2023-24 Regular Season, Game 5: Hurricanes at Seattle Kraken (Pregame)

The Hurricanes used three goals from the power play and four unanswered goals in the third period to storm past the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Seth Jarvis answered an early San Jose goal on the power play for his first of the season. Jaccob Slavin notched the team's fourth short-handed goal of the season to give the Canes a 2-1 lead in the second period, but two goals on the power play gave the Sharks a 3-2 advantage heading into the third, despite the Canes controlling most of the play. In the third, the Canes finally got what they deserved. Stefan Noesen tied the game on the power play. Jarvis got his second of the night on the power play. Martin Necas scored a beautiful wrap-around. Brett Pesce finished the scoring, benefitting from a redirection off a Shark to make it a 6-3 win for the Hurricanes. The win in San Jose makes the Canes 2-1-0 on the road trip with two stops remaining. 

The Opponent: Seattle Kraken (0-3-1- 8th in the Pacific Division)
Seattle was one of the biggest stories of last season. They improved by 40 points from their inaugural season, making the playoffs as a Wild Card team. In their first postseason run, they eliminated the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games before pushing the Dallas Stars to seven games in a losing effort. They didn't make many big moves in the offseason, bringing in Kailer Yamamoto, Brian Dumoulin, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Thus far, things haven't gone well for the Kraken. They've scored three goals in four games, with only six players finding the scoresheet. The goaltending hasn't been the problem like it was in their first two seasons. Philipp Grubauer might be 0-3-0, but he's only allowed eight goals and has an acceptable .909 SV%. They fell 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, with Yamamoto opening the scoring before Colorado scored four unanswered to win the game. 

Last Season's Meetings- The Hurricanes swept the season series. They met almost a year ago in Seattle, and the Canes dominated. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and added an assist. Sebastian Aho also finished with three points. The Canes came in and handed the Kraken a 5-1 loss. During the return trip to Raleigh in mid-December, Svechnikov scored again, and Stefan Noesen buried a penalty shot to give the Canes a 3-0 lead through two periods. Seattle scored twice to try and build a comeback, but it came up short as the Canes won 3-2. 

Stories of the Game
1. First Big Health Concerns of the Year
Sebastian Aho missing Tuesday's game was already a big deal, but Frederik Andersen leaving early in the game is not ideal this early in the season. I'm writing this before knowing either's status for the game in Seattle, and recalling Pyotr Kochetkov might be a short-term solution until Andersen is ready to go, but it doesn't make me feel good. I'd feel more concerned about the Aho injury if the offense hadn't scored six goals in San Jose. It's still not ideal for your best forward to be out, but this offense is dynamic enough to not be an issue. Aho could play tonight, but I'm willing to bet Antti Raanta gets the start in Seattle. 

2. Special Teams are Becoming More Important
The never-ending narrative surrounding penalties continues to sit at the forefront during the first two weeks of the season. Through four games, the Hurricanes have been on the power play 23 times and short-handed 19. They've drawn the most penalties but taken the second most. They're 4th in the league in penalties drawn per 60 minutes and 7th in penalties taken per 60. That's why it's a good thing their power play ranks 9th, and their kill while sitting in 18th, leads the league with four short-handed goals. If we keep seeing penalties called at this rate, and I'm hopeful we won't, it makes excellence on special teams the most crucial facet of a team's game. 

3. Rough Start to Year 3 for Seattle
Last season had to feel like a dream for anyone who supports the Seattle Kraken. Seeing a turnaround after a tough first season must've been incredible, especially when factoring in the postseason run. This season, the good vibes aren't as present. Seattle is winless through four games. They're tied for the fewest goals scored (3). One of their biggest energy players, Brandon Tanev, is out for a few weeks, robbing us of a Turbo vs. Turbo battle. Their penalty kill has been a bright spot, killing all 13 opportunities, but the power play only operates at 9.1%. This isn't the start I'd envisioned for them. I predicted they'd be a playoff team, and I still think they are. While I'd appreciate it if tonight wasn't the night they started heating up, I don't think it'll take long to find their stride. 

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