2023-24 Regular Season, Game 73: Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins (Postgame)

The Hurricanes celebrated a homecoming as Jake Guentzel made his first trip to Pittsburgh as a visitor on Tuesday night. Playing the Penguins for the first time since being traded to Carolina, the Canes hoped to help him get one over on his former teammates. The Canes rode into the game on a seven-game point streak after Sunday's tight victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pittsburgh has fallen to the back of the pack in the playoff hunt, likely playing out the rest of their season before spending the postseason at home.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

None

2nd Period

PIT (2:41)- Jesse Puljujarvi (3) (assisted by Lars Eller (13) & Valtteri Puustinen (14))

CAR (11:17)- Dmitry Orlov (6) (assisted by Jack Drury (20))

PIT (18:09)- Bryan Rust (23) (assisted by Sidney Crosby (40))

3rd Period

PIT (18:04)- Drew O'Connor (11) EN (assisted by Sidney Crosby (41))

PIT (19:37)- Sidney Crosby (35) EN (unassisted)

My Thoughts

Did you know that, despite what conventional wisdom might have you assume, Alex Nedeljkovic has actually lost to the Hurricanes twice in the last three years? I didn't know that either because every time he plays the Hurricanes, he's made to look like the greatest goalie to ever play the game. His five wins are the most against the Canes in the league. His 1.98 GAA is the best for any goalie in the league with at least three starts against the Canes in the last three seasons, and his .939 save percentage is second to Spencer Knight. He's almost guaranteed to have a good game when he plays against the Canes. That should've been our first hint that the Canes were going to lose this game. 

What in the world is going on with Andrei Svechnikov? Does anyone know because that penalty he took against Michael Bunting in the first period was one of the most egregious retaliatory penalties I've ever seen? It's like his brain forgot that he was playing a hockey game and that the second guy in any scrum or confrontation is going to be escorted to the box. Since his hot start to March, his production has fallen off a cliff. He has just two assists in his last seven games, and he's currently on a four-game penalty streak. Clearly, something is wrong, and it'd be awesome if he could figure out what it is between now and Thursday night. 

It wasn't all bad for the Hurricanes. In fact, they were the better team for most of the night. They had a decided edge in play for the final 40 minutes. They just couldn't solve Nedeljkovic. Dmitry Orlov's goal was the result of a very fortunate bounce, but it was big at the moment as it got the Canes back even in a game they probably should've been winning. The fourth line put together an excellent shift to allow that goal to happen. Jake Guentzel was very good in his return to Pittsburgh. The reception he received was touching, and his play on the ice was just as good. It's a shame he couldn't find that magical moment to find the back of the net, but that seemed to be the theme for the team all night. I thought Pyotr Kochetkov was good, too. There wasn't anything he could do on the two goals he allowed. He didn't see the first one, and the second goal was a bad bounce off Brett Pesce's skate. It's not what people want to hear, but I'm not quite sure what else they could've done except for taking away Nedeljkovic's eyes.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Dmitry Orlov- 1 goal

When you score the only goal of the night, it's almost like you get one of these spots as a default. It didn't look like Orlov's shot was going to hit the net, but a deflection off of Karlsson helped things along. Regardless of how it happened, it was a big goal for the Hurricanes, helping to give them life in a game that was otherwise very frustrating.

2nd Star- Stefan Noesen- 1 fight

While he won't get credited with an assist on the goal, Noesen was part of a big three-man effort to help create it on the forecheck. His placement here is more because of his fight in the third period. At the time, it felt like a big moment to help rally the troops. It was a decisive win for Noesen against Gruden, who'd just laid a solid hit on Drury. While the Canes didn't respond with a goal, it was still important.

1st Star- Jake Guentzel- 6 shots

Playing in front of the fans who used to cheer for him, Guentzel was the best player on the ice for either team tonight. He tied Burns for the most shots in the game and probably had some of the Canes' best chances to beat Nedeljkovic. He didn't find the scoresheet tonight, which will make this return feel like a failure, but his overall play was strong. 

Postseason Watch- Not only did the Canes fail to clinch a playoff spot, but the Rangers extended their lead in the division by beating the Flyers 6-5 in overtime. The Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot, leading the Metropolitan Division by three points with a game in hand. The only scenario that would've helped the Canes clinch was Detroit losing in overtime to Washington, but it didn't matter since the Canes lost.

Up Next- The Hurricanes will be back at home on Thursday night to host the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit is in a dogfight for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, so they'll be a very hungry group. They'll hit the road for a Saturday tilt with the Montreal Canadiens before taking a few days off to begin April.