2023-24 Regular Season, Game 27: Hurricanes at Vancouver Canucks (Postgame)

The road trip continued for the Canes, though most of us wish it were over with how poorly it has gone. Despite a 2-0 lead heading into the third period, the Hurricanes fell apart, allowing three goals, including a short-handed tally, to the Flames in a 3-2 loss to fall to 0-3-0 on the trip. Their reward? Facing the Vancouver Canucks, who have been one of the biggest surprises thus far this season. With a quintet that rivals most in the league, the Canucks are not who I wanted to see with the team struggling this much. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

VAN (6:17)- Sam Lafferty (8) (assisted by Elias Pettersson (25) & Ian Cole (4))

2nd Period

VAN (6:54)- Ilya Mikheyev (9) (assisted by Elias Pettersson (26) & Sam Lafferty (7))

CAR (7:23)- Jordan Martinook (1) (assisted by Jesper Fast (4) & Jaccob Slavin (14))

VAN (13:46)- JT Miller (15) (assisted by Brock Boeser (14) & Nils Hoglander (4))

CAR (19:04)- Brady Skjei (5) PP (assisted by Dmitry Orlov (10) & Michael Bunting (11))

3rd Period

CAR (2:10)- Stefan Noesen (8) (assisted by Jack Drury (5) & Brent Burns (8))

VAN (3:29)- Elias Pettersson (11) (assisted by Ilya Mikheyev (7) & Filip Hronek (24))

My Thoughts

If I'm being completely honest, I've grown numb to the road struggles at this point. I came into tonight's game just hoping they wouldn't get run out of the building like they were in Edmonton. In that regard, they succeeded, albeit with an incredibly low bar. Then, the Canes did the cruelest thing they could. They gave me hope going into the third period. Even worse, they tied it and made me think they could really break their losing streak, only to yank the carrot away almost immediately after they tied it. I should've known better. 

For the third time during this trip, the Hurricanes lost to a handful of players. In Winnipeg, it was Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Kyle Connor. In Edmonton, it was Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Mattias Janmark. Tonight, it was Elias Pettersson, Ilya Mikheyev, and Sam Lafferty. Pettersson had a goal and two assists, while his linemates had a goal and an assist each. One line nearly outproduced the entirety of the Canes. Thatcher Demko didn't even have a great game, either. He made timely stops early in the game to keep Carolina at bay, but he wasn't spectacular down the stretch like the three goalies they'd seen on this trip. The Canes had everything going for them at the end of the second period and the beginning of the third. They did everything they could to get back in the game. It came down to a few mistakes defensively, which is the story of the trip thus far.

For 40 minutes, Antti Raanta looked really good. He made huge stops on Andrei Kuzmenko and Brock Boeser in the first period to limit the damage, especially with Vancouver holding an early 13-2 advantage in shots. I can't put any of Vancouver's goals in the first two periods on him. They came about because of breakdowns defensively. Every good thing Raanta did tonight went out the door once Pettersson scored the eventual game-winner. Stefan Noesen had just tied the game early in the third to erase a two-goal deficit. The Canes had all the momentum on their side. Then, Pettersson scores the weakest goal of the night. Yes, Sebastian Aho was outmuscled by Pettersson, but this isn't a shot that should ever go into the net. It was along the ice from a non-threatening angle. Raanta has to get his team a stop there. Instead, it's the difference in the game. 

Raanta doesn't deserve all the blame for this loss. Martin Necas looked lost in the defensive zone in the second period, leading to two goals for the Canucks. Michael Bunting was also complicit in allowing JT Miller's one-timer. It continues a discouraging trend of the stars failing to meet the challenge. Aho hasn't scored on the trip. Neither have Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teravainen, or Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Bunting is a -8. The power play had been 0-for-10 on the trip, including 0-for-4 in this game, before Brady Skjei scored with the man advantage in the final minute of the second period. They still are a net-zero team on the power play during the trip, with the short-handed goal allowed to Calgary. The goalies haven't been able to get saves down the stretch to steal wins. It has been a comedy of errors for the entire week. I'm not sure a players-only meeting after tonight's loss is enough to change this. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jack Drury- 1 assist

On this trip, Drury has been the best center for the Canes. He picked up another point tonight, giving him points in two straight games. It was nearly a goal as he redirected Burns' shot off the bottom of the crossbar for Noesen to put home. He's playing this well despite playing the second-fewest minutes in the last four games. 

2nd Star- Jordan Martinook- 1 goal

While it didn't result in a win tonight, getting Martinook on the board could do huge things for him moving forward. His goal came at an important time in the game after the Canes had fallen behind 2-0. He was great last December, so this could help get him on the right path. 

1st Star- Stefan Noesen- 1 goal

Noesen was the Canes' most effective player at 5-on-5 tonight. While he's most known for being a great presence in front of the goalie, he's become one of the most important players on the team. He came up with the tying goal early in the third period to give the Canes some life before it was immediately snatched away from them by the Canucks. 

Up Next- The western portion of the trip has come to an end. Unfortunately, it isn't getting any easier for the Canes. The fifth stop on the trip is in Ottawa to face the Senators for the second time this season and the first time since Opening Night. The trip ends with a battle with the Detroit Red Wings. Newly-signed Patrick Kane scored his first goal as a Red Wing on Saturday night. The game in Detroit will be the first half of a back-to-back that will conclude in Raleigh on Friday against the Nashville Predators.