2023-24 Regular Season, Game 75: Hurricanes at Montreal Canadiens (Pregame)

Thursday night was a great night in Raleigh for the Carolina Hurricanes and all of their fans. For the sixth season in a row, the Hurricanes punched their ticket to the postseason, becoming the third team in the Eastern Conference to do so. After a tough loss to the Penguins on Tuesday, the Canes faced the Red Wings at PNC Arena. After a scoreless first period, the Canes' offense took over in the second. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis scored 57 seconds apart, the latter of which was on the power play. Martin Necas joined the party just past the midway point in the period, burying a one-timer after a great pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov. Brady Skjei rounded out the scoring late in the period by picking up a rebound off the end boards and beating Jame Reimer to make it 4-0. Detroit tried to push back in the third period, but the Canes' defense kept them in check. Frederik Andersen made 12 stops in the third, accounting for half of his 24 saves for the game as he picked up the shutout in a 4-0 win. Aho and Jarvis finished the night with a goal and two assists each, while Jake Guentzel added a pair of assists.

The Opponent: Montreal Canadiens (28-32-12, 68 Points- 8th in the Atlantic Division)

Last Meeting- Both meetings between the Canes and Habs this season have been at PNC Arena. The last meeting came earlier this month on March 7, as Frederik Andersen made his long-awaited return to the net. As much as we wanted things to go perfectly, Joshua Roy spoiled the fun early, scoring 5:53 into the game. Fortunately, that's all of the offense Montreal would muster. Brady Skjei got the goal back late in the first period, and Stefan Noesen scored in the final minute of the second period to give the Canes their first lead of the night. Skjei scored his second of the night to provide some insurance late in the third, and Andrei Svechnikov, who had a hat trick in the first meeting, added the empty-net marker in a 4-1 win for the Hurricanes. Andersen made 24 stops in his first action since November to earn the victory. 

Since We Last Met- While their hopes of making the playoffs are all but gone, the Canadiens are playing some good hockey recently. Since losing in Raleigh at the beginning of the month, they've earned points in six of their last nine games, and they've won three straight, including a win in Colorado on Tuesday and a 4-1 win over the Flyers on Thursday. Juraj Slafkovsky has been on fire, coming into Saturday on a nine-game point streak as he celebrates his 20th birthday. Nick Suzuki has also been scorching, recording five goals and eight points. They're currently tied with Ottawa at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, but they are moving in the right direction. 

Stories/Keys of the Game

1. The Playoffs are Just the First Step

We knew that the Hurricanes were going to be a playoff team, even when they stumbled out of the gate at the beginning of the season. While making it to the postseason for the sixth straight season is a fine accomplishment, this team has far greater aspirations. Under Rod Brind'Amour, they've made it to the Eastern Conference Finals twice but have yet to make it over the hump to the Stanley Cup Final, having not done so since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. The Canes are one of several teams that are in the mix, though their recent play has them as one of the favorites to win it all. They have the firepower to do it, yet the NHL playoffs provide so much chaos that no one could possibly predict what is going to happen.

2. Empty the Tank Before a Long Break

This is something I tend to say a lot before the team takes a long break, but it applies all the same here. After tonight's game, they won't play again until Thursday, when they host Boston for the first half of a back-to-back. This will be the team's last long break before the playoffs start in mid-April, so this could be a critical four days. March's schedule has been a massive undertaking, but the Canes have met it in stride. There have been one or two bumps in the road, though it hasn't been anything they weren't able to overcome. Use this game in Montreal as a way to get it all out before they get a few days off to prepare for the final stretch.

3. No Guhle for Montreal Tonight

One of the names missing from tonight's lineup for Montreal will be Kaiden Guhle. He was issued a one-game suspension on Friday for something that isn't called or noticed much. While he was sitting on the bench, Guhle slashed Travis Konecny during their game with the Flyers on Thursday. There was no penalty called on the play, but he was offered a hearing before his suspension was passed down. Guhle has been one of the many players who have been producing for Montreal lately. He has two goals and four assists in Montreal's last nine games, second amongst the team's defensemen. For a team that doesn't get much help from its back end offensively, outside of Mike Matheson, this is a tough loss for the Canadiens.