"Mission Accomplished: Road Trip Complete": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 8: Hurricanes at Vancouver Canucks

The road trip came to an end for the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night with a battle against the Vancouver Canucks. Both teams entered play on hot streaks. The Canes had won their last three games after starting their trip with a split in Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Vancouver had won their last four after beginning their season with three straight losses (0-1-2). Pyotr Kochetkov hoped to build off a solid start against the Calgary Flames, while Kevin Lankinen aimed to keep his point streak alive to begin the year.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (5:40)- William Carrier (1) (Jackson Blake (2) & Jack Drury (2))

VAN (7:17)- Brock Boeser (5) (JT Miller (4) & Quinn Hughes (6))

CAR (15:33)- Martin Necas (4) (Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6) & Eric Robinson (3))

2nd Period

CAR (1:53)- Jack Roslovic (4) (Brent Burns (3) & Andrei Svechnikov (5))

3rd Period

VAN (7:56)- Quinn Hughes (2) (Brock Boeser (4) & JT Miller (5))

VAN (16:55)- Pius Suter (2) (Daniel Sprong (2) & Nils Hoglander (2))

Overtime

CAR (0:47)- Sebastian Aho (3) (Shayne Gostisbehere (3) & Martin Necas (7))

My Thoughts

They sure took their sweet time winning this game. Don't they realize there are people back home sitting up until the early hours of Tuesday morning who have to get up in a few hours and go to work? A little common courtesy would've been nice. Frankly, it didn't matter how they won. Just as long as they didn't blow a 3-1 lead and lose in regulation. I could've lived with one point, but the second point to finish the road trip was the icing on the cake. That they won it so quickly in overtime is only slightly infuriating, given how the third period played out. The Canucks never possessed the puck. The Canes won the draw and scored in less than a minute. She wasn't pretty, but she's two more points. 

It's nearly impossible to give a proper read on Pyotr Kochetkov's game. There was plenty of good. There was plenty of bad. It's one of those rare nights when I can say that all three goals really are on him. He overcommitted to JT Miller and lost his stick as he fell down before Brock Boeser scored. He flat-out missed Quinn Hughes' shot. He didn't trust Jalen Chatfield to get back against Daniel Sprong, leaving the net wide-open for Pius Suter to tie it. However, for all his bad moments, Kochetkov always made up for them by making timely stops. He stoned Suter three times, including twice on a breakaway after he left the penalty box. He kicked out his pad to deny Jake DeBrusk late in the game. He got his pad on a JT Miller shot after the Canucks tied it. Kochetkov wasn't objectively bad, but I wouldn't say he was good either. It was a good learning experience for the young netminder. 

Add Kevin Lankinen to the list of goalies during this trip who stifled the Hurricanes for most of the night. After the Canes took their 3-1 lead early in the second period, Lankinen played like a completely different goalie. Andrei Svechnikov nearly had one, only to be stone-walled. Jackson Blake put Vincent Deslauriers in the spin cycle, only to be denied. Seth Jarvis was robbed on a one-timer during a power play. Jarvis had another chance on a short-handed 2-on-1 that Lankinen sprawled to stop. Without Lankinen's heroics, the Canucks might've been blown out of the building. The Canes have gotten the best from each of the goalie's they've faced, making their final record on this trip even more incredible. 

In the end, there isn't much to complain about after your team wins five of six games during a road trip. Martin Necas was the star of the show, leading the team with ten points away from home, including four multi-point games. Sebastian Aho, who scored the overtime-winner in both OT games on the trip, added seven points. Andrei Svechnikov was a quiet point-per-game player. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had five assists. Shayne Gostisbehere had six points. Jack Roslovic scored in four of the six games. Seth Jarvis had five points. The power play converted in five of the six games. The penalty kill went 20-for-21, allowing a goal to some scrub named Connor McDavid. Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov combined to allow 13 goals. The entire lineup, whether they were on the scoresheet or not, contributed to the Canes' success on this trip. 

When We Meet Again- Vancouver will travel to Raleigh in January, coming to the Lenovo Center on January 10th. It'll be the Canucks' third stop during a five-game road trip, and the fourth game of a five-game homestand for the Canes. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Andrei Svechnikov

Andrei Svechnikov should've scored a goal tonight, being one of Kevin Lankinen's many victims in the second and third periods. His assist was only a secondary helper on Jack Roslovic's goal, but Svechnikov was all over this game, especially in the defensive end. He was all over Elias Pettersson in the third period, making the defensive play of the night by knocking Pettersson off the puck as he was trying make a move to the front of the net. 

The Road Ahead- The Hurricanes will get some much-needed time at home, playing their next four games at the Lenovo Center. They'll start with the Boston Bruins on Halloween before turning their attention to the Metropolitan Division. They'll play their first games of the season against the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers. To close the homestand, they'll host the Pittsburgh Penguins, who they beat to begin their State Fair trip.