2023-24 Regular Season, Game 4: Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks (Pregame)

The road trip took an unexpected turn for the Hurricanes in Anaheim. After escaping Los Angeles with a 6-5 shootout victory, the Canes found themselves on the wrong side of a 3-0 game after the first period on Sunday. Teuvo Teravainen broke the shutout near the end of the second period, scoring his third goal in as many games. The Ducks abruptly snatched away the momentum with a late goal to make it 4-1 through two periods. The power play finally came alive for the Canes in the third period. Teravainen scored his second of the night on a shot from the point, and Martin Necas added his first of the season late in the game to pull within a goal. Unfortunately, two empty-net goals, including the goal to complete Frank Vatrano's hat trick, would put the game out of reach late, handing the Canes a 6-3 loss, their first of the season. 

The Opponent: San Jose Sharks (22-44-16, 60 Points- 7th in the Pacific Division last season)

Much like Anaheim, the Sharks aren't in a place to compete for a playoff spot right now. They made the biggest move of the offseason, trading 2022-23 Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a few players and a 1st Round pick. Their strategy was to tool up for the trade deadline, allowing them to recoup assets for veterans who could help postseason contenders. Through two games, the Sharks have only scored two goals. After losing their season opener 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose looked poised to beat Colorado, holding a 1-0 lead late in the game after Thomas Bordeleau scored his first NHL goal earlier in the contest. Offseason addition Mackenzie Blackwood was playing phenomenally. He was being peppered with shots by the Avalanche, and on their 50th shot, Colorado finally broke through, breaking the shutout with 1:26 left in regulation to force overtime. The game went to a shootout where Colorado scored the lone goal, handing the Sharks a hard-fought loss. 

Last Season's Meetings- Both meetings were decided by one goal, with the Hurricanes winning both. They met in San Jose in the second game of the season, marking Brent Burns' return after being traded in the offseason. In the battle of the Svechnikovs, Evgeny Svechnikov opened the scoring in the first period before Andrei Svechnikov made a tremendous defensive play to set up Martin Necas late in the second to tie the game. With 1:58 left, Sebastian Aho legally redirected a pass from Brett Pesce off his skate and into the net to earn the 2-1 win. In late January in Raleigh, the Canes led 2-1 early in the third period, but San Jose scored three straight, including an empty-netter, to lead 4-2 with 1:52 left. Aho responded 15 seconds later to cut the deficit in half, and Necas lifted a rebound into the net with 12 seconds left to tie the game. Necas struck again in over, burying a pass from Svechnikov to complete the comeback in a 5-4 win. 

Stories of the Game

1. Rebounding After a Loss

The first period of Sunday's game was ugly. The final two periods were very good. In fact, I might argue they were their best two periods of the season to this point. You can't put yourself into a 3-0 hole and expect to dig out of it every game. Tonight will be about getting off to a quick start and building off your finish in Anaheim. If I did my math correctly, the Hurricanes were 15-10-5 last season after a loss, meaning they bounced back for at least a point after 20 of their 30 losses. This team is more than capable of bouncing back in the Shark Tank tonight. 

2. Special Teams Getting the Job Done

After starting the season 1-for-14 on the power play and squandering a four-minute power play against Anaheim, the Hurricanes connected on both of the man advantages in the third period on Sunday. Add their penalty kill going 11-for-13 through three games, and the Hurricanes are starting to get things going on special teams. The improvement by the power play is the most encouraging sign from Sunday's loss. This game will give us an indication of whether it was a blip or if it's legit. I'm leaning toward the latter as the groups start to gel. 

3. San Jose Turns to Blackwood Again

In his first start with the Sharks, Mackenzie Blackwood deserved better than his final result. He made 51 saves against one of the most potent offenses in the league on Saturday, but one shot from Mikko Rantanen in the shootout was enough to earn him the loss. The former Devil is more than familiar with the Hurricanes. He spent five seasons in New Jersey, facing the Hurricanes four times, including twice last season. His first appearance was in relief in late December, stopping six of the seven shots he faced, then stopping 43 shots in a 5-4 shootout loss on New Year's Day. He's 2-0-1 against Carolina in his career, with a 2.34 GAA and one shutout. Blackwood will be back in the net tonight to prove his great start on Saturday wasn't an accident. This time, he'll be hoping for more goal support from his team.  

4. Who Stays Hot and Who Gets Going?

Teuvo Teravainen has been stealing headlines for his fast start, scoring four goals in three games to begin his rebound season. However, plenty of other players are finding the scoresheet. Brady Skjei is tied with Teravainen at four points, scoring in all three games. Tony DeAngelo has assists in all three games, though his work on defense has been another concern. Michael Bunting has looked strong in his first three games as a Hurricane. However, there are some guys I'm waiting to get significant contributions from. The Staal line has been quiet offensively in the last two games. Seth Jarvis has done everything but score. Dmitry Orlov finished -5 against the Ducks and only has one point. The Canes' fourth line hasn't provided much outside of Brendan Lemieux's goal in Los Angeles. The goaltending hasn't been on par with what we've seen from the Canes in the past. The Canes need to re-establish their dominance tonight before facing two playoff teams from last season to close out this portion of the trip.