2023-24 Regular Season, Game 81: Hurricanes at Chicago Blackhawks (Pregame)

Friday marked the NHL debut of Scott Morrow as the Hurricanes sat some of their regulars when they faced the St. Louis Blues. The young defenseman joined the three healthy extras in the lineup as they gave rests to captain Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, and Jalen Chatfield. Late in a scoreless first period, Frederik Andersen made a Save of the Year candidate, robbing Zach Dean of his first NHL goal. Zach Bolduc wouldn't be denied, burying a one-timer in the final few minutes to get the Blues on the board first. Jordan Martinook responded quickly, scoring with 1:01 left to tie it up. The Blues would regain their lead on the power play in the second period after Jordan Kyrou snapped one from the right dot past Andersen. The Canes responded quickly again. This time, it was Seth Jarvis who wired one from just inside of the left dot to tie it at two. During a 4-on-4 in the third period, the Canes would earn their first lead of the night. Tony DeAngelo and Sebastian Aho combined to set up Jaccob Slavin less than eight minutes into the period to make it 3-2. From there, the defense shut St. Louis down. Jake Guentzel scored twice into the empty net, putting the Blues away for good in a 5-2 win. Andersen made 29 stops, Slavin, Jarvis, and Guentzel had multi-point nights, and the Canes effectively ended St. Louis' chances of making the playoffs. 

The Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks (23-51-5, 51 Points- 8th in the Central Division)
Last Meeting- Connor Bedard made his debut in Raleigh in mid-February, and the Hurricanes dominated for most of the night. Michael Bunting scored the only goal in the first period before the Canes broke it open in the second. Martin Necas, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Sebastian Aho scored in the first 11 minutes of the middle frame to establish a 4-0 lead against former Hurricane Petr Mrazek. Nick Foligno broke Spencer Martin's shutout late in the period to give Chicago the slightest bit of momentum. Brent Burns got the goal back on the power play early in the third period, as it felt like the Canes were about to cruise to a victory. Chicago's power play made things interesting, pulling them within two goals after Bedard and Tyler Johnson scored with 10:52 left in the game. This was as close as it got. Jordan Martinook scored into the empty net to make it 6-3, where it would stand. Bedard finished the night with points on all three goals for Chicago, while Aho, Necas, and Seth Jarvis finished with multi-point nights.

Since We Last Met- To the surprise of no one, the Chicago Blackhawks are going to finish the season with very good odds of winning the draft lottery. They're likely to have the second-best odds, leading only the San Jose Sharks in points. While their rough season was easy to predict, so too was the stardom of Connor Bedard. He leads Chicago with 22 goals, 38 assists, and 60 points. All three also lead all rookies in the league. Since their visit to Raleigh in February, the Blackhawks are 8-13-2, including three straight losses to Central Division opponents. They're averaging the fewest goals per game in the league while allowing the fourth-most. Neither of their special teams units have done much, either. They're practically the antithesis of the Hurricanes. 

Story/Key of the Game
1. Who Gets the Night Off?
Honestly, there isn't much that I'm looking for tonight, outside of keeping everyone healthy. In fact, there's only one thing that I'm interested in for the game. After four players got the night off against St. Louis, there are likely going to be more, allowing opportunities for the extras and new signees to make an impact. I'm not sure who will be in that group, but this would be a great opportunity to see Scott Morrow, after getting a game under his belt, alongside Bradly Nadeau and Jackson Blake as the Hurricanes showcase some of the guys who could comprise their future core. It also gets valuable reps to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brandon Lemieux, and Tony DeAngelo, the last of whom I thought was very good against the Blues. Don't take much stock in the result of this game. It's going to be what it's going to be, and a win or a loss doesn't change that.

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