2023-24 Regular Season, Game 41: Hurricanes vs. Anaheim Ducks (Pregame)

After taking down Washington 6-2 to close their road trip, the Hurricanes returned home to complete a back-to-back against the visiting St. Louis Blues. Stefan Noesen returned to the lineup after missing the game against the Capitals due to illness. The Blues opened the scoring after Nathan Walker buried a breakaway through the five-hole of Antti Raanta. The Canes were quick to respond when Teuvo Teravainen scored on the power play just over two minutes later to knot things up again. That's all the scoring we would get through 60 minutes. Raanta and Jordan Binnington went toe-to-toe all night, making huge stop after huge stop to keep their team in the game. Both sides were content with at least one point, sending the game to overtime. Both teams had chances, but neither could break through. Raanta made a huge stop on Brandon Saad to keep it tied as they moved to the shootout. The Canes took an early lead after Sebastian Aho beat Binnington, but Jake Neighbours tied it, and Brayden Schenn won it to earn the Blues the second point. The loss snapped the Canes' five-game win streak, but it improved their point streak to six games. 

The Opponent: Anaheim Ducks (14-25-1, 29 Points- 7th in the Pacific Division)

Last Meeting- Their first battle this season came during the Canes' early west coast trip. The Ducks dominated early, scoring three goals in the first period courtesy of Sam Carrick, Frank Vatrano, and rookie Pavel Mintyukov, who tallied his first NHL goal. Teuvo Teravainen scored his third goal in as many games to get the Canes on the board, but Vatrano wiped it out with his second of the night. The power play would allow Carolina to get back into the game. Teravainen buried his second goal just over three minutes into the period, and Martin Necas scored with 4:31 left to draw within a goal. Unfortunately, the comeback would fall short. Cam Fowler would score into the empty net before Vatrano did the same to complete the hat trick. Anaheim earned a convincing 6-3 victory, handing the Canes their first loss of the season. 

Since We Last Met- After a surprisingly strong 9-6-0 start, the Ducks have had their wings clipped. They are 5-19-1 in their last 25 games, getting outscored 90-55 during that span. The losses have come in bunches with two five-game and a seven-game losing streak. They just snapped a losing streak on Tuesday, winning 5-3 in Nashville, barely holding on after opening up a 5-0 lead. They lost Trevor Zegras during the game after he took an awkward fall along the boards, and he'll likely be out for a while as a result. Frank Vatrano, who recorded a hat trick in their meeting in Anaheim in October, has continued his incredible season. The Ducks' All-Star leads the team with 19 goals and 29 points. Rookie Pavel Mintyukov has also been phenomenal in his first season. Despite strong performances from a select few, the offense hasn't been coming recently. They're averaging the fourth-fewest goals per game in the league. While their goaltending hasn't been incredible, they might have a diamond in the rough. Lukas Dostal has acted as the backup for most of the season, yet he equals John Gibson in wins with seven. Dostal put in an incredible start last week, stopping a franchise-record 55 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs. 

Stories/Keys of the Night

1. Staying Hot After a Long Layoff

Including Christmas, this is the longest break the Canes have had between games this season. They're in the midst of a six-game point streak after having their win streak snapped on Saturday. Still, they have points in 12 of their last 13 games and are going to be at home for most of January. With second in the division firmly in their hands at the moment, this is the time for the Canes to wrap their hands around it and never let go. PNC Arena has proven to be a great equalizer for the team. With most of the games coming against teams outside of the division, the Canes can't afford to go cold now. The Ducks are a team struggling to find wins. This has all the makings of a trap game. Setting the tone early will put us all at ease. 

2. Now Paging Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The early-season success of Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been well-documented, but so too has his inability to find the scoresheet. Kotkaniemi has three goals and an assist in his last 26 games and just two points in the last month. I've been holding out hope that we'd see a turnaround recently, but it hasn't come to fruition. It's starting to become now or never for him. He's starting to get outplayed by Jack Drury, who couldn't buy a goal to begin the season. He's locked in for a long time, so moving him isn't a feasible option. It has been time for him to step up, and we haven't seen it yet. We're getting tired of waiting. 

3. The Ducks are Selling Early

When you're presented with an option to pick up another future star, especially one with the pedigree of Cutter Gauthier, you go for it. The Ducks traded Jamie Drysdale and a 2nd Round pick in 2025 to acquire Gauthier, and while he won't be signing until after the college season, it signals that the Ducks are open for business on the trade market. They have a few pending UFAs and a goalie with a few years left who could find themselves on contenders by the trade deadline. There are about two months left until the March 8th deadline, so business is booming in Anaheim. It doesn't mean they're going to roll over and quit, but they likely won't be the same team once March comes around.