2023-24 Regular Season, Game 14: Hurricanes at Florida Panthers (Pregame)

The Carolina Hurricanes returned to PNC Arena on Tuesday night, playing their first home game in a week and a half against the Buffalo Sabres. The Canes used two successful penalty kills and a miraculous save by Antti Raanta to lead to the first goal. Tony DeAngelo kept a puck in at the point on the power play and got a good bounce to elude the Sabres goalie to give the Canes a 1-0 lead. Buffalo responded early in the second period as Alex Tuch pickpocketed Seth Jarvis and scored on his own rebound to even things up. The score remained tied until Brady Skjei buried a perfect pass from Sebastian Aho to put the Canes ahead again. Buffalo's response was swift as Rasmus Dahlin turned into a one-man power play, playing the puck off the boards to himself before snapping it past Raanta. The Canes' starter didn't allow either goal to bother him. Shortly after the Dahlin goal, Raanta came way out of his crease to poke the puck away from Casey Mittelstadt, then made a diving stick save from the top of the face-off dot on Jordan Greenway to keep the game at 2-2. The game went into overtime, ending with Aho feeding Martin Necas on a give-and-go for an easy redirection to win it. It was the Canes' second straight win in overtime, keeping them perfect at home to start the season. 

The Opponent: Florida Panthers (7-4-1, 15 Points- 4th in the Atlantic Division)

After coming up short in the Stanley Cup Final against Vegas last season, the Florida Panthers spent the offseason re-tooling. They had to make a cap dump, sending Anthony Duclair to San Jose for former Hurricanes Steven Lorentz, who the Canes traded in the Brent Burns deal. They were also very active in free agency, making several smaller deals to help supplement the incredible talent they already had. Those new additions have been phenomenal at the start of the season. Evan Rodrigues already has ten points. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has seven points and is helping to change the narrative around him. Their stars are also picking up where they left off. Sam Reinhart leads the team with nine goals and 15 points. Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are producing at nearly a point-per-game pace. Sergei Bobrovsky hasn't been like he was during the postseason, but he's getting results. He was in the net for the Panthers' win on Wednesday night in Washington D.C. The Panthers put together a solid first period, getting goals from Ekman-Larsson and Barkov to lead 2-1 after 20 minutes. Washington responded with two in the second period, leading 3-2 going into the third. Rodrigues scored early in the third, and after neither team resolved the game in regulation, Reinhart finished it 15 seconds into overtime, giving Florida its second straight OT win. After two regulation losses to begin the season, the Panthers have won seven of their last ten games. 

Last Season's Meetings- The Hurricanes won two of the three meetings in the regular season. Almost a year to the day, the Canes were in Sunrise to face the Panthers, and Spencer Knight was the star of the game. Knight turned away 40 shots the Canes threw at him as Nick Cousins, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Bennett provided the offense in a 3-0 win. Antti Raanta and the Hurricanes got some revenge when the Panthers came to town before New Year's Eve. Stefan Noesen, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Teravainen all scored on the power play, Jesperi Kotkaniemi provided some insurance, and Raanta stopped all 19 shots he saw as the Canes shut out the Panthers 4-0. They met for the final time in the season finale with a lot on the line. The Canes needed two points to clinch the division, while the Panthers needed help clinching a playoff spot. Carolina led 2-0 after two periods, and Florida scored twice early in the third before the Canes scored three straight to take a commanding 5-2 lead. The Panthers scored twice in 38 seconds to pull within a goal, but Sebastian Aho put the game away with 1:00 left to clinch the division title. Florida would go on to clinch a playoff spot with some help. 

The Canes and Panthers would battle again in the Eastern Conference Final, only this time, the Panthers controlled the battle. Game 1 was the sixth-longest game in NHL history, lasting 139:47. Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen combined to face 135 shots, stopping all but five of them. The deciding goal came in the final seconds of the 4th OT as Matthew Tkachuk sent everyone home in the early morning hours. In Game 2, goaltending was the story again. Bobrovsky and Antti Raanta only allowed one through 60 minutes, leading to another overtime game. Tkachuk was the hero again, this time needing 1:51 in the 1st OT to win it. Game 3, Bobrovsky kept the Canes off the board. Sam Reinhart scored the lone goal of the game on the power play, putting Florida up 3-0 in the series with a 1-0 win. The Canes showed some life in Game 4, but a goal with less than five seconds left from Tkachuk sank the Canes, allowing Florida the sweep en route to a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. 

Stories of the Night

1. The Rematch

Despite Rod Brind'Amour's comments following the end of the Eastern Conference Final, the Panthers swept the Hurricanes, something that has happened in the Canes' last three conference finals appearances. It was a close series, with all four games being decided by one goal, but the results weren't there for Carolina. The play of Sergei Bobrovsky had a lot to do with that. With many of the same faces around from that series in May, there's an added layer of intrigue to this game. I'm also curious to see how the new faces on each team feed into it. I expect a spirited affair that opens some old wounds for the Hurricanes. 

2. Pesce is a Game-Time Decision

At practice on Thursday, Rod Brind'Amour announced Brett Pesce, who has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury, would be a game-time decision for the game in Sunrise. If Pesce can play, it'll lead to a tough decision for the defense. Jalen Chatfield is the odd man out in the group. Tony DeAngelo's goal on Tuesday might have been enough to keep him in the lineup for now, though many will point to his defensive struggles as the reason he needs to sit. Regardless of who is out, the Canes could be getting back a crucial part of its defensive core, which is always a win. 

3. Panthers Playing Well Despite Injuries

The Panthers have picked up where last season ended and done it without some key pieces from that team. Before the season began, it was announced that Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad, two of their most important defensemen, would miss the beginning of the season. This is where new addition Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been so critical, as has the production of Josh Mahura, Niko Mikkola, and Dmitry Kulikov. Sam Bennett has also missed most of the start with ongoing injuries, but the offense is chugging right along. This is a deep team with an immense amount of talent. They're flexing their muscles early in the season despite concerns about their health.