2023-24 Regular Season, Game 62: Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens (Postgame)

With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, there is still business on the ice to attend to. After a gut-wrenching loss on Saturday afternoon, the Carolina Hurricanes took to the ice for the first time after a four-day break. Outside of the other happenings in the league, the big news for the team was the return of Frederik Andersen, who missed the last several months due to a blood-clotting issue. After 122 days, he was back in the net, facing a Montreal Canadiens team that had earned points in their last four contests. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

MTL (5:53)- Joshua Roy (3) (assisted by Alex Newhook (11))

CAR (13:02)- Brady Skjei (9) (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (25) & Martin Necas (25))

2nd Period

CAR (19:35)- Stefan Noesen (14) (assisted by Jack Drury (19) & Jalen Chatfield (11))

3rd Period

CAR (15:31)- Brady Skjei (10) (assisted by Brett Pesce (8) & Sebastian Aho (41))

CAR (18:57)- Andrei Svechnikov (14) EN (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (22))

My Thoughts

The only way I can describe the lead-up to this game is "sensory overload on steroids." It felt like every 20 minutes, there was something new online to focus on. First, it was the announcement of Frederik Andersen's return after four months. Then, it was the non-stop speculation of a Jake Guentzel trade. Once Michael Bunting was scratched for "trade-related purposes," the buzz only grew. It's almost like the hockey game had become secondary to everything else that was happening. For about two hours before the game, I was refreshing my Twitter feed to see if there were any updates. I couldn't focus on anything else. 

By the time the puck had dropped, I was able to re-center for the game. The early goal by Joshua Roy didn't have me feeling good about Andersen's return. Like with most things in life, I just needed to be a little more patient. It took some time, but the Canes eventually found their game and got the win. Despite the early goal, Andersen was fantastic. He made some incredibly timely stops. There was a big pad stop on Alex Newhook during a second-period power play. Then, there were the three stops he made on Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher in the third period with the Canes ahead 2-1, essentially squashing any major threat the Canadiens posed from that point on.

Before the game, I highlighted the battle between the two sides' top lines. Tonight, the decided edge went to the Hurricanes' group. Aho, Teravainen, and Svechnikov combined for four points, with all three recording assists to go along with Svechnikov's empty-net goal to seal it. Meanwhile, the Suzuki line had plenty of chances, being thwarted by the iron three times, but finished the night -8. Add a great night from Martin Necas and the defensive pair of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, and the Canes had a decided edge. To Montreal's credit, they kept it close before the Canes opened it up in the third period. If not for Stefan Noesen's late-period goal in the final minute of the second, the game could've been up for grabs. That's why Andersen's stops early in the third period were so important.

To make tonight's victory even sweeter, the rumors surrounding the team's attempts to acquire Jake Guentzel have resulted in one of the biggest deadline moves in recent memory. For a regime that has been shy to pull the trigger on big deals, this could be a season-altering move. My initial reaction to the return is that the Canes not only got who they wanted, but they also kept their top guys. Alexander Nikishin was already off the table. However, they managed to keep Scott Morrow, Bradly Nadeau, and Jackson Blake out of the deal, too. Assuming Guentzel performs how we hope he will, it's hard not to think the Canes came out on the right side of it.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Martin Necas- 1 assist

Necas finished the night with a game-high seven shots. It felt like he had the puck a lot in the offensive zone and made the right play with the puck almost every time. He picked up a secondary assist on the first Skjei goal, too. It would've been great to see one of his shots go in, but beggars can't be choosers.

2nd Star- Frederik Andersen- 24 saves

Tonight was really all about Andersen. After an inauspicious start, he turned it up several notches to pick up the win. He was timely all night, coming up with huge stops in a tight contest to help the team reach the 80-point plateau. I would expect we'll see him over the weekend during the back-to-back.

1st Star- Brady Skjei- 2 goals

As compelled as I was to put Andersen at #1, it only felt right that Skjei would be here for how important his goals were. His first goal finally got the Canes on the board in the first before he buried the dagger on the breakaway in the third. He's reached double-digits in goals once again, making him the 10th player to do so this season for the Canes.

Up Next- The Hurricanes have already made one big move before Friday's trade deadline, so it's anyone's guess whether they'll add anyone else. After the deadline passes, it's time to get into the stretch run. They'll play a back-to-back this weekend, beginning in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon. After the short trip up north, they'll be back at home on Sunday against the Flames.