2023-24 Regular Season, Game 78: Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (Postgame)

The Hurricanes completed the home portion of their schedule on Sunday night, welcoming the Columbus Blue Jackets to Raleigh for the 41st home game of the campaign. As one of the league's best teams at home, the Canes hoped to finish it on the right foot before setting out for a season-ending four-game road trip. It's another year at the bottom for the Blue Jackets, but they're coming off a 6-2 win last night and have won three of their last four games despite some major injuries throughout their lineup.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (0:17)- Andrei Svechnikov (18) (assisted by Jordan Martinook (16) & Brady Skjei (32))

CAR (11:45)- Sebastian Aho (35) PP (assisted by Jake Guentzel (46) & Teuvo Teravainen (28))

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

CAR (13:53)- Teuvo Teravainen (22) (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (28))

My Thoughts

If you're expecting some deep talk about how impressive this shutout win was for the Hurricanes, you're not going to get it from me. It's not because it wasn't a great win in the final home game of the regular season because it was. The Hurricanes were far and away the better team tonight, but, on paper, this is exactly how this game should've gone. Columbus was without almost a third of their forwards, accounting for a good share of their offensive production and their two starting goalies. A handful of these guys wouldn't be on NHL rosters for most of the other teams in the league. They were on their fourth-string goalie, Malcolm Subban, who hadn't played an NHL game in over two years. As much as this felt like a trap game, it ended up playing out exactly how it should have. 

Now, for as torn up as Columbus' roster was, it doesn't help when the established stars on your team don't do anything. Johnny Gaudreau was nowhere to be found, recording just one shot. Zach Werenski followed up a two-goal, three-point performance with two shots and a -2. It also didn't help that they hit at least three posts during the game, including Justin Danforth on a breakaway when the game was still 1-0. This is where I have to show appreciation for Subban's performance. His last start in the NHL came with Buffalo in January 2022, but he looked very solid. He made some impressive stops throughout the game, doing his best to keep Columbus alive despite early adversity. 

I've focused a lot on the Blue Jackets, so let's talk about the team that won the game. Andrei Svechnikov scored 17 seconds into the game, and the Canes never looked back. They led for the remaining 59:43, earning Frederik Andersen his third shutout in his last nine starts. The defense never allowed Columbus to set up anything offensively, even when the Blue Jackets killed the Canes' power plays in the second period. All four lines contributed in some way. The Staal line had a great first period, getting the goal from Svechnikov early. The Kuznetsov line got one at the end of the game on Teuvo Teravainen's goal. Even the Drury line, who didn't find the scoresheet, had seven shots and a post. Add a goal from the dynamic duo of Sebastian Aho and Jake Guentzel on the power play and it was a wire-to-wire dominant performance by the home team for the final time in Raleigh before the playoffs begin.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Frederik Andersen- 24-save shutout (3rd this season, 27th overall)

Like most of the goaltending performances from Andersen and Kochetkov lately, it's less about the number of saves and more about their quality. Tonight, Andersen got some help from the iron, but he also made some tough stops en route to his third shutout of the season. Andersen has now won eight of his last nine starts, allowing a goal or less in five of them. Columbus isn't the toughest test, but a shutout is a shutout in the NHL.

2nd Star- Teuvo Teravainen- 1 goal, 1 assist

I didn't realize that Teravainen hadn't scored a goal in almost a month. I wouldn't have been able to tell you I thought his last goal came. Not only did he score a late goal, but he helped set up Aho's goal on the power play. It's the second game in a row that he has been instrumental in getting the Canes on the board with the man advantage, making the critical entry before Aho's game-winner on Friday. 

1st Star- Andrei Svechnikov- 1 goal

After missing Friday's game due to an illness, Svechnikov wasted no time finally getting a goal against a goalie instead of the empty net. He needed just 17 seconds to score what would eventually be the game-deciding goal. Svechnikov finished with a team-high five shots in the game, getting a few early chances to add to his total. The hope is that this will be the big goal to help move him in the right direction as he looks to hit 20 goals before the end of the season.

Postseason Watch- The good news is that Carolina shrank their deficit in the division to three points. However, the Rangers quickly re-extended it to five points with a 5-2 win over the Canadiens tonight. I think they'll lock up the division this week, meaning the Canes are going to be matched up against the third team in the Metro. Who that'll be remains a mystery. If the season ended today, it would be the New York Islanders in a rematch of last season's first round. The Islanders hold a two-point lead over the Penguins, Capitals, and the Flyers, the middle of whom lost in overtime to the Senators tonight. 

Up Next- The Canes' four-game road trip will begin on Tuesday night when they travel to Boston to face the Bruins for the second time in five days. They'll add battles in St. Louis and Chicago before ending their season in Columbus on April 16 against the Blue Jackets. The next time the Hurricanes will be at home is for Game 1 of the postseason.