"Sleepless in Raleigh with the Canes in Seattle": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 7: Hurricanes at Seattle Kraken

With Alberta behind them, the Carolina Hurricanes stormed into Seattle to try and push their win streak to three games. Taking a quick trip back across the border, the Canes hoped what helped them beat Edmonton and Calgary would lead the way against the Kraken. Seattle, having lost their last two games, was hoping to avoid a three-game streak of their own. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (4:26)- Andrei Svechnikov (2) PP (Martin Necas (6) & Seth Jarvis (3))

2nd Period

CAR (16:49)- Jack Drury (1) (Jackson Blake (1) & Brent Burns (2))

3rd Period

SEA (10:21)- Jared McCann (5) (Matty Beniers (3))

CAR (15:38)- Seth Jarvis (3) (Jordan Martinook (2) & Jaccob Slavin (3))

CAR (18:24)- Dmitry Orlov (1) EN (unassisted)

My Thoughts

The road trip can officially be called a success. Before they dropped the puck in Pittsburgh last weekend, I said that a successful trip would be eight points, in any fashion. With tonight's win, they've moved to 4-1-0, locking in eight of 12 possible points. This was as dominant a performance as the Hurricanes have put together this season, with Pittsburgh being the closest comparison. The Hurricanes took the lead early, prevented the Kraken from getting many chances, and put the game away late to earn two points. It's as close to the blueprint as you can get. 

I will now spend the next two paragraphs patting myself on the back. I called on the fourth line to get going in Seattle and they might've scored the most important goal of the night late in the second period. Jack Drury has had chance after chance to find his first goal of the season. He had a prime opportunity on the power play in the first period that Joey Daccord flashed the leather on. It took a perfect pass from Jackson Blake to do the job, allowing Drury to tap it in at the side of the net. It was very similar to Eric Robinson's pass to Martin Necas in Edmonton to tie the game in the third period. Given where the game was at that point, it was the most crucial moment of the night, and it came courtesy of the fourth line.

You know what else I said before the game? That special teams were going to be a deciding factor in this win. The power play immediately made an impact, scoring less than 4:30 into the contest. While they wouldn't score on their next five chances, including a double-minor at the end of the second period, they looked dangerous all night. The penalty kill had some close calls, too, but the Kraken couldn't solve them. The Kraken had one power-play opportunity each period, though only their chance in the first period came across as dangerous. The Canes were in charge in every situation, leading to their decisive victory.

The only thing about this game that I didn't love is something that has become a recurring issue for the Hurricanes on this trip. Outside of the Edmonton game, the Hurricanes have controlled games from the outset. The Canes' game has always been about throwing everything at the net, leading to gross disparities in shots. Many of those shots are high-danger chances. The issue is that for all of their chances, the Canes have a knack for allowing opponents to stick around without putting them away. Before Drury's goal in the second period, it felt like Seattle was one shot away from doing exactly what St. Louis did during the Canes' lone loss on the road trip. It's not a fun feeling when you're watching at home. I'll acknowledge that the goaltenders have a part in preventing the Canes from breaking it open, but it's not a trend you want to see become a pattern this season.

When We Meet Again- The Kraken will visit Raleigh in a little over a month, coming to the Lenovo Center on December 3. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Seth Jarvis

This was arguably the hardest one to call thus far this season. Seth Jarvis being the only player with multiple points helps things a little, but his line was phenomenal in the third period to put the game away. Jarvis picked up his assist on the power play in the first period before burying a breakaway goal in the third period by undressing Daccord. 

The Road Ahead- The road trip comes to an end on Monday in Vancouver. Then, the next four games will be in Raleigh, three of which will be against division opponent. The lone game against a non-division opponent will be on Thursday night against the Boston Bruins.