2023-24 Regular Season, Game 20: Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (Postgame)

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 read "Experience Hurricanes Hockey." For the uninitiated, this usually happens after the Canes have a game when they grossly outshoot an opponent and still lose the game. It's very common against teams deemed inferior in often one-goal losses. We came dangerously close to seeing a lot of those comments tonight. Instead, one change in the lines sparked a two-goal comeback in the final ten minutes to salvage a rollercoaster of a homestand. 

Columbus' two goals early in the third period were unfortunate. The first seven minutes were rough for Brady Skjei. The first goal hits his stick and beats Pyotr Kochetkov over his shoulder. The second comes after he tried to play a puck up the boards, but it went right to Johnny Gaudreau. To make matters worse, Gaudreau's shot hits him in the back and floats into the net. Luckily, he was able to get one to go into his own net late in the period to tie the game. While all isn't forgiven, we can laugh about it now. 

We were treated to a proper goalie duo for 60 minutes. Elvis Merzlikins has played well for the last week. In three games this week, Merzlikins faced 117, stopping 110 of them, including 40 in tonight's loss. Kochetkov didn't face the same number of shots, but he made some quality saves. It felt like there were one or two moments in each period that stood out. In the first, it was his strong save on Yegor Chinakov as he powered to the front of the net. In the second, it was a save on Alexandre Texier on a 2-on-1 and a diving poke check on Justin Danforth to prevent him from crossing the crease for a shot. Arguably, his biggest save game in the third period with the Hurricanes on the power play. Danforth got in for a short-handed chance with Columbus up 2-1, and he got his glove on to keep it a one-goal game. This allowed the eventual game-tying goal from Skjei to take place. 

Most of the game was played at 5-on-5, with the Hurricanes getting the only two power plays of the night. While neither power play scored, they looked lightyears better than they did against Edmonton and Tampa Bay. The first unit was especially crisp with its passes. They finished the night with five shots on Merzlikins and several more that just missed the net. While I don't think we overreacted following the Tampa loss, this was an encouraging sign. For as rough as Columbus' season has been, they have the second-best penalty kill in the league, but the Canes moved the puck well to set up some quality chances. 

It's almost fitting that Andrei Svechnikov's first goal of the season would be the game-winner of a comeback win. He played a great game. Some of his best work came after Rod Brind'Amour switched him to the Aho line after Gaudreau's goal. During this homestand, he started firing the puck a lot more. His six shots tied Martin Necas for the most in the game, and his 11 shot attempts tied with Burns for the most. One of his shot attempts found its way to Skjei after being blocked, resulting in the tying goal. His most consequential shot was the one that put the Canes ahead for good. The entire sequence was a thing of beauty. Seth Jarvis, who quietly had a two-assist night, hit him in the side of the face with the puck as he tried to dump the puck into the zone. Instead, it stayed in the neutral zone, and Svechnikov grabbed his face. As if he was snapped out of a trance, Svechnikov found the puck, poked it away from Erik Gudbranson, and allowed Sebastian Aho to enter the zone. Svechnikov stuck close to Aho's hip, receiving the pass that would lead to the goal. It's almost like Svechnikov was playing possum before poking the puck away. I might be reading into it too much, but that's what the replay made it look like. 

In the end, this was the result the Hurricanes needed. A loss of any kind would be a letdown to end the homestand. 3-2-0 is a lot more stomachable than 2-2-1 or 2-3-0. It's crazy to think the Hurricanes have the same number of points through 20 games this season as they did last season. The 2022-23 Hurricanes were 10-6-4 after 20, while this season's iteration is 12-8-0. It doesn't feel like it, but they've won more games. Hockey is a crazy sport. This was the point last season when the team went on a long run to take over first in the division, going on their 17-game point streak. This isn't my way of saying it's destined to happen, but I'm still waiting for this team to go on a long run. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jesperi Kotkaniemi- 1 goal

The Hurricanes needed a few players to get going, and Kotkaniemi was one of them. His goal to spark the comeback was a game-changing moment. Merzlikins looked unbeatable to that point, but Kotkaniemi's snipe turned the momentum in the Canes' favor. 

2nd Star- Pyotr Kochetkov- 21 saves

It's too early to say how much this start could help him moving forward, but he's more than earned the chance to start in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Kochetkov was phenomenal tonight, backing the comeback with some huge stops. His last few appearances have been very strong. 

1st Star- Andrei Svechnikov- 1 goal, 1 assist

Tonight's two-point performance helped him extend his point streak to four games and gave him points in five of his last six. For all of the assists he's piled up since his return, no point was more important than his game-winning goal. We've been waiting for him to find the back of the net, and after he had one called back against Pittsburgh, it was great to see him finally get one that counted. 

Up Next- The Hurricanes will take a brief trip up to Philadelphia for a game on Tuesday night. The Flyers will have a tough decision to make in the net after Samuel Ersson's incredible shutout win over the Islanders on Sunday. Once the team returns home, they'll face the Islanders on Thursday night and the Sabres on Saturday night. After that, it's off to western Canada for four straight. They'll finish their six-game trip in Ottawa and Detroit.