2023-24 Regular Season, Game 23: Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres (Postgame)

The Carolina Hurricanes looked to squash a tough 5-4 overtime loss to the Islanders on Thursday. The offense came up clutch to earn the Canes a point, but Pyotr Kochetkov could come up with a few timely stops to get the team the win. Tonight, the Buffalo Sabres traveled to PNC Arena for the second time this season for the first half of a back-to-back. Without one of their most lethal snipers in the lineup, the Sabres would be reliant on their other stars to try and get the job done. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (15:26)- Sebastian Aho (7) (assisted by Seth Jarvis (10) & Jaccob Slavin (10))

CAR (16:36)- Jack Drury (6) (assisted by Martin Necas (10) & Jalen Chatfield (4))

2nd Period

CAR (1:06)- Sebastian Aho (8) PP (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (9) & Brent Burns (6))

CAR (14:12)- Stefan Noesen (6) (assisted by Martin Necas (11) & Jaccob Slavin (11))

CAR (18:04)- Teuvo Teravainen (11) PP (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (10) & Brent Burns (7))

3rd Period

BUF (4:08)- Casey Mittelstadt (5) (assisted by Alex Tuch (9) & Henri Jokiharju (7))

CAR (8:05)- Brady Skjei (4) SH (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (7))

BUF (9:24)- Tyson Jost (2) (assisted by Peyton Krebs (3))

My Thoughts

TOTAL! DOMINATION! That's all I really have to say about the game, but I'll elaborate a little more. This was a masterclass in keeping a team down and out of a game. The Hurricanes only managed one point in a game against the Islanders that they dominated for long stretches. They just couldn't find the goals they needed to extend their leads when they had them. Tonight, the Canes went full throttle for 60 minutes and decimated a Sabres team that is struggling to find an identity. I had the Sabres in the playoffs during the preseason. They seemed more focused on getting under the Canes' skin than they did on scoring goals. The Canes didn't let it happen, allowing them to explode for six goals and an easy win. 

Sebastian Aho had an interesting night. For starters, he scored twice in the first 21:06 of the game with two incredible shots. The first was a snipe over Eric Comrie's glove, and the second was on the power play from his bumper position. He also sat for six minutes after committing zero penalties. What's the point of having replays if you review something and still get it wrong? Maybe I have no clue what the rules of lifting an opponent's stick into the face of your teammate are, but that doesn't seem like a penalty. Rasmus Dahlin, who was the biggest agitator of them all tonight, lifted Aho's stick into JJ Peterka's face, and it drew blood. The replay showed exactly that, Yet it's four minutes. Had Buffalo scored at any point during that power play, the fans likely would've booed the entire game. The goalie interference penalty was equally as hilarious. Connor Clifton cross-checks Aho into Comrie, who proceeds to flop to the ice, drawing the call. This didn't yield anything for the Sabres either. In fact, they allowed a short-handed goal to Brady Skjei. Aho had a thousand chances to complete the hat trick, but he couldn't get a breakaway through Comrie, so he settled for two goals. 

Everyone in the lineup got a chance to contribute tonight. 11 players found the scoresheet. The defensemen combined for six points. Skjei scored the lone goal. Brent Burns recorded two assists to reach 600 assists in his career. He also was on the ice for five of the Canes' six goals. His defensive partner, Jaccob Slavin, also had two assists. Burns and Slavin were two of six players with multi-point games. Andrei Svechnikov assisted on both goals on the power play. Martin Necas assisted on both goals from the fourth line, one by Jack Drury and the other by Stefan Noesen. Aho found the back of the net twice. Teuvo Teravainen scored his team-leading 11th goal and added an assist. There were no weak links in the lineup. Even the guys who didn't record points did something productive. 

Pyotr Kochetkov wouldn't have started this game if Antti Raanta was feeling well. With Raanta not feeling 100%, Kochetkov started for the fourth straight game, and he was phenomenal. I not going to beat him up for either goal. Casey Mittelstadt placed his shot perfectly to break the shutout early in the third period. The sequence leading to Tyson Jost's goal began with another patented flying poke check by Kochetkov on Peyton Krebs. Kochetkov was out of the play, and Jalen Chatfield flew into the net. Krebs was able to get to the puck before setting up Jost as the puck slid under Chatfield and into the net. Otherwise, he made the timely saves that he couldn't against the Islanders. He started four games in seven games and earned the team seven of a possible eight points. It's hard to be mad about that. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jaccob Slavin- 2 assists

On top of leading an incredible night by the penalty kill (5-for-5), Slavin recorded two assists by simply flipping the puck out of the zone. It might've been a little harder than simply flipping it, but it led to goals by Aho and Noesen, helping him reach double digits in assists. 

2nd Star- Andrei Svechnikov- 2 assists

While the penalty kill was phenomenal, so was the power play. The Canes only had two chances, but they scored both times. Svechnikov recorded primary assists on both goals. His assist in setting up Teravainen late in the second period was especially beautiful, threading the saucer pass through sticks before Teravainen lifted it past Comrie. 

1st Star- Sebastian Aho- 2 goals

Aho should've scored at least four goals tonight, but he'll have to settle for a pair as he continues his incredible stretch. He now has points in four straight games as he extends his team lead. He had as many shots tonight as he did penalty minutes, which kept him in the box longer than he deserved to be. 

Up Next- The Hurricanes are heading to Western Canada to begin a six-game road trip. The trip will take them to Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver during the Western swing. Once they head back east, they'll play a game in Ottawa before returning to the U.S. to face Detroit. The battle with the Red Wings will be the first half of a back-to-back, concluding in Raleigh on December 15 against the Nashville Predators.