Thoughts From My Couch

After a dominant 4-1 win in Philadelphia, the Carolina Hurricanes returned home for the first of two games before a long road trip. Tonight, they met the New York Islanders for the second time this month. After a thrilling comeback OT win on Long Island, the Canes were looking for something more straightforward, while the Islanders sought a big road win in Raleigh.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (8:08)- Jalen Chatfield (2) (assisted by Michael Bunting (10) & Dmitry Orlov (8)) NYI (18:00)- Bo Horvat (7) (assisted by Mathew Barzal (14) & Anders Lee (3)) 2nd Period CAR (2:01)- Jordan Staal (2) (assisted by Jordan Martinook (6) & Jaccob Slavin (9))) NYI (15:59)- Simon Holmstrom (6) SH (assisted by Jean-Gabriel Pageau (7)) NYI (18:03)- Pierre Engvall (2) (assisted by Mathew Barzal (15) & Noah Dobson (14)) 3rd Period CAR (0:39)- Jack Drury (2) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (7) & Martin Necas (9)) NYI (6:41)- Kyle Palmieri (6) PP (assisted by Noah Dobson (15) & Mathe...

The Carolina Hurricanes took a trip to Philadelphia after closing out their five-game homestand with an exciting comeback victory. Revenge was on their minds after Philadelphia handed them a loss to begin that homestand. Andrei Svechnikov would be unavailable for the game, bringing Brendan Lemieux back into the lineup. This meant Michael Bunting shot up to the top line. Naturally, he'd open the scoring. Sebastian Aho's pass found him at the top of the crease, and Bunting was able to put home the rebound. Philadelphia controlled large portions of the first and second periods. Pyotr Kochetkov was doing a solid job of keeping the Flyers off the board. He wasn't perfect, though. Travis Konecny was sprung on a breakaway, and he buried it past Kochetkov to get the Flyers even. After Konecny's goal, the Canes dominated. Lemieux was able to force a turnover in front of the Flyers' goal and then put home a rebound to put the Canes back ahead. Both goalies did a good job of k...

Playing on the road for the first time since visiting Long Island a few weeks ago, the Carolina Hurricanes traveled to Philadelphia for their third meeting with the Flyers this season. The homestand came to an exciting end on Sunday evening, resulting in Andrei Svechnikov scoring his first goal of the season to win it. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be available for the game with an illness, but the good vibes were felt all night in the City of Brotherly Love.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (5:39)- Michael Bunting (5) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (13) & Dmitry Orlov (7)) 2nd Period PHI (7:14)- Travis Konecny (12) (assisted by Tyson Foerster (4)) CAR (13:25)- Brendan Lemieux (2) (unassisted) 3rd Period CAR (16:34)- Seth Jarvis (9) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (14) & Michael Bunting (9)) CAR (17:16)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (8) EN (assisted by Jesper Fast (3) & Teuvo Teravainen (6)) My Thoughts This was about as solid of a road win as you could want. It didn't feel like the Canes...

The Carolina Hurricanes put their lopsided loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning behind them by narrowly beating the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening. Elvis Merzlikins and Pyotr Kochetkov went toe-to-toe for 60 minutes and put on a masterful display of goaltending. Merzlikins was the far busier goalie, facing 43 shots, but Kochetkov was all about making quality stops. Neither team scored through the first 40 minutes of the game. Kirill Marchenko changed that just 13 seconds into the third period, getting a friendly bounce off Brady Skjei's stick to beat Kochetkov over his shoulder to give Columbus a 1-0 lead. Skjei's misfortunes continued a few minutes later. His failed clearing attempt landed on the stick of Johnny Gaudreau, and his shot hit Skjei in the back before floating past Kochetkov to make it 2-0. After a small tweak to the lines, Jesperi Kotkaniemi finally put Carolina on the board with 9:59 left after a beautiful pass from Teuvo Teravainen. Skjei got a little redemp...

Daily Headlines Monday 11/20 Steven Stamkos ties the game with five seconds left in regulation, and Brandon Hagel finishes the job in overtime, handing Boston a 5-4 overtime loss.  Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin score 16 seconds apart in the final minute to stun the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in Nashville.  Wednesday 11/22 Zach Benson scores a beautiful between-the-legs goal for the first of his career against Washington in an overtime loss to the Capitals. Connor Bedard is the first rookie to ten goals, but #3 pick Adam Fantili gets the final laugh as the Blue Jackets end their nine-game skid with a 7-3 win behind four assists by Zach Werenski.  Boston gets some revenge against the Florida Panthers after being knocked out in the playoffs last season, winning 3-1 in Sunrise.  Friday 11/24 Detroit storms into Boston and hands them their second regulation loss of the season, 5-2, both against the Red Wings.  Jason Dickinson pots his first career NHL hat trick, and th...

The Carolina Hurricanes completed a five-game homestand on Sunday evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PNC Arena. After an embarrassing showing against the Lightning on Friday, the Canes needed to find a way to flush that game and turn in a huge performance to finish this home stretch. The Jackets entered with two straight wins after losing their previous nine, including an impressive 2-1 win over the Devils on Friday.  Scoring Summary 1st Period None 2nd Period None 3rd Period CBJ (0:13)- Kirill Marchenko (6) (assisted by Johnny Gaudreau (8)) CBJ (6:41)- Johnny Gaudreau (3) (unassisted) CAR (10:01)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (7) (assisted by Teuvo Teraveinen (5) & Martin Necas (8)) CAR (16:51)- Brady Skjei (3) (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (8) & Seth Jarvis (8)) CAR (18:05)- Andrei Svechnikov (1) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (12) & Seth Jarvis (9)) My Thoughts If you're a new Hurricanes fan, you've likely come across posts or comments on social media that simply re...

While there was a full slate of rivalry games to keep our attention throughout the holiday weekend, it felt like there was only one game that mattered. It also happens to be The Game. The battle between Michigan and Ohio State had implications for just about everyone at the top of the rankings. Elsewhere, several teams looked to clinch spots in conference title games, while others looked to carry some momentum into their big games. No matter who is playing and no matter the venue, there is guaranteed to be some chaos during the final weekend of the regular season.  Game of the Week-  #3 Michigan 30,  #2 Ohio State 24 (Ann Arbor, MI) No matter the result, this was the game I was going to talk about because of how important it was to the endgame of the season. This was for the division crown, a berth in the conference title game, and a great shot to make the College Football Playoff. There was so much pressure on everyone involved. Michigan never trailed in the game, with O...

To put it frankly, Friday night's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning was embarrassing for the Carolina Hurricanes. After an incredible first period, the Canes led 1-0 on a goal from their fourth line, finished by Stefan Noesen. The Lightning finished with one shot against Antti Raanta. The second period changed the complexion of the night. To be more specific, penalties taken early by the Hurricanes changed the complexion. The Canes were assessed three penalties in the first six minutes, including a double-minor for high-sticking to Michael Bunting. The Lightning scored three times. Bunting would atone for his mistake, scoring on the power play late in the period to pull within a goal. For as bad as their start to the period was the Canes were still in the game. Shame on me for having hope. The Lightning scored five times in the third, including two goals from Brayden Point to complete his third career hat trick. Point finished the night with five points. Nikita Kucherov had two goals...

The homestand continued for the Carolina Hurricanes as they welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to PNC Arena for the final meeting of the regular season between the two sides. The big news heading into the game was the return of Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes for the Bolts. After missing so much time recovering from offseason back surgery, the former Vezina winner was ready to go against a Canes team starting to find their way.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (18:12)- Stefan Noesen (5) (assisted by Jack Drury (3) & Michael Bunting (8)) 2nd Period TB (1:34)- Steven Stamkos (9) PP (assisted by Brayden Point (17) & Nikita Kucherov (17)) TB (5:40)- Nikita Kucherov (14) PP (assisted by Brandon Hagel (11) & Mikey Eyssimont (4)) TB (5:54)- Brayden Point (9) PP (assisted by Nikita Kucherov (18) & Victor Hedman (18)) CAR (14:45)- Michael Bunting (4) PP (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (7)) 3rd Period TB (5:33)- Brandon Hagel (10) (assisted by Brayden Point (18) & Nikita...

After another long stretch between games, there were concerns about how the Carolina Hurricanes would come out against the Edmonton Oilers the night before Thanksgiving. The first period quickly put an end to those concerns. Jesper Fast and Jack Drury scored 35 seconds apart, and Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis added to the fun, giving Carolina four goals in 5:31 to end Stuart Skinner's night after less than 15 minutes. Zach Hyman would get Edmonton a goal on the power play late in the period to spoil some of the fun, but it was all Carolina in the first. Pyotr Kochetkov entered the game in the second period for Antti Raanta, who left for precautionary reasons with a lower-body injury. Carolina added to the lead early in the second as Martin Necas put home a rebound to make it 5-1. Edmonton made things a little tight, getting a short-handed goal by Mattias Ekholm late in the second and another goal from Hyman early in the third, but the Canes did an excellent job of weathering the...

The homestand continued for the Hurricanes as they battled the Edmonton Oilers on Thanksgiving Eve. Off an excellent 4-2 win on Saturday against Pittsburgh, the Canes looked to continue their hot start at home against a team lacking an identity. Despite having two of the best players in the world, Edmonton has started the season without much success. Having already made a coaching change, the Oilers traveled to Raleigh in the midst of a road trip that hadn't gotten off to a good start. Suffice it to say, things didn't get any easier in Raleigh.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (9:17)- Jesper Fast (2) (assisted by Jordan Martinook (5) & Jalen Chatfield (2)) CAR (9:52)- Jack Drury (1) (assisted by Michael Bunting (7) & Dmitry Orlov (6)) CAR (11:23)- Teuvo Teravainen (10) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (11) & Seth Jarvis (7)) CAR (14:48)- Seth Jarvis (8) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (4) & Jalen Chatfield (3)) EDM (17:13)- Zach Hyman (9) PP (assisted by Leon Draisaitl (...

The Carolina Hurricanes bounced back from a lousy performance on Wednesday night against the Flyers with a strong team performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The Canes were snake-bitten early, hitting two posts and having Grade A chances denied by Tristan Jarry. This allowed the Penguins to get on the board first as Sidney Crosby put home a shot from the side of the net to lead 1-0 after the first. The Canes got the goal back in the second period on a beautiful passing play between Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teravainen, and Sebastian Aho. Teravainen put the puck in a perfect spot for Aho, allowing him to beat Jarry's outstretched glove. Brent Burns gave the Canes their first lead of the game early in the third period. Andrei Svechnikov thought he'd added to the lead, but it was ruled Martin Necas was offside prior to the goal. The Penguins responded shortly after as Crosby put home a bouncing puck. The game wouldn't remain tied for long as Jaccob Slavin walked dow...

Daily Headlines Monday 11/13 In Kris Knoblauch's first game behind the bench, Leon Draisaitl scores four points to lead the Oilers to a win over the Islanders.  Tuesday 11/14 Sidney Crosby nets his 16th career hat trick in a 5-3 win for the Penguins over the Blue Jackets, extending their win streak to five games.  Wednesday 11/15 Carter Hart returns from a five-game absence by stopping 31 shots as the Flyers take down the Hurricanes in Raleigh 3-1.  Evander Kane scores twice in the third period and completes the natural hat trick in overtime to help Edmonton overcome a 3-1 deficit in a 4-3 victory over the Kraken.  Thursday 11/16 Down 4-0 early in the second period, Lucas Raymond kickstarts a four-goal comeback in his home country, but Tim Stutzle bats a puck out of mid-air in overtime with 2.0 seconds left to begin the NHL Global Series in Stockholm with a 5-4 win for the Senators. Friday 11/17 Toronto comes back from a 2-0 deficit behind three-point games from John...