2023-24 Regular Season, Game 50: Hurricanes vs. Colorado Avalanche (Pregame)

The return from the break didn't quite go as expected for the Hurricanes as they returned to the ice on Tuesday night. Coming in on a three-game win streak, they welcomed the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Canucks into town. Things started well as Jordan Martinook buried a short-handed goal 4:25 into the contest to get the Canes on the board first. From there, the Canucks took control. It took them a while, but the Canucks got it back on the power play. Newly acquired Elias Lindholm redirected a Quinn Hughes shot going several feet wide past Pyotr Kochetkov, who was making his first start in 29 days. Lindholm struck again late in the second period on the power play, doing almost exactly the same thing by redirecting a Hughes shot into the net. The Canes' power play came through late in the period as well. Sebastian Aho snapped a wicked shot from beyond the left dot past Thatcher Demko to even the score. The difference in the contest came early in the third period. Kochetkov was a little too lackadaisical on a dump-in that was rimmed around the boards. The puck hit a stanchion and popped out in front. Kochetkov was able to stop the initial chance from Brock Boeser, but JT Miller was there to clean up the rebound to put the Canucks back ahead. The Canes pushed hard to find the tying goal, coming close a few times, but Demko shut the door as the Canucks held on for a 3-2 victory. Lindholm, Hughes, and Boeser all finished with two points, while no Hurricanes finished with a multi-point night. 

The Opponent: Colorado Avalanche (32-15-4, 68 Points- 1st in the Central Division)

Last Meeting- Denver was the second to last stop on the Canes' State Fair road trip in October. The first period was a little quiet. Jesperi Kotkaniemi opened the scoring with 3:51 left in the period, but Ryan Johansen got it back on the power play in the final minute of the period to tie it. Business picked up in the second period. Logan O'Connor put Colorado ahead while short-handed less than two minutes in. Brent Burns got one back on the power play, and Michael Bunting put the Canes ahead again less than halfway through the period. From there, Colorado took control. The Avalanche scored four times in 7:14, including twice on the power play, to take a 6-3 lead. It was a very deflating feeling, and even after Jaccob Slavin pulled the Canes within two goals, it never felt like they had a chance as Colorado won 6-4. Eight players finished with multi-point games, led by Artturi Lehkonen's four points.

Since We Last Met- The Avalanche remains one of the best teams in the Western Conference. I'd argue they're one of the two best teams in the entire league with Vancouver. They went through a small lull in December but have been rolling since around Christmas. They were 13-3-1 going into the All-Star Break, but they have stumbled a little out of the break. Colorado led 1-0 going into the third period on Monday in New York but ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 decision in overtime. The next night in New Jersey, they worked back into the game after trailing 3-1 before allowing two goals late in the third period as they fell 5-3 to the Devils. Still, this team is loaded from top to bottom. Nathan MacKinnon is in a battle with Nikita Kucherov for the Art Ross, sitting with 32 goals and 53 assists, both of which are in the Top 5 in the league. Mikko Rantanen is on the verge of 30 goals, while Cale Makar has topped 60 points, second in the league among defensemen. Despite a sub-.900 save percentage, Alexandar Georgiev is tied for the league lead with 27 wins. This is a team that is primed to fight for the Central Division crown and could threaten for the Western Conference title.

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. Still Waiting on Kotkaniemi

This is probably the third time in the last month or so that I've talked about waiting for Jesperi Kotkaniemi to finally do something. He's been scoreless in eight games. He hasn't scored a goal in 17 games. He has one goal and two assists in 28 games. For a player making as much money as him, this isn't acceptable. However, Kotkaniemi was one of the team's best skaters in their loss to the Canucks. He finished with three shots, was on the ice late in the game, and nearly had the tying goal. It was as welcome of a sign as we could've expected coming off the week-long break. I'm not giving up on him yet. I'm expecting a strong follow-up tonight. I'll be as bullish as to say that he's scoring a goal against the Avalanche. 

2. Post-Break Funk Should Be Worn Off

The Canes came out of the gate a step slower than normal, which was to be expected after the long layoff. Throughout the night, they got their legs under them, playing very well in the third period despite the loss. With this being the second game back, there are no excuses. Colorado has already played twice, so they're more than back into the swing of things. If the Canes come out slowly again, they're going to be run out of the building by the Avalanche. This isn't the easiest way to return from the break, but they don't have a choice but to embrace it. 

3. Slowing Down the Lethal Weapons

When they met in October, the Canes weren't able to keep Colorado's big guns at bay. Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Ryan Johansen had two points each. Mikko Rantanen scored a goal. Artturi Lehkonen had four points. The Canes' stars couldn't hang, and not having Sebastian Aho in the lineup didn't help things. It's going to take all 19 guys to get the job done. All of their skaters will need to step up, and whoever is in the goal, between Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta, will have to be on their A-game. They weren't able to do that against the Canucks. This is going to be easier said than done, but we've seen plenty of times that this team is capable of doing so.