2023-24 Regular Season, Game 63: Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils (Pregame)

After stewing on their embarrassing loss to the Winnipeg Jets for four days, the Carolina Hurricanes returned to the ice on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens. There was a lot of excitement going on behind the scenes on Thursday, but the biggest news of the night was the return of Frederik Andersen after four months on the shelf. Montreal didn't care for the news, scoring less than six minutes into the game after Joshua Roy's shot deflected off Jalen Chatfield's stick and into the net. Brady Skjei would find the equalizer late in the period on a beautiful backhander that beat Sam Montembeault. The 1-1 tie remained in place until the final minute of the second period when Stefan Noesen popped home a rebound with less than 25 seconds left to put the Canes ahead for the first time. After Andersen made a series of sensational stops early in the third period, Skjei scored his second of the night, burying a breakaway during a 4-on-4 to push the lead to two goals. Andrei Svechnikov added the empty netter to seal the 4-1 win for Carolina. Andersen made 24 stops in his return, while Svechnikov and Skjei enjoyed multi-point nights.

The Opponent: New Jersey Devils (31-28-4, 66 Points- 6th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting- These two met almost a month ago in Raleigh as the Hurricanes celebrated Whalers Night. The fans in attendance were treated to a goalie duel between Pyotr Kochetkov and Vitek Vanecek. Through 60 minutes, neither team had found the back of the net. In overtime, Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas connected for another magical moment. Necas' initial chance was stopped, but Aho was there to legally bat it out of mid-air to win the game 1-0. Vanecek, who was moved at the deadline by the Devils, made 31 stops in the loss, while Kochetkov stopped all 34 shots he faced.

Since We Last Met- This most recent stretch for the Devils has been very indicative of their season. Since losing in overtime in Raleigh on February 10, they've gone 6-7-0. After that loss, the Devils won three of their next four games but have lost six of their last nine. They snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday behind a Timo Meier hat trick in a 4-1 win over the Blues. There haven't been many developments for the Devils in terms of help outside of the top few guys. Jesper Bratt still leads the team with 64 points and now has the most goals on the roster (22) after Tyler Toffoli was traded on Friday. Jack Hughes has 60 points in 47 games. Nico Hischier is nearly a point-per-game guy, adding 47 points in 52 games. With Vitek Vanecek being moved to San Jose and Akira Schmid being sent down to the AHL, Nico Daws is likely to be in the net for this one. He's a promising young goalie, though he has struggled some this season. This will be the third and final time these two meet this season.

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. Kuznetsov's First Game as a Hurricane

The Hurricanes shocked the world and decided to be active at the trade deadline this season. The Jake Guentzel trade that had long been speculated before the Montreal game came to fruition after it ended on Thursday night. Then, they made another move on Friday morning to kick off the action, acquiring Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals. It has been a rocky season for Kuznetsov. He has just 17 points in 43 games, and he hasn't played since late January after entering the Players Assistance Program in February. After being acquired earlier in the day, he was in Raleigh by the time practice started in the afternoon, and Rod Brind'Amour announced that Kuznetsov was expected to be in the lineup for this one. It's a quick turnaround, but Kuznetsov appeared to be very excited about the prospect of being a Hurricane.

2. Expect Some Initial Growing Pains

While we're entering the stretch run of the season, the trade deadline can act as a soft reboot for many contenders. With all of these new faces coming in, it will take some time for them to become well-acquainted with their new teammates. The Hurricanes will be no exception. I'm not expecting Kuznetsov to come in and instantly take charge. He still has to figure out the system. The same will be true for Jake Guentzel once he is healthy enough to play. If they don't perform well in their first few outings, give them time. It's new for everyone.

3. Is the Devils' Season Over?

To call this season anything other than a disappointment for the Devils wouldn't be appropriate. Yes, their situation hasn't been helped by injuries, but they're grossly underperformed compared to where everyone expected they'd be after an excellent season last season. Goaltending has been a big part of that struggle, boasting the league's second-worst save percentage. They fired Lindy Ruff earlier in the week and proceeded to act as sellers at the deadline. Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller were sent to Winnipeg. Vitek Vanecek was swapped with Kaapo Kahkonen of the Sharks. They added Jake Allen, but he's been arguably the worst of Montreal's trio. The Devils are far from out of the playoff picture, trailing Tampa Bay by six points for the second Wild Card spot with a game in hand. Their attitude doesn't indicate that they think they can make it to the playoffs, but they have all the skill in the world to make a run.