2023-24 Regular Season, Game 52: Hurricanes at Dallas Stars (Postgame)

For just the second time in over a month, the Hurricanes are on the road for the first of three stops on their final Western trip of the season. Their first battle was in Dallas to face the stars for the first time this season. The Canes enter the night trying to maintain their position in the division, with the Flyers bearing down and the Rangers trying to extend their lead. The Stars are in the middle of a tough battle in the Central Division, so they can't afford to start slacking now.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

DAL (9:53)- Roope Hintz (23) (assisted by Joe Pavelski (26) & Jason Robertson (36))

2nd Period

CAR (0:13)- Jordan Staal (7) (assisted by Seth Jarvis (25) & Jordan Martinook (10))

DAL (5:04)- Mason Marchment (17) (assisted by Nils Lundkvist (13) & Matt Duchene (31))

CAR (15:16)- Jesper Fast (6) (assisted by Jordan Martinook (11) & Jordan Staal (11))

3rd Period

DAL (4:35)- Jason Robertson (18) (assisted by Joe Pavelski (27) & Jani Hakanpaa (7))

DAL (17:35)- Matt Duchene (19) EN (assisted by Jani Hakanpaa (8))

My Thoughts

There are few certainties in life. Death. Taxes. Reviews involving Jack Drury leading to overturned goals. That last one is a real kicker because while it might not happen often, it seems to happen at the most inconvenient times. The defining moment of the night was the late challenge by the Stars to take Drury's goal off the board for goalie interference. While the goal would've only made it 4-3, it could've been consequential, with the Canes needing just one more goal in the final 92 seconds. I'm a Canes fan, so I can admit my blinding loyalty and bias toward the Hurricanes, but I thought it should've counted. I'm not so blinded that I can't acknowledge the argument against it counting. Jake Oettinger's pad looked like it might've been pushed, thus negating the goal. What I, and most Canes fans, will contest is Ryan Suter pushing Drury into Oettinger as he's going to the puck. Under normal circumstances, that would cause a goal to be upheld. In the end, it would've been one goal in a spot when the Canes needed two. It's over, so we need to move on. 

Overall, this was a solid road game from the Canes, but they probably didn't deserve to win. The Stars capitalized on almost every small opportunity they were given, while the Canes didn't. You can't allow Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson that much time and space to operate without thinking it won't bite you in the behind. Joe Pavelski provided the primary assist for both of his linemates. Matt Duchene added a pair of points, as did former Hurricane Jani Hakanpaa. The Canes' top line combined for zero shots. The Drury line was good, providing nine shots. The Kotkaniemi line had good moments. All of the Canes' scoring came from the Staal line. Jordan Staal scored 13 seconds into the second period before he and Jordan Martinook set up Jesper Fast after a failed power play. It's great that they had a good night, but the rest of the team didn't do much.

Defensively, it was a mixed bag for the Canes. While I felt they were better with the puck than they were against the Devils, they had their share of mishaps. Despite nine shots between them, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei were almost unplayable tonight. They were on the ice for three of the four goals. Pesce, who had missed the last two games, seemed like he was a step behind all night. Otherwise, I felt the other two pairs played well. I've grown to love Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield together. Orlov impressed during Pesce's absence, but Chatfield was the one who stood out tonight.

With each game that Pyotr Kochetkov plays, my confidence in him grows. I wavered a little in the final minute of the first period during the Colorado win, but his performance in the third period and the win over New Jersey restored my faith in him. He went toe-to-toe with Oettinger tonight and stood his ground. Oettinger was the busier of the two and made a few more flashier stops, but Kochetkov was timely in the third period to give his team a chance. While this will go down as a loss, I can't be mad about it. You can't expect him to be perfect every night. All I ask is that he gives the team a chance to win. Tonight, I felt he did that.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jalen Chatfield- 1 shot, 1 hit, 16:04 TOI

I gushed over Orlov over the weekend, so now I want to focus on his partner. There was one play early in the game when he had to make up a ton of ground to prevent a breakaway for Dellandrea, and he closed in legally in a flash. He's consistently the least-played defenseman, but he always seems to make the most of his opportunity. 

2nd Star- Pyotr Kochetkov- 19 saves

I know he took the loss, but it doesn't negate how well I felt he played tonight. Kochetkov made several huge stops in the third period to keep it a one-goal game after Robertson scored. He seemed to have an affinity for stopping Dellandrea. He stoned him on a breakaway in the third period twice, preventing him from making the deficit any larger. 

1st Star- Jordan Staal- 1 goal, 1 assist

We haven't seen many outbursts on offense from the captain this season, but it's always nice when he can get the job done in both zones. It's just the fourth time this season that he's finished with multiple points in a game, and both were timely tonight. His goal 13 seconds into the second period helped to set the tone, while he made a huge pass to Martinook to set up Fast's goal.

Up Next- The Canes will finish their road trip with a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. The next stop will be Mullet Arena to face the Arizona Coyotes. They met right before the break, with the Canes scoring twice in the final minute to win 3-1. The next night, they'll be in Vegas to meet the Golden Knights for the second time. The Canes ran them out of the building when they came to Raleigh in December.