2023-24 Regular Season, Game 36: Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens (Pregame)

The Hurricanes returned to the ice last night with a huge 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators, who handed the Canes a 6-5 overtime loss just 12 days prior. The power play set the pace in the first period. Sebastian Aho notched his 500th NHL point by snapping a shot past Juuse Saros and then picked up point #501 later in the period when Brent Burns snapped one home from the point. Nashville got on the board early in the second period when Gustav Nyquist batted home a rebound to make it 2-1. The Canes' top line got another shortly after as Aho found Andrei Svechnikov for his third goal of the season. Ryan O'Reilly scored his second goal on the power play in as many meetings to make it 3-2, but the hard work from the Canes' fourth line got the goal back as Jack Drury trickled one past Saros. The Canes' power play struck for a third time late in the second as Seth Jarvis redirected a shot into the net. Saros would be on the bench to begin the third period, and the Canes defense settled in to complete a 5-2 win. Aho finished the night with four points, Burns, Svechnikov, and Jarvis all had multi-point games, and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 35 shots to get the Canes on the right track coming out of the break. 

The Opponent: Montreal Canadiens (15-13-5, 35 Points- 6th in the Atlantic Division)

Few teams were hit with the injury bug worse than the Canadiens were last season. Superstar goalie Carey Price missed the entire season. Leading goal scorer Cole Caufield was limited to 46 games. Only nine players played at least 60 games, with captain Nick Suzuki being the only player to stay healthy for all 82. Suzuki was also the only player to record more than 40 points, leading the team with 66. The duo of Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen did all they could, but Montreal finished in the cellar of the division. The Canadiens had their hands all over the offseason. They helped facilitate the Erik Karlsson trade, acquired Alex Newhook from Colorado, and signed several of their young players to deals, but they didn't do much to improve their team in the short term. They also haven't had much injury luck again. Kirby Dach is out for the season. Alex Newhook, Jordan Harris, Tanner Pearson, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard have all missed time recently. However, the Canadiens are sticking around. They're just a few points out of a playoff spot in a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Suzuki continues to lead the way with ten goals and 30 points. Caufield and Mike Matheson have 24 points each. The goalies have been decent, too. Montembeault, who signed an extension earlier in the season, has nearly split the starts with Allen, but he's been the better goalie. Their success has come despite being a bottom-six offense in the league. December has been a decent month for Montreal, going 5-2-3 heading into the break. They've won three of their last four games, including a 5-2 win in Chicago before the break. Christmas helped to break up a seven-game road trip for Montreal. They'll play their first four games out of the break on the road. 

Last Season's Meetings- The Hurricanes swept their three meetings against Montreal, including two wins in Montreal. The first meeting came right before the Stadium Series game as the team inducted Cam Ward into the Hurricanes Hall of Fame. The teams were tied 2-2 after 40 minutes, but three goals in the first five minutes of the third period from Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Jordan Staal allowed the Canes to open things up. Jarvis, who had also scored in the first period, completed his first NHL hat trick by scoring a beautiful short-handed goal late in the game as the Canes won 6-2. Things were a lot tighter when they met in Montreal a few weeks later. The Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei helped even the game early in the second period. Michael Pezzetta put Montreal back ahead, where it would stay for most of the night. Jesper Fast found the tying goal late in the third period, forcing overtime. The game would require a shootout, and in the sixth round, Jesperi Kotkaniemi put the game to bed to help the Canes secure the second point. The final meeting on April Fool's Day in Montreal was dominated by the Hurricanes. Skjei, Paul Stastny, and Aho scored for the Canes, and Antti Raanta only faced 14 shots as Carolina cruised to a 3-0 win.

Stories/Keys of the Games

1. Kotkaniemi and Aho Will Always Be the Focus

Right now, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Sebastian Aho are trending in opposite directions. Kotkaniemi is in the midst of a terrible scoring drought, recording just three goals in his last 21 contests. Meanwhile, Aho is on a heater. He has 13 points in eight games after being held scoreless in Western Canada and is coming off a four-point night that featured his 500th NHL point. He has opened a wide gap between him and Seth Jarvis for the team lead in points. Both have a history with the Canadiens, and both like playing the Canadiens. The business with the offer sheets isn't going away any time soon. As long as they're still playing in this league, it'll be mentioned every time either plays against Montreal. I've been waiting for Kotkaniemi to break out of his funk. Tonight could be the night he does it. 

2. Raanta Gets Back Between the Pipes

While I'm writing this before anything has been made official, conventional wisdom would suggest that Antti Raanta will be in the net for the Hurricanes tonight. Especially after Pyotr Kochetkov faced 37 shots in last night's win. Raanta's struggles and subsequent placement on waivers have been widely discussed. He went 1-0-1 during his brief stint in Chicago as he tried to rebuild his confidence. Raanta's numbers against Montreal during his career are elite. He's 8-1-0 in 12 appearances, with a 2.13 GAA, a .927 save percentage, and two shutouts. He faced them three times last season, going 2-0-0, though he was forced to leave early in one start due to an injury. In front of the Caniacs at PNC Arena, Raanta should be able to draw from their energy as he tries to earn the team back-to-back wins. 

3. Slafkovsky Starting to Break Out?

When Juraj Slafkovsky was selected first overall in the 2022 Draft, some people were a little surprised, myself included. He was limited to 39 games last season due to a knee injury, and his numbers weren't very impressive. He scored just four goals and ten points, causing some to be concerned with his status as a potential bust. In his second year, Slafkovsky started to show some signs of life. His numbers, while not jumping off the charts, are already better than last season, and he's been a more central part of their efforts. He's coming off consecutive multi-point games before Christmas, so he'll be a player to watch as he faces the Hurricanes for the first time.