonight. Raanta was fantastic again tonight as he put Saturday's loss behind him. He did have to make many saves but he had to make some quality saves to ensure two points. While they were unable to clinch the division tonight because of New Jersey's big win over Buffalo, they remain a point ahead heading into the season finale on Thursday. All it takes is a win on Thursday to get the job done. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Jordan Martinook (Goal)

With his goal tonight, Martinook has recorded 100 points since joining the Hurricanes. His goal served as the game-winner early in the first period and he nearly set up Kotkaniemi for a beautiful goal in the second period with a contorting pass as he went behind the net. He probably could've scored a few goals tonight but he had to settle with the one as he continues his career season. 

Second Star- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Goal, Assist)

Few forwards have meant more to this team since the All-Star Break than Kotkaniemi has. He recorded another multi-point night, the only player to do so tonight. It's his eighth of the season and his second in five games. His assist served as the primary helper on the opening goal and he ended it in the third period with the team's fourth of the night. He's been a major contributor since Svechnikov's injury and it'll need to remain that way as we head into the postseason. 

First Star- Antti Raanta (20 Saves)

When the team needs a pick-me-up, it's nice when you can call on your goalie to take over a game. While the final tally of 20 saves doesn't feel like a lot, they were ginormous in the final story of the game. He could've easily allowed the one goal from Hagg to dictate the rest of his game but he didn't and made some huge saves down the stretch. He picked up his 19th win of the season and I think he's made it an interesting call for Game 1 in the net. 

What's Next for the Canes

The race for the Metropolitan Division boils down to one last game on Thursday night as the Hurricanes travel to Sunrise to face the Florida Panthers. Florida, by virtue of both Buffalo and Pittsburgh losing in regulation, clinched a playoff spot tonight while idle. Their placement in the Wild Card race has not been decided yet as they hold the first spot but that could change depending on the Islanders and Penguins in their final games. I'm not sure how that will impact Florida's mood heading into the game. The job for the Canes is simple. They have to win this game and leave nothing to chance. Only getting one point won't get the job done. That has to be their mindset. No matter the result, we know for sure that when they take the ice in the playoffs next week, the Hurricanes will be playing Games 1 and 2 at PNC Arena. 

What's Next for the Teams in the Playoff Hunt

New Jersey (110 Points, 1 GR, 1 Point Behind the Canes for 1st)- The Devils stayed alive in the division chase with a dominant 6-2 victory over Buffalo, eliminating the Sabres and pushing the playoff drought to 12 seasons. New Jersey will be in Washington D.C. on Thursday night as they've also clinched home ice for at least the first round. 

New York (R) (107 Points, 1 GR, Locked into 3rd Place)- The Rangers sat and watched both Carolina and New Jersey clinch home ice so no matter who they face in the first round, they'll be on the road. Their final game of the regular season will be against Toronto in a game that neither will care about. 

Florida (92 Points, 1 GR, Clinced a Playoff Spot Tonight)- New Jersey and Chicago did Florida a huge favor by winning tonight, ensuring the Panthers will be in the playoffs for the fourth straight season. All that's left is seeding as the Canes come to town on Thursday night. 

New York (I) (91 Points, 1 GR, 2nd WC with 4 RW in hand)- The Islanders' fate could be decided tomorrow night as they host the Montreal Canadiens. All they need to do is pick up a point as they have four more wins in regulation than the Penguins.  

Pittsburgh (90 Points, 1 GR, 1 Point Outside of the Playoffs)- Tonight's 5-2 loss at home to the Blackhawks could have serious repercussions for both teams. It could cost Chicago their odds at Conor Bedard while possibly keeping the Penguins out of the postseason as they'll need a regulation loss from the Islanders and a win on Thursday in Columbus.