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

After returning from the break with a 3-2 loss to the Canucks on Tuesday night, the Hurricanes looked to rebound with the Colorado Avalanche in town. The return to play hasn't been kind to the Avalanche, who've lost both games on their road trip thus far. After allowing four goals on special teams in their first meeting, the Canes looked to shut down one of the most lethal offenses in the league while trying to keep up with the Rangers in the division.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (1:52)- Martin Necas (14) (assisted by Brady Skjei (21) & Jordan Staal (10))

CAR (6:25)- Martin Necas (15) (assisted by Brent Burns (21) & Teuvo Teravainen (15))

CAR (16:51)- Martin Necas (16) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (16) & Jaccob Slavin (17))

COL (19:33)- Zach Parise (1) (assisted by Logan O'Connor (12) & Sam Girard (12))

COL (19:40)- Sam Girard (3) (assisted by Andrew Cogliano (10))

2nd Period

CAR (12:06)- Michael Bunting (11) PP (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (17) & Brent Burns (22))

3rd Period

CAR (19:06)- Seth Jarvis (16) EN-AWD (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (18) & Sebastian Aho (38))

My Thoughts

Had the Canes lost this game after experiencing the insane high provided by Martin Necas' first-period natural hat trick, I might've lost my mind. Fortunately, we didn't have to experience that tonight. The end of the first period was one of the most insane changes in momentum I've ever experienced as a hockey fan. We went from exuberance after Necas' third goal to pure panic after Pyotr Kochetkov failed to stop a shot from center ice. I've seen players score from the neutral zone a few times, but that was unreal. It evoked feelings of Scott Darling allowing a goal to Mika Zibanejad on a flip into the zone over six years ago. Just search for "Scott Darling bad goal" on YouTube, and you'll find it, but only if you want to feel insanely depressed. 

We've seen instances when a goalie was pulled and returned after their backup got hurt. Off the top of my head, I know it happened last season when the Flyers were in Raleigh in December. I think it might've happened to the Canes recently, too. Antti Raanta came into the game in the second period and played a fantastic period. His biggest save was a pad stop on Nathan MacKinnon at the side of the net. Raanta stopped nine shots, but he wasn't on the ice to start the third period after suffering a lower-body injury. Kochetkov could've easily allowed the end of the first period to dictate the rest of the night, but he didn't. He's still young, and we've seen plenty of great moments from Kochetkov, but his lows are very low. This could've been an all-time low if he'd allowed it to be. Instead, he turned away ten shots in the third period and helped finish the win. 

To see where the Canes' special teams are now compared to where they were at the beginning of the season is astounding. We've grown used to these types of games lately, but they weren't there to begin the season, especially during that early road trip. They killed all six of Colorado's power plays, though the Avalanche had a hand in that, negating a few of them by taking penalties. The back-to-back penalties the Canes took midway through the second period could've been their downfall. During the second penalty for too many men, they drew an interference call to finish the kill. On the ensuing power play, Michael Bunting scored their lone tally with the man advantage. While they only converted once on six attempts, the timeliness of Bunting's goal is what matters the most. 

At the end of the night, the individual efforts are going to dominate the headlines. Necas' hat trick in the first period was the highlight of the game. He's on another level right now. Teuvo Teravainen is starting to play like the playmaker we're used to seeing. He has multi-point games in three of the last five contests, setting a personal best tonight with four assists. His pass to Bunting on the goal in the second period was filthy, making Cale Makar look lost. Brent Burns picked up two more assists. Seth Jarvis scored a goal without putting the puck in the net in his 200th game. He was also strong defensively, including a glove save early in the third period. Dmitry Orlov was great on the penalty kill, playing in Brett Pesce's spot, with Pesce missing the game because he was under the weather. The Canes played a complete game, and while it got scary for a minute, they earned this win.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Brent Burns- 2 assists

Tonight was a 200-foot effort for Burns. He recorded two helpers, setting up Necas for his second goal and earning the secondary helper on the power-play goal. He also made a few big defensive plays, blocking some tough shots and tying up a stick that would've led to a tap-in on the backdoor in the third period. 

2nd Star- Martin Necas- 3 goals (1st NHL Hat Trick)

Usually, the player with a natural hat trick would be the 1st Star, but I've made an exception tonight. By no means does that diminish Necas' accomplishment. In fact, it means nothing because it's just my opinion. I'm not sure I've ever seen one player assert their dominance in that fashion that quickly in a game. If I have, it has been a long time. 

1st Star- Teuvo Teravainen- 4 assists

On a night when history was made, the star of the show was the guy setting his teammates up for glory. Teravainen was responsible for two of Necas' goals, along with the final two goals of the game to put the Avalanche away. His passes to directly influence goals were great, but his secondary assist on Necas' second goal was equally as impressive. 

Up Next- The Canes will finish their homestand by celebrating Whalers Night on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils fell 5-3 to the Calgary Flames tonight in Jack Hughes' return to the lineup. Next week, the Canes will be heading West, facing the Stars for the first time this season, while concluding their season series with the Coyotes and Golden Knights during a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday.