2023-24 Regular Season, Game 74: Hurricanes vs. Detroit Red Wings (Postgame)

The Hurricanes looked to clinch a postseason spot on Thursday night after failing to do so on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. Trying to get the job done with two points against the Red Wings, Detroit was looking to find a way to keep its own hopes alive in the playoff race, embattled in a tight Wild Card race with Washington and others in the Metropolitan Division. With a season sweep in mind, the Canes hoped for a better offensive output after being goalie'd on Tuesday night by a familiar face.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

None

2nd Period

CAR (4:42)- Sebastian Aho (32) (assisted by Jake Guentzel (41) & Seth Jarvis (31))

CAR (5:39)- Seth Jarvis (28) PP (assisted by Sebastian Aho (50) & Jake Guentzel (42))

CAR (10:46)- Martin Necas (23) (assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov (15) & Jordan Martinook (15))

CAR (16:23)- Brady Skjei (13) (assisted by Sebastian Aho (51) & Seth Jarvis (32))

3rd Period

None

My Thoughts

Be honest with the group. The first 20 minutes made you a little anxious after what happened on Tuesday, didn't it? I know I was on edge after the Hurricanes completely dominated the Red Wings in the first period. The Canes outshot the Wings 15-3, holding them without a shot until about 8:05 left in the frame. To make it worse, they were facing a former Hurricane, just like on Tuesday. Fortunately, the Canes' top line was ready to go in the second period. Once they scored twice in less than a minute, I relaxed a little bit. By the time the lead swole to 4-0, I knew it was going to happen. I was able to relax in the third period, allowing me to enjoy what we all knew was inevitable.

There isn't a line in the league that is connecting as well as Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Jake Guentzel. The trade when the Hurricanes made it was already a good one. Guentzel's performance has only made it better. They can't be stopped at the moment. They combined for eight more points tonight, with Aho and Jarvis getting three points while Guentzel added two. In the first eight minutes of the second period, Guentzel hit the post twice, so he easily could've picked up a goal to join his linemates. This is the type of line that the Hurricanes have been desperately missing during this six-year run. These are three players who are capable of scoring at will, and they're showing it right now. The postseason is a different animal, but this is about as good a sign as there is. 

Going up and down the lineup, it's hard to find anyone who didn't play a good game tonight for the Canes. The Kuznetsov line combined for a goal, with all three forwards picking up points on Martin Necas' tally. They were excellent defensively, giving up very few odd-man rushes and transition chances to the Red Wings. Frederik Andersen has proven to me that he needs to be the starter for Game 1 against whoever the Hurricanes meet in the first round. The man has been playing incredibly, and while he wasn't busy early tonight, he didn't allow that to affect him down the stretch, making 24 stops for his second shutout since returning.  

My only complaint about tonight's game was the officiating. The Canes and Red Wings had two power plays each, but there were at least three egregious misses from tonight's crew. There were two missed high sticks in the first period, with Jarvis clipped to negate an odd-man chance and Guentzel catching one right at the beginning of the Canes' late-period power play. Jarvis sported a nice shiner under his left eye, while Guentzel looked like he had been cut. The one call in the period was a hook to David Perron, and he easily could've drawn an extra penalty for his reaction to the call. In the third period, Jeff Petry boarded Stefan Noesen in front of the referee, but nothing was called. I understand that things are going to be tight in the postseason, but there's no reason those calls shouldn't have been made. It's all sour grapes now, and the Canes won, so I shouldn't be so upset about it, but a penalty is a penalty. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jake Guentzel- 2 assists

2nd Star- Seth Jarvis- 1 goal, 2 assists

1st Star- Sebastian Aho- 1 goal, 2 assists

Tonight's stars are going to be a collective effort from the team's top line. They got the scoring going by combining for the first two goals, kickstarting a magnificent second period for the Hurricanes. Since being put together in Toronto on March 15, Aho, Guentzel, and Jarvis have combined for 16 goals and 37 goals. Aho leads the league in points during that stretch with 15 points, and he's tied with Jarvis for second in goals (7). Guentzel trails only McDavid for assists during that time. Tonight, Guentzel could've had two goals, but he couldn't beat the iron. Instead, he settled for two assists, while his linemates had a goal and two assists each.

Postseason Watch- While the Hurricanes clinched a playoff spot tonight, they still have plenty to play for in their final eight games. They didn't get any help from the Colorado Avalanche tonight, however. The Rangers went into Ball Arena, kept Nathan MacKinnon off the scoresheet, and won the game 3-2 in a shootout to maintain their three-point lead in the division.

It was a rough night for a few of the teams looking to compete for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and the second Wild Card spot. The Flyers fell 4-1 to the Canadiens. Washington lost 5-1 to the Maple Leafs. Only the Islanders came away with a win, earning a tight 3-2 win over the Panthers in Sunrise. The Flyers remain one point ahead of the Capitals, though Washington has two games in hand. The Capitals remain in the second Wild Card spot, leading Detroit by two points with a game in hand. 

Up Next- The Hurricanes will finish their March slate in Montreal on Saturday night in their final meeting of the season with the Canadiens. They'll then undergo a four-day break before a back-to-back at home next week against Boston and Washington.