2023-24 Regular Season, Game 8: Hurricanes vs. Seattle Kraken (Pregame)

The losing streak extended to three games on Tuesday night after the Canes were shut out 3-0 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The loss to end the road trip dropped the Hurricanes to 3-4-0 this season. Pyotr Kochetkov tried his best to keep the Canes in the game, but the Bolts scored a goal in the final three minutes of each period, and Jonas Johansson stopped all 32 shots he faced for his second-career shutout. It wasn't all bad for the Hurricanes as Sebastian Aho returned to the lineup after his three-game absence. The team finally gets some time on home ice, playing their first home game since the Opening Night win over Ottawa. 

The Opponent: Seattle Kraken (2-4-1, 5 Points- 5th in the Pacific Division)
Last Meeting- Exactly one week ago, the Canes and Kraken met at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle came into the game winless, scoring just three goals in four games. Yanni Gourde and Jesper Fast traded goals 19 seconds apart, but two special teams goals, one on the power play by Jaden Schwartz and a short-handed goal by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, allowed Seattle to equal their goal total in one period. Vince Dunn extended the lead on the power play in the second period, ending Antti Raanta's night. Seth Jarvis and Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored early in the third period to bring the Canes within a goal, but Jared McCann and Tye Kartye responded 21 seconds apart to restore the three-goal lead. Jarvis scored on the power play for his second of the night. Seattle would ice the game with an empty-net goal to give Seattle the 7-4 win. 

Since We Last Met- Seattle has split their two games since beating the Hurricanes. They lost 4-1 to the Rangers on Saturday, then beat the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime on Tuesday. The Kraken led 3-1 after the second period, but Detroit scored three goals on the power play to take a 4-3 lead. Jared McCann scored on the power play with 1:22 left to force overtime. With five seconds left in overtime, Jordan Eberle scored his first goal of the season to give Seattle their second win. While the results on the ice have been good, the team announced that Andre Burakovsky would miss the next 6-8 weeks with an injury. Burakovsky recorded two assists in last Thursday's meeting. Philipp Grubauer's struggles to begin the season have continued, but Joey Daccord has started 2-0-1. 

Stories of the Night
1. Pesce Out for a Few Weeks
We got further clarification about Brett Pesce's injury after the team returned from Tampa Bay. When Pesce didn't make the trip to Tampa, there was suspicion the injury was a little worse. It turns out we were right. Pesce blocked a shot last week against Seattle, which was the catalyst for the injury. He's expected to miss the next few weeks after having surgery to repair the issue. This is a big deal. It's not season-ending, but it makes the team's performance while he's out important. The team's defense was already under a microscope with Pesce in the lineup, so they will be looked at even closer without him playing. 

2. Andersen is Back?
Another notable injury early this season was Frederik Andersen, who left the game in San Jose after taking a puck off his mask. Andersen dressed for the game in Tampa Bay, but the hope is he'll be in the net for this game. On top of that, I'm optimistic he'll return to the form we've seen him play in the last two seasons. He's struggled to start the season, as have all of the Canes' goalies. In front of the home fans, hopefully, he'll be good to go and lead the team to victory. 

3. Back at Home, Finally
Speaking of the fans, the team is finally playing a home game. It has been 15 days since the Hurricanes played at PNC Arena, beating Ottawa 5-3 on October 11. While the return home will only be for two games, seeing the fans in the arena as the team skates out in their red jerseys tonight will be nice. We'll hear "Raise Up" when they score and "Rock You Like a Hurricane" as they exit the locker room. We've missed the Hurricanes at home. 

4. Svech Watch 2023
Along with the news about Pesce and Andersen, there is growing optimism that Andrei Svechnikov will make his season debut either tonight or tomorrow. While it hasn't been confirmed for tonight while writing this, I'm hoping it's tonight. I don't want him to rush back before he's 100% ready, but I selfishly am prepared to see him back on the ice. If we have to wait another game or two to see him play, I won't complain. 

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