2023-24 Regular Season, Game 15: Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning (Pregame)

It's a quick turnaround for the Carolina Hurricanes as they travel to Tampa Bay for the second half of a Florida back-to-back. Playing against the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals from May, the Canes started quickly, getting a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal 1:20 into the game on a third chance opportunity he lifted past Sergei Bobrovsky. The Panthers responded soon after as Matthew Tkachuk won a race to the net to beat Antti Raanta, tying the game just over three minutes in. Tkachuk was in a giving mood at the end of the first period, setting Uvis Balinskis for his first NHL tally late in the period. Aleksander Barkov pushed the lead to two goals by putting home a rebound before the midway point in the second period, but Sebastian Aho did the same late in the period to give the Canes some hope going into the third period. Carter Verhaeghe squashed the comeback with a redirection to regain the two-goal lead, then Kevin Stenlund finished the job with an empty-netter to give Florida a 5-2 win. 

The Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4-4, 16 Points- 4th in the Atlantic Division)

Last Meeting- The Hurricanes had recently returned to the East Coast following a tough trip out west. This was the sixth game on the road trip, though the team spent some time in Raleigh before heading to Tampa Bay. The Canes ran into Jonas Johansson and the Bolts at the wrong time. The theme of the night was late-period goals. Tampa Bay won 3-0, scoring all three goals in the final three minutes of each period. Brayden Point opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, deflecting a Victor Hedman shot past Pyotr Kochetkov. Alex Barre-Boulet doubled the lead late in the second period, and Nick Paul put the Canes away for good in the third. Johansson stopped all 32 shots, earning his first shutout of the season. 

Since We Last Met- Tampa's win over the Canes made them 3-2-2 on the season. In the seven games since then, the Bolts are 3-2-2. It has been a mixed bag for the Lightning. They followed up their win against the Canes with a 6-0 win over San Jose, giving Jonash Johansson back-to-back shutouts. However, they've allowed four or more goals in their last five games. They went 2-1-1 on a recent road trip, highlighted by blowing a 4-1 first-period lead to the Toronto Maple Leafs before losing 6-5 in overtime. Their power play continues to be lethal, converting on 33% of their opportunities in their last seven games. Tampa Bay is coming off a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at home on Thursday night. Connor Bedard scored two goals and finished with four points for Chicago. 

Stories of the Night

1. Carolina Needs to Flush Last Night

Friday night's loss in Sunrise was not a great effort from the Canes. They were beaten up and down the ice for most of the night by the Panthers' stars while their stars were quiet. It's almost a good thing the Canes are playing back-to-back games because they should be able to move on quickly. This is already their third back-to-back of the season, and we've seen two polar-opposite performances from the Canes. They were humbled by the Ducks in the first one but pitched a shutout against the Sharks in their second. This will be a slightly different animal since the Bolts are a more lethal group. I expect the Hurricanes to come out of the gates strong, especially their Top 6. If they start flat, it could be another long night. 

2. Getting Kochetkov into a Groove

This has been a weird start to the season for Pyotr Kochetkov. This is already his second call-up because of an injury. It'll be his third start of the season, his last coming in Carolina's 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay. He was good in that game. He just didn't get any goal support. After a 13-1-4 start to his career, Kochetkov is just 2-9-1 in his last 12 decisions dating back to January. He's been very inconsistent, and the constant up-and-down of this season hasn't helped him settle in. That's why this game is so vital for Kochetkov. With Frederik Andersen on the shelf for an indeterminate amount of time, he'll be leaned upon to perform in his absence alongside Antti Raanta. It would help if the team in front of him scored some goals. A good start against the Bolts could give him the confidence to fill the backup role. 

3. Kucherov Leading the Lightning Show

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Nikita Kucherov has gotten off to an incendiary start to the season. He's second in the league with 23 points, including 11 goals, tied for second-most. Nearly half his points (10) have come on the power play, pacing the league's third-best unit. While he's far from the only sharpshooter on the team, he's drawing all of the attention. This allows others like Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Brandon Hagel to reap the benefits of being left open. Kucherov has 12 points in his last four games, including consecutive five-point and four-point performances against Ottawa and Toronto. He's hard to miss on the ice, but he always finds a way to cause damage. Staying out of the box will remain a key for the Hurricanes. Otherwise, it'll be open season for the Bolts.