2024-25 Regular Season, Game 6 Preview: Hurricanes at Calgary Flames

The Carolina Hurricanes second stop in Alberta takes them a few hours south after playing in Edmonton on Tuesday night. While Connor McDavid scored twice through 40 minutes to stake the Oilers to a 2-0 lead, the Canes would get the last laugh. Shayne Gostisbehere extended his goal streak on the power play less than a minute into the third period, and Martin Necas tied the game late with 6:31 to go, sending the game to overtime. With Frederik Andersen standing on his head throughout the third period and overtime, Gostisbehere and Necas would combine to set up Sebastian Aho for the game-winner with 6.1 seconds left to complete the incredible comeback. Necas finished the night with three points, while Gostisbehere and Aho had two each. Andersen stopped 33 shots to earn his second victory of the season. 

The Opponent: Calgary Flames (5-0-1, 11 Points This Season)
After a tumultuous season, the Flames looked to be in for a similar year. They traded Jacob Markstrom and Andrew Mangiapane during the offseason and didn't get much better through free agency. The team that has started the 2024-25 season has looked incredible thanks to well-balanced scoring and incredible goaltending. Rasmus Andersson leads the team with five assists and eight points, but the impressive stat is that he's tied for the team lead in goals with three other people (Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri). Jonathan Huberdeau is looking more like the play the Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk for, even if that trade still hurts a little in Calgary. Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar has formed a formidable duo between the pipes. Wolf has won all three of his starts, posting a .936 save percentage and allowing just seven goals. I picked the Flames to finish sixth in the Pacific Division. They're making me feel foolish. 

Last Season's Meetings- The home team won each meeting last season in vastly different fashion. The Hurricanes came into Calgary last December playing the second half of a back-to-back after being dominated by the Oilers the night before. Things were going smoothly for the Canes, leading 2-0 after 40 minutes. However, the Flames scored three times in 6:02 in the third period. Rasmus Andersson and Connor Zary brought then even before Blake Coleman scored short-handed to win the game. Dustin Wolf made 28 stops in the win. When the Flames traveled to Raleigh in March, the Hurricanes dominated. Seven Hurricanes beat Dan Vladar to win 7-2. Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Teravainen had a goal and two assists each. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jalen Chatfield, Seth Jarvis, and Jordan Staal all added multi-point performances.

Stories of the Night
1. Can the Hurricanes Play Spoiler?
It feels like it's the Hurricanes who usually go into games with the advantage, but the Flames have been on a roll to begin the season. They're one of four teams in the league without a regulation loss after an overtime loss to Seattle ruined their perfect start. In front of the Calgary faithful, it would be a shame for the Canes to be the first regulation blemish. The Flames own victories over the defending Western Conference champs and the defending Pacific Division winner, but they've also beaten up on some lowly teams during their start. Hopefully, the Canes can provide a difficult test. 

2. How Does Pyotr Kochetkov Respond?
Without it being confirmed, I assume the goalies will continue to alternate starts. This means Pyotr Kochetkov should be in line to lead the team in Calgary. While I don't put the blame on him after the loss in St. Louis on Saturday night, it would've been nice to get a stop on one or two of those goals. It was a far cry from his excellent season debut against the Devils a week ago. The great thing about Kochetkov is that he's a gamer. It doesn't take much to get him locked into a game. I expect him to be at his very best in Calgary, should he get the start. 

3. Whose Defense Contributes More?
One calling card of the Hurricanes over the last few years has been the offensive contribution from their defense. The now departed Brady Skjei was a big part of that, though Brent Burns helped shoulder some of the load. The Canes' defense has combined for just nine points, with Shayne Gosisbehere's four goals and five points doing the lion's share of the work. Meanwhile, the Flames' defense has double that of the Canes, led by Rasmus Andersson's eight points and Mackenzie Weegar's four. This could be a fun internal battle to see who pushes their team over the edge.

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