"I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 4: Hurricanes at St. Louis Blues

The Hurricanes were back in action on Saturday night in St. Louis after starting their six-game road trip with a 4-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. The Canes dominated the Penguins from start to finish, getting goals from Jackson Blake, Martin Necas, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Jack Roslovic to get the job done. With Frederik Andersen earning the win on Friday, Pyotr Kochetkov took the net on Saturday, hoping to build off his season debut win over the Devils on Tuesday. Joel Hofer earned his second straight start for the Blues after shutting out the Islanders in a 1-0 overtime win on Thursday.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (1:21)- Andrei Svechnikov (1) (Sebastian Aho (2) & Seth Jarvis (2))

2nd Period

STL (10:22)- Mathieu Joseph (2) (Brayden Schenn (1) & Pierre-Olivier Joseph (1))

STL (11:35)- Jake Neighbours (2) (Zach Bolduc (2))

STL (13:31)- Dylan Holloway (1) (Phillip Broberg (5) & Mathieu Joseph (1))

3rd Period

CAR (1:39)- Shayne Gostisbehere (3) PP (Sebastian Aho (3) & Andrei Svechnikov (3))

CAR (2:57)- Jack Roslovic (2) (Jack Drury (1) & Jaccob Slavin (2))

STL (4:26)- Kasperi Kapanen (1) (Jake Neighbours (1) & Colton Parayko (3))

My Thoughts

Does anyone else remember the game the Hurricanes played in Vancouver last December during their Western Canada trip? While the script isn't quite identical, it was the first game my brain went to when trying to formulate my thoughts about tonight's loss. In that 4-3 loss to the Canucks on December 9th, the Hurricanes worked back from a 3-1 deficit getting a Brady Skjei power-play goal in the second period and a Stefan Noesen goal early in the third period. The reason I'm reminded of that game is what happened right after Noesen's tying goal. Elias Pettersson swooped around the net and buried a wrap-around 1:19 later in what eventually was a 4-3 Canucks win.

That loss in Vancouver kickstarted their dominant run through the end of last season. In the grand scheme of this Hurricanes' season, this 4-3 loss to the Blues happened in the fourth game, so I'm taking too much stock in it. However, when the Hurricanes failed to capitalize on their 19(!) shots in the first period by scoring more than one goal, I had a very bad feeling. That inkling only got worse when I saw how the Blues began the second period. I didn't expect it to be three straight goals in just over three minutes, but my hunch was correct and justified. The Canes showed excellent fight in the third period, proving they're never truly out of a game, but Kasperi Kapanen played the Elias Pettersson-like figure in this comparison, dashing the Canes' hopes just under 90 seconds after tying it. 

For the second night in a row, the goalie preventing the Hurricanes from scoring was the opposition's best player. I had hoped the early Andrei Svechnikov goal would throw Hofer's confidence after his brilliant performance against the Islanders. Clearly, I was sadly mistaken. He was just as good tonight, finishing the game with 37 stops. The turning point in the game was his breakaway stop on Jordan Martinook, who can't buy a goal four games into the season. It looked like Martinook had more time to carry the puck toward Hofer, but he elected to shoot early and Hofer denied him. 

Honestly, splitting this back-to-back doesn't feel like the worst thing in the world when looking wholly at the final results. When looking closer and seeing that the Hurricanes were the better team in five of the six periods, things get a little dicier. For their first back-to-back of the season, I can live with it. If there's no bigger takeaway from Pittsburgh and St. Louis it's that the power play appears to be back. After two bad games to start the season, the Canes have converted on three of their last seven attempts and are moving the puck much better. If the second unit can start to string good chances together, the Canes might be in business.

When We Meet Again- The Hurricanes and the Blues will conclude their season series on November 17th at the Lenovo Center. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Andrei Svechnikov

The top line finally had their ground-breaking game of the season, combining for 18 shots and five points. Andrei Svechnikov broke the ice early in the game, burying his first goal of the season after a world-class pass from Sebastian Aho. Svechnikov finished the night with eight shots and added a secondary assist on Shayne Gostisbehere's power-play goal in the third period. He did take a one-timer to the knee in the third period, but he remained in the game after an extended pause on the ice. Assuming there's no damage from it, this could be a game for Svechnikov to build on. 

The Road Ahead- After two days off, the Hurricanes will continue their road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. It'll be the Canes' first look at Jeff Skinner in an Oilers uniform as he tries to make the playoffs for the first time in his career. They'll be in Calgary on Thursday to face the Flames, who are wins over Seattle and Pittsburgh away from entering the game undefeated.