2023-24 Regular Season, Game 19: Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Postgame)

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 Kucherov (19))

TB (6:53)- Luke Glendening (3) (unassisted)

TB (10:41)- Brayden Point (10) (assisted by Nick Perbix (5) & Cole Koepke (2))

TB (16:45)- Nikita Kucherov (15) (assisted by Brandon Hagel (12) & Mikhail Sergachev (13))

TB (18:08)- Brayden Point (11) PP (assisted by Nikita Kucherov (20) & Steven Stamkos (14))

My Thoughts

The beauty of having your own blog is that you can say whatever you want, even if no one reads it. While I'm not the type of person who tends to go overboard on most issues, tonight has really tested me. I'm not sure how the team that played lights out in the first period is the same team that showed up in the final 40 minutes. I'm still not convinced they weren't two different teams. This game went from painful to numbing early in the third period. Once the Lightning made it 5-2, I'd accepted it. Brayden Point scoring a hat trick rolled right off my back. Nikita Kucherov having a six-point game didn't make me feel anything. However, other things that happened at the end of the game made me start to steam a little. I'll cover that in due time. 

The Hurricanes' first period was as textbook as it gets. The Lightning had no space to do anything on offense. They finished the period with one shot against Antti Raanta, and it was a center ice dump in by Tyler Motte that made it to Raanta. Meanwhile, most of the play was in the Canes' end. It took until the end of the period, but the Canes got on the board first. The fourth line struck again. Jack Drury made a great pass from behind the net to Stefan Noesen, who beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to put the Canes up 1-0 going into the break. Most importantly, the entire period was played 5-on-5. 

Everything after the first period was terrible for the Canes. Andrei Svechnikov extended his penalty streak to seven games, and the Bolts scored. Jesperi Kotkaniemi took another tripping penalty, and the Bolts scored. Michael Bunting, who played a great game, took a four-minute high-sticking call, and the Bolt scored. In just 5:54, everything from the first period had been erased because of penalties. The penalty kill had a bad game, killing one penalty in five attempts. There is no universe where that's acceptable. They started the first two strongly, but Tampa still scored. 

When your penalty kill is struggling, it's not ideal for your power play to struggle, too. That was the reality of the night. The Canes went 1-for-6 with the man advantage, getting a goal in the second period from Bunting to prevent it from being a goose egg. This will lead to plenty of conversations going into Sunday's game about Tony DeAngelo being back in the lineup. I think this needs to happen for the power play's sake. However, you're likely doing it at the expense of the fourth line, who was your best line tonight by going 11/7, or your third defensive pair of Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield, who were also good tonight. 

I like Antti Raanta. He's been able to help the Canes in some tough spots. Tonight, he made history in all the worst ways possible. He allowed more goals than he made saves. He didn't stand a chance on any of the Bolts' goals in the second period, but he was Swiss cheese in the third period. Brandon Hagel's goal down 3-2 was a back-breaker that needs to be stopped. Luke Glendening's goal was the dagger, and it was another one Raanta needed to stop. After that, I couldn't care less. For as strong as he plays at PNC Arena, this is a performance we aren't likely to forget any time soon. 

The final topic that needs to be touched on is the incident with Austin Watson at the end of the game. For those unaware, Michael Bunting has a history with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season, Bunting knocked Erik Cernak out of the playoffs in Game 1 of the 1st Round with a dirty hit. In response to the hit, Bunting was ejected from the game, and the league suspended him for three games. He dropped the gloves with Tanner Jeannot in the last meeting, and I felt the beef was squashed. Apparently, the Bolts and their fans felt differently. Bunting was entangled with several different players during the game, most notably the three players listed above. At one point, Cernak took a vicious slash at Bunting before Watson got him in the back of the knee and was given a penalty. That's what led to Bunting's goal, and Watson was given an additional ten minutes for abuse of officials. 

A few Bolts fans took to the internet after the game to call Bunting a scumbag for not fighting Watson in the final minutes. I'm not sure what planet these people live on. Being a pest doesn't automatically sign you up for a fight every night. If so, guys like Brad Marchand wouldn't be in trouble regularly. Running your mouth isn't grounds for fighting. Plus, Watson's outside of Bunting's weight class, standing four inches taller and listed as 17 pounds heavier. What does fighting Watson prove? That Watson's begging for relevance. He's a non-factor in almost every game he plays and only fights to stay relevant. He's one of a dying breed of enforcers who serve on purpose. Tell me one other thing Watson did tonight in his 4:01 on the ice other than slash Bunting and try to fight him. There's clearly a deeper issue here that Lightning fans need to work out. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jack Drury- 1 assist

Guys, it's safe to say Drury is on a hot streak. He's recorded points in three of his last four games, adding a primary assist on Noesen's goal in the first period. He's centering the team's most consistent line after a very rough start to the season. 

2nd Star- Dmitry Orlov- 2 hits, 5 shots

While he didn't find his way onto the scoresheet in a positive way tonight, it was hard to ignore Orlov's impact. He and Chatfield were both excellent, but Orlov was active in the offensive zone, finishing with five shots. He also had a few strong hits on Jeannot early in the contest. 

1st Star- Michael Bunting- 1 goal, 1 assist, 16 PIM

If Bunting's a scumbag, then I'm willing to defend this scumbag as long as he's a Hurricane. Bunting was one of the few forwards to make a positive imprint on the game for the Canes, factoring on both goals. All of the late-game antics from the Bolts will overshadow his performance, but he played a strong game. 

Up Next- The homestand ends on Sunday for the Hurricanes as the Columbus Blue Jackets come to town. It'll be an earlier start time, which always gives me a bad feeling. They'll be in Philadelphia on Tuesday to face the Flyers for the third time this season but will be back at home for two more against the Islanders and Sabres. Both the Flyers and Islanders games will be on ESPN+. After hosting Buffalo, the Canes will go on another long road trip, including five games in Canada.