2023-24 Regular Season, Game 26: Hurricanes at Calgary Flames (Postgame)

Less than 24 hours after being embarrassed by the Edmonton Oilers, the Hurricanes were back in action to complete the Alberta portion of the tour against the Calgary Flames. Following the 6-1 loss, the Canes could only improve after a brutal 60 minutes. The Flames have started to find their game of late, turning things around after a tough start. With Dustin Wolf in the net, they would be getting a glimpse of what their future could hold. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (2:10)- Stefan Noesen (7) (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (13) & Jack Drury (4))

CAR (8:49)- Michael Bunting (6) (assisted by Dmitry Orlov (9) & Martin Necas (12))

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

CGY (5:42)- Rasmus Andersson (4) (assisted by Blake Coleman (8) & MacKenzie Weegar (9))

CGY (7:03)- Connor Zary (5) (assisted by Adam Ruzicka (5) & Nazem Kadri (12))

CGY (11:44)- Blake Coleman (7) SH (assisted by Yegor Sharangovich (7))

My Thoughts

It's not that I'm at a loss for words. I'm just not sure how to properly express how it felt to watch the third period. I wouldn't describe it as an out-of-body experience because I felt every painful second of it. "Deflated" might be an oversimplification. "Run over by a truck" might be an overexaggeration. It was somewhere between those two, though. That doesn't really narrow it down. Just know I wasn't having a good time watching the lead quickly disappear as the Flames eventually took the lead and won. 

The news of Andrei Svechnikov's absence tonight wasn't a good way to start, but the team responded by playing a 15-minute segment far better than anything we saw last night. Stefan Noesen and Michael Bunting each found the back of the net on redirections, giving the Canes a two-goal lead to play with. Through the end of the first period, I was feeling fine. As the second period played on, my confidence slowly started to fade. Dustin Wolf started to make some great stops. This meant it was only a matter of time before something bad happened. Once the bad things started happening, death was quick but painful. 

Pyotr Kochetkov looked much better tonight than he did in his six minutes against Edmonton. Through two periods, he was lights out. He nearly blew it early in the second but recovered to make a huge stop on Nazem Kadri. Once Rasmus Andersson broke the shutout in the third, it felt like the worst was yet to come. I don't put any blame on Kochetkov for the first goal. The next two are a different story. Adam Ruzicka got in on a breakaway, and Kochetkov stood his ground to make the stop. Unfortunately, Kochetkov didn't stop it entirely. Connor Zary got to the puck on the goal line first, pushing it into the net to tie the game. The eventual game-winner was the worst of them all. Blake Coleman's shot can't go in, especially not with your team on the power play. I've been one of the most vocal supporters of the Canes' goaltenders this season. I can't defend it tonight. Kochetkov was outplayed by Wolf for the final 40 minutes, resulting in another loss that's hard to swallow. 

There's no simple fix to the problems the Canes are having right now. It's partially because there are a lot of problems that need to be addressed. The power play is allowing more goals than it's scoring. Calling the goaltending "inconsistent" might be a nice way of putting it. The defense hasn't helped make life easier for the goalies. The team's stars have become invisible at the worst times. They have been the second-best team at 5-on-5 the entire trip. Sure, the team could make a trade, but where do they start, and who is sent packing as a result?

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Dmitry Orlov- 1 goal

While he finished the night as a -1, I liked how Orlov started tonight's game. He was firing the puck from every angle, and it eventually led to an assist. Initially, we thought he'd get credit for a goal, but his 95-mph blast was redirected by Bunting. 

2nd Star- Jack Drury- 1 assist

The fourth line continues to be my favorite to watch. They've been the most consistent line for the last month, regardless of who the third man on the line is. Drury's assist came from him simply winning a draw. He put into motion the play that resulted in the first goal. 

1st Star- Stefan Noesen- 1 goal

The importance of the Canes playing with a lead was a big key coming into the game. After a terrible start in Edmonton, the Canes needed to establish their game early. Noesen's hands allowed that to happen just over two minutes in. It's a shame that it wouldn't hold because the start of the game was the best part of the Canes' game. 

Up Next- The Canes have one game left before they head back east to close the road trip. They'll finish things out west in Vancouver, looking to break the goose egg in the win column. They'll close the trip in Ottawa and Detroit next week before completing a back-to-back on Friday against the Predators.