2023-24 Regular Season, Game 59: Hurricanes at Minnesota Wild (Pregame)

The Hurricanes' road trip didn't start on the best of terms on Sunday night. They were completing the second half of a back-to-back when they met the Buffalo Sabres for the third and final time this season. Things started well, with Tony DeAngelo finishing a beautiful passing sequence early in the period to get the Canes off and running. Spencer Martin was also sharp to begin the game. Jeff Skinner stung his old team early in the second period, putting home a rebound on the power play to tie the game. The Canes thought they'd taken the lead when Teuvo Teravainen buried a shot, but it was blown dead before the goal was scored for a hand pass. Further evaluation appeared to show there was no hand pass on the play, but the Canes couldn't review it. They would eventually find the go-ahead goal with less than six minutes left in regulation after Martin Necas buried a one-timer on the power play, but Owen Power responded 1:13 later to send the game to overtime. Neither side could settle things in the extra five minutes, and Casey Mittelstadt was the only player to score in the shootout, beating Martin in the fourth round to help the Sabres win 3-2.

The Opponent: Minnesota Wild (28-24-6, 62 Points- 6th in the Central Division)

Last Meeting- The Wild visited Raleigh in mid-November for a Sunday night battle. The Canes got on the board first after Martin Necas beat Filip Gustavsson late in the period, but Kirill Kaprizov got it back with 2:17 left on a beautiful redirection. Kaprizov struck again in the second period, putting the Wild ahead for the first time with the only goal of the period. Michael Bunting snapped a shot from the left dot into the net just before the midway point in the third period, only to have Joel Eriksson Ek score 1:15 later to restore Minnesota's lead. Kaprizov completed the hat trick with an empty-netter, and Jacob Middleton added one more for good measure as the Wild won 5-2. Eriksson Ek finished with three points in the game, while Filip Gustavsson stopped 40 shots. Antti Raanta took the loss, stoping 14 of 17 shots.

Since We Last Met- The Wild are on a roll, especially their stars. Kirill Kaprizov is coming off being named the league'e first star after leading the league with 12 points. Half of those points came in their 10-7 win over Vancouver last Monday, in which Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek had a hat trick and three assists each. Mats Zuccarello finished tied for second in scoring with ten points. It continues a stretch of incredible hockey for Minnesota, who has pulled within four points of the second Wild Card spot with plenty of the season left. Since beating the Hurricanes in Raleigh, the Wild have gone 8-3-1, with wins in their last two games. Over their last 12 games, Kaprizov has 21 points, tied for fourth in the league during that stretch. In general, their offense has been fantastic, averaging 3.83 goals per game since January 21, which is the second-best in the league. They also feature a pair of excellent rookies in Brock Faber and Marco Rossi. Faber, who had two assists in Raleigh, leads all rookies with 30 assists, while Rossi is tied with Connor Bedard for the most goals among rookies with 17. Injuries have been a slight issue lately, with both Eriksson Ek and Zach Bogosian going down on Saturday against Seattle, Marcus Foligno likely out tonight, and Pat Maroon nursing a back injury. 

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. Starving For Offense

After a six-goal outburst against Chicago last Monday, the Hurricanes have combined to score four goals in their last three games. It was fine against Florida, considering they didn't allow a goal, but they've fallen short in their last two games because the offense couldn't find the back of the net. That's not going to cut it, especially against an opponent who is scoring in bunches at the moment. Given how the season started, it's interesting that we're talking about the lack of scoring and not the goaltending because Pyotr Kochetkov and Spencer Martin have been phenomenal lately. The Aho line had been doing most of the work last week before Martin Necas had a strong game in Buffalo. Now, it's time for everyone to come together, like they did against the Blackhawks. 

2. The Road Has Been Kind to Carolina

Despite the shootout loss in Buffalo on Sunday, the Hurricanes have been playing very well on the road lately. Dating back to their Canadian road trip in mid-December, the Canes are 9-1-2 in their last 12 road contests, with the lone regulation loss coming in Dallas two weeks ago. It includes some wins in hostile environments, too. It's an area of their game that had been missing at the beginning of the season. Like most of what Minnesota has done this season, they're an average home team, going 14-11-4 at Xcel Energy Center this season. Since the start of 2024, they're just 4-6-2 at home. If the Canes can jump on the Wild early, that trend could continue.

3. Slowing Down Minnesota Will Be Easier Said Than Done

The Wild under John Hynes have been all over the place, but their recent play has them looking like a team who could find their way into the postseason. In their last 16 games, the Wild are averaging over four goals per game, trailing only Toronto since January 15. Kirill Kaprizov has 29 points during that time, tied for third in the league. Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek have turned into an insane duo, while Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello have been complimentary pieces who are contributing a lot, too. This offensive confidence has helped improve their power play. If there's one area they can improve, it's in the net. They're getting league-average goaltending from Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. IF this team wants to make the playoffs, that area of their game needs to be better.