2023-24 Regular Season, Game 58: Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres (Pregame)

The Hurricanes saw their four-game win streak thrown away by the Dallas Stars last night, losing a tight 2-1 contest at PNC Arena. Dallas got on the board first after Jason Robertson's pass attempt ended up back on his stick and into the net late in the first period. Sebastian Aho wasted little time getting the Canes on the board in the second period. Aho beat Jake Oettinger on a breakaway just over two minutes into the period, beating him over the glove, like he did against Sergei Bobrovsky on Thursday night. Wyatt Johnston reclaimed the lead for Dallas less than six minutes later, using Jaccob Slavin as a screen to beat Pyotr Kochetkov. The 2-1 lead would stick for the Stars. The Canes managed just four shots in the third period, falling at home to finish their homestand. Oettinger finished the night with 20 stops, while Kochetkov stopped 14 of 16. Aho extended his goal streak to three games, while Andrei Svechnikov and Jesper Fast extended their point streaks to four and three games, respectively.

The Opponent: Buffalo Sabres (26-27-4, 56 Points- 6th in the Atlantic Division)

Last Meeting- The Canes ran through the Sabres when they met in early December in Raleigh, their second meeting in Raleigh this season. Sebastian Aho and Jack Drury each beat Eric Comrie over his glove to put the Canes up 2-0 after 20 minutes. Aho added his second of the game early in the second period on the power play, kickstarting a three-goal period for the Canes. Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teravainen, also on the power play, scored the other two goals. Buffalo got on the board in the third period when Casey Mittelstadt broke Pyotr Kochetkov's shutout, but Brady Skjei got it back to make it 6-1. Tyson Jost got one more for Buffalo, but it was far from enough, as the Canes dominated the Sabres 6-2. Five Hurricanes finished with multi-point nights, while Kochetkov stopped 20 shots in the win.

Since We Last Met- The Sabres have been playing slightly over .500 hockey over the last 2+ months, going 16-15-2 since meeting on December 2. They're coming off consecutive wins during their Dad's Trip last week, beating Montreal and Columbus in a pair of tight games. While it hasn't amounted to significant success since we last met, the Sabres have improved a lot defensively. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is a big reason for that. His GAA and save percentage since December 2 are both in the Top 10 in the league. The Sabres are allowing 2.70 goals per game during that span, 7th-best in the league. Luukkonen also has four shutouts this season, the 4th most in the NHL. Their offense continues to be an issue. They're in the Bottom 10 in the league in goals per game (2.91) and own the 6th-worst power play (14.6%). Casey Mittelstadt leads the team with 31 assists and 44 points, with Rasmus Dahlin right behind him with 43 points. No one on the team has hit 20 goals yet, though JJ Peterka (19) and Jeff Skinner (18) are both close. It's looking very likely that Buffalo will miss the postseason once again, needing a lot of help to jump into a Wild Card spot. 

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. The Rest of the Lineup Needs to Wake Up

It wasn't long ago that I was begging for the top line to step up and start scoring again. Now, I'm asking the rest of the team to do the same. Over the last two games, the only players on the scoresheet for the Hurricanes have been Sebastian Aho, Jesper Fast, and Andrei Svechnikov. The other lines have had good opportunities to score, but nothing has come together. It can only go that way for so long before it becomes a problem. Tonight, against a team falling further behind in the standings, would be a perfect night for them to score a bunch of goals. I'm especially looking for the Kotkaniemi line to provide something. They did against Vegas and Chicago, but it hasn't been coming with any consistency. 

2. Time for More Martin Magic

In his three starts with the Hurricanes, Spencer Martin has been phenomenal. Even in his last start against Chicago, when he was just okay, the team supported him by scoring six goals. His wins over Boston and Vegas are among some of the best goaltending performances we've seen this season, helping the Canes steal a couple of tough games. With it being the second half of a back-to-back, Martin will be in the net tonight against the Sabres. This'll be another important starting after losing last night. The goal is to start the road trip strongly before moving to Minnesota and Columbus. Martin has proven he can be relied upon in these spots. 

3. Sabres Officially in Spoiler Mode

With the Sabres likely out of contention for the playoffs and destined to be sellers ar the trade deadline, this gives them plenty of time to spoil everyone else's time. It's a role they've grown accustomed to after over a decade without postseason hockey. They have the tools to do it, too. They have great young scorers who can score in bunches. They have a goalie who has turned into a beast between the pipes. Buffalo is already a tough building to go into, even if the home team's record isn't fantastic. This is not a group you want to overlook on the schedule. It's the final time they'll face the Canes this season, but that first meeting in Raleigh was a doozy. I'm expecting the same tonight.