Thoughts From My Couch

The Hurricanes look to bounce back against the Panthers in Sunrise after Florida used an explosive third period to beat the Canes 6-3 in Raleigh on Friday. After Spencer Martin had a rough afternoon, Rod Brind'Amour went back to him on Saturday. It marks the first time a Canes goalie has played on consecutive days in two years. With both teams playing the second half of a back-to-back, they were in the same boat as they battled at the home of the defending champions. Scoring Summary 1st Period None 2nd Period FLA (6:42)- Aaron Ekblad (1) (unassisted)  FLA (19:59)- Mackie Samoskevich (5) PP (Matthew Tkachuk (13) & Aleksander Barkov (18)) 3rd Period FLA (8:19)- Sam Bennett (12) (Eetu Luostarinen (8) & Anton Lundell (11)) FLA (11:37)- Aleksander Barkov (6) PP (Matthew Tkachuk (14) & Sam Reinhart (16)) FLA (11:48)- Adam Boqvist (1) (AJ Greer (5))  FLA (13:01)- Evan Rodrigues (6) PP (Nate Schmidt (5) & Carter Verhaeghe (13)) My Thoughts Let's get this out of the way...

The Hurricanes started the weekend home-and-home with a late afternoon tilt against the defending Stanley Cup champions on Friday. Riding high after beating the Rangers on Wednesday night, the team looked to get right back to it with the Florida Panthers arriving. The Canes also put their nine-game home win streak on the line as they tried to improve their impressive home start. With the leading goal scorer in the league visiting, the Canes aimed to silence the Cats' offense and give the Caniacs something exciting on Black Friday. Scoring Summary 1st Period FLA (2:26)- Jesper Boqvist (4) (Anton Lundell (10)) CAR (5:42)- Seth Jarvis (7) PP (Sebastian Aho (18) & Shayne Gostisbehere (13)) FLA (9:05)- Sam Reinhart (18) (Aleksander Barkov (17)) FLA (11:21)- Carter Verhaeghe (7) (Matthew Tkachuk (12) & Aaron Ekblad (11)) 2nd Period CAR (6:24)- Sean Walker (2) (Jack Roslovic (3) & Shayne Gostisbehere (14)) CAR (17:18)- Eric Robinson (6) (Jalen Chatfield (6) & Jackson Blake...

The Carolina Hurricanes entered Thanksgiving by earning a hard-fought victory against the New York Rangers. Jack Drury got the ball rolling by banking a shot off the side of Igor Shesterkin's mask from just above the goal line during the first five minutes. Jonny Brodzinski leveled the score after Jackson Blake's clearing attempt was kept in the zone. The Canes' power play regained the lead early in the second period after Martin Necas made his second incredible pass of the night as he found Seth Jarvis on the backdoor. The Rangers took advantage of poor puck management, scoring twice in transition to take the lead in the second. Brett Berard buried a 2-on-1 for his first NHL goal, catching Spencer Martin guessing. Late in the period, Reilly Smith won a race to the puck against Dmitry Orlov before finding Adam Edstrom as he crashed the net. The Canes came out in the third period and created their own luck. Jacob Trouba hit the post, keeping the game at 3-2. Jesperi Kotkanie...

The Hurricanes and the Rangers collided for the first time since May as the Canes looked to celebrate Thanksgiving early. After Monday night's thrilling win over the Stars, the goal was to keep the Rangers' tailspin going. New York leaned on Igor Shesterkin, Artemi Panarin, and their other stars to silence the Hurricanes' red-hot offense. Without Chris Kreider or Filip Chytil in the lineup for New York, the Rangers would have a tough task ahead of them.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (4:53)- Jack Drury (3) (Martin Necas (24) & Dmitry Orlov (11)) NYR (17:38)- Jonny Brodzinski (2) (Jimmy Vesey (1) & Ryan Lindgren (2)) 2nd Period CAR (1:13)- Seth Jarvis (6) PP (Martin Necas (25) & Sebastian Aho (17)) NYR (9:13)- Brett Berard (1) (Will Cuylle (9) & Zac Jones (6)) NYR (18:49)- Adam Edstrom (2) (Reilly Smith (9) & Adam Fox (18)) 3rd Period CAR (9:54)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (3) (Eric Robinson (9) & Shayne Gostisbehere (12)) CAR (12:01)- Jackson Blake (7) PP (...

The Carolina Hurricanes returned from the road on Monday night to provide some fireworks for the home crowd at the Lenovo Center. The Canes fell behind almost immediately, allowing a goal to Tyler Seguin 18 seconds into the game. Seth Jarvis, making his return after seven games, responded with a short-handed goal early in the frame, but Thomas Harley put the Stars back ahead midway through after being left all alone. Jackson Blake hit the post in the second period and Dallas took it the other way to extend their lead to 3-1 on Mason Marchment's goal. The third period proved to be a different game altogether. Sebastian Aho scored shortly after the Canes killed a penalty, Brent Burns snapped home his first goal of the season, and Shayne Gostisbehere gave the Canes their first lead on the power play within the first nine minutes of the third, bringing life to a previously silent arena. Things couldn't be that simple though as Miro Heiskanen scored with just over five minutes left ...

The Hurricanes began a three-game homestand to start a busy Thanksgiving Week, beginning with the Dallas Stars making their lone trip to Raleigh for the season. After plenty of bad news on the injury front, the Canes got some good news with Seth Jarvis' return to the lineup after seven games on the shelf. With Spencer Martin assuming control of the net, he would need to put up a stellar outing against Jake Oettinger and the Stars. Scoring Summary 1st Period DAL (0:18)- Tyler Seguin (8) (Mason Marchment (13) & Matt Duchene (13)) CAR (6:36)- Seth Jarvis (5) SH (Sebastian Aho (14)) DAL (10:15)- Thomas Harley (2) (Jamie Benn (7) & Miro Heiskanen (5)) 2nd Period DAL (7:13)- Mason Marchment (7) (Tyler Seguin (10) & Matt Duchene (14)) 3rd Period CAR (1:10)- Sebastian Aho (7) (Seth Jarvis (8) & Dmitry Orlov (10)) CAR (3:43)- Brent Burns (1) (Jordan Staal (6) & Jordan Martinook (7)) CAR (8:09)- Shayne Gostisbehere (5) PP (Martin Necas (23) & Sebastian Aho (15)) DAL (...

The Carolina Hurricanes return home to begin a three-game homestand after finishing a three-game road trip on Saturday in Columbus. It was a very wild contest, featuring four ties before the Blue Jackets won in the shootout. Dante Fabbro went coast-to-coast to open the scoring on a 2-on-1, but Jack Roslovic responded a few minutes later by burying his 12th goal of the season in his return to his home against his former team. Kirill Marchenko, a budding Canes killer, helped the Jackets regain the lead with a breakaway goal midway through the frame. The Canes wouldn't tie it again until Jalen Chatfield jumped into the play and scored early in the second period. With the game tied at two, the two teams traded power-play goals as Dmitri Voronkov and Sebastian Aho scored their team's third goals. Instead of Columbus taking the lead again, the Canes gained their first lead of the night on Jackson Blake's tally. The 4-3 lead stood until Marchenko scored with Elvis Merzlikins on th...

Conference Title Games- What We Know Now ACC-  SMU clinched their spot in the ACC title game on Saturday by demolishing Virginia. If Miami beats Syracuse next week, they'll be the second team. If Miami loses, Clemson will slide in to face the Mustangs in Charlotte. Big Ten-  Oregon is the final undefeated team in the country after watching idly as the rest of the undefeated teams fell. They'll likely face Ohio State in the conference title game after the Buckeyes beat Indiana handily in a battle of conference unbeaten on Saturday. Should the Buckeyes falter in The Big One against Michigan, Penn State would be next in line, assuming they win their finale against Maryland. If both Ohio State and Penn State lose, Indiana gets in with a win over Purdue. Big 12-  Saturday created absolute chaos in the Big 12. Colorado lost to Kansas and Arizona State beat BYU, creating a four-team tie atop the conference between the three teams and Iowa State at 6-2. Here is how the four teams...

The Hurricanes looked to win their road trip on Saturday night in Columbus. After splitting the first two games in Philadelphia and New Jersey, the Canes needed two points against the Blue Jackets to head into Thanksgiving Week on a good note. It was a bittersweet night for Jack Roslovic, who returned to Columbus, and Eric Robinson, who had played his first game in Columbus since the passing of close friend and Columbus star Johnny Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets were coming off a wild 7-6 overtime win against the Lightning on Thursday, hoping to keep their offensive hot streak moving. Scoring Summary 1st Period CBJ (2:04)- Dante Fabbro (2) (unassisted) CAR (6:41)- Jack Roslovic (12) (Sebastian Aho (13)) CBJ (10:20)- Kirill Marchenko (7) (unassisted) 2nd Period CAR (5:40)- Jalen Chatfield (2) (Dmitry Orlov (9) & Martin Necas (21)) CBJ (7:10)- Dmitri Voronkov (5) PP (Kent Johnson (4) & Zach Werenski (14)) CAR (10:39)- Sebastian Aho (6) PP (Martin Necas (22)) CAR (13:23)- Jackson Blak...

The Carolina Hurricanes will look to bounce back on Saturday night after dropping a 4-2 decision to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The Canes were playing the second half of a back-to-back after beating the Flyers the night before, and they got off to a good start. Much of the first period was in the Canes' favor, taking a 1-0 lead after Jack Roslovic knocked home his 11th goal of the season. The Devils got life at the end of the period after a Canes' turnover, allowing Jack Hughes to set up Jesper Bratt for an easy goal. The Devils added a 5-on-3 goal early in the second as Stefan Noesen finished another Hughes pass. The Canes stuck around despite looking like the slower team, tying the game 12 seconds into the third on an Andrei Svechnikov power play goal. Dougie Hamilton would find the eventual game-winner, blasting a shot over Spencer Martin's shoulder. Bratt added his second of the night to provide the dagger, scoring on the power play to make it 4-2. Bratt and Hugh...

The Hurricanes looked to finish their back-to-back on a high note against the New Jersey Devils. After scoring three times early in the third period to beat the Flyers on Wednesday night, they were looking to ensure a winning trip by besting a well-rested Devils team. Brett Pesce played his first game against the team that drafted him after missing their first get together of the campaign. Sitting atop the division at this juncture, this could be a massive four-point game for both sides. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (8:43)- Jack Roslovic (11) (Dmitry Orlov (8) & Jalen Chatfield (6)) NJD (14:45)- Jesper Bratt (9) (Jack Hughes (15) & Ondrej Palat (3)) 2nd Period NJD (0:46)- Stefan Noesen (10) PP (Jack Hughes (16) & Jesper Bratt (17)) 3rd Period CAR (0:12)- Andrei Svechnikov (7) PP (Martin Necas (20) & Shayne Gostisbehere (10)) NJD (10:35)- Dougie Hamilton (2) (Dawson Mercer (7) & Tomas Tatar (4)) NJD (14:05)- Jesper Bratt (10) PP (Stefan Noesen (8) & Jack Hughes...

The Carolina Hurricanes used a massive start to the third period to work past the Philadelphia Flyers last night. Jalen Chatfield opened the scoring 30 seconds into the contest to get the Canes ahead early, but the Flyers got the better of play for most of the period. They wouldn't receive their payoff until early in the second when Pyotr Kochetkov conceded a soft goal from just inside the blue line to Ryan Poehling. After allowing the goal, the Canes settled in. The Canes ran away with the game in the third period, aided by three goals in under six minutes. Sebastian Aho got it going, snapping a shot that barely trickled through Ivan Fedotov's arm to retake the lead. Five minutes later, Jordan Staal redirected a shot-pass from Dmitry Orlov into the net to provide some breathing room. To finish it off, Jack Roslovic hit double digits by finishing a beautiful pass from Aho to make it 4-1. The score would stay there as Kochetkov finished the night with 18 stops while Aho and Chat...

The Hurricanes and Flyers met for the second time this season as the Canes began a three-game road trip against the Metropolitan Division. Coming off back-to-back wins over the weekend, Carolina hoped to keep their momentum going against a Flyers team that has started to find its game a little in recent weeks, despite injury concerns and their star rookie being a healthy scratch. With the Canes prepping for another back-to-back tonight and tomorrow, a good start in the City of Brotherly Love could serve as a good start heading into New Jersey on Thursday. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (0:30)- Jalen Chatfield (1) (Jordan Martinook (6) & William Carrier (3)) 2nd Period PHI (2:13)- Ryan Poehling (1) (Nick Seeler (5) & Noah Cates (3)) 3rd Period CAR (1:03)- Sebastian Aho (5) (unassisted) CAR (6:02)- Jordan Staal (3) (Dmitry Orlov (7) & Jalen Chatfield (5)) CAR (6:57)- Jack Roslovic (10) (Sebastian Aho (12)) My Thoughts Here lies the remnants of Martin Necas' point streak. ...

The Carolina Hurricanes completed a perfect weekend by beating the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Sunday night. After conceding the opening goal to Jake Neighbours early in the first period, the Hurricanes slowly got their feet under them. Andrei Svechnikov got a last-minute power-play goal for the Canes to tie it before the break, extending Martin Necas' point streak to 13 games with the primary assist and beginning what would be a big night for him. Eric Robinson gave the Canes the lead 17 seconds into the second period, putting home a rebound. Necas joined the scoring party, picking up his third point by snapping home a shot after Robinson dangled Ryan Suter at the blue line. Necas completed his night by scoring late in the third period to put the game away for good, getting a friendly deflection off Suter's stick to get it past Joel Hofer. Pyotr Kochetkov made 29 saves in his return to the lineup to earn his ninth win of the season, while Necas and Robinson combined for three goals...

It's the second half of a back-to-back to close the weekend for both the Hurricanes and the Blues on Sunday night in Raleigh. Both teams are coming off wins in differing fashion on Saturday, with the Canes earning a 4-0 shutout over the Senators and the Blues completing a comeback in overtime 3-2 against the Bruins. With both teams likely coming into the game tired, it looked to be a matter of which goalie would put their team on its shoulders and carry them across the finish line. Scoring Summary 1st Period STL (6:05)- Jake Neighbours (5) (Jordan Kyrou (11))  CAR (19:35)- Andrei Svechnikov (6) PP (Martin Necas (18) & Shayne Gostisbehere (9)) 2nd Period CAR (0:17)- Eric Robinson (5) (Dmitry Orlov (6) & Martin Necas (19)) CAR (12:26)- Martin Necas (10) (Eric Robinson (6)) 3rd Period CAR (16:47)- Martin Necas (11) (Eric Robinson (7) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (9)) My Thoughts Martin Necas is playing the best stretch of hockey I can remember seeing in my almost 18 years of fando...

Conference Title Game Outlook ACC- SMU is in the driver's seat for Charlotte after holding off Boston College. The Mustangs are the lone undefeated ACC team in conference play, leaving them a win over Virginia away from punching their ticket. Miami is most likely to take the second spot in the game, with only Wake Forest and Syracuse left to play. Clemson, who also has one conference loss, has completed their conference slate at 7-1, meaning they would need a Miami loss in one of their last two games, or an SMU loss to Virginia and a lot more help. It's looking like it'll be SMU vs. Miami, but Clemson isn't dead yet. Big Ten- The Oregon Ducks clinched their spot in the Big Ten title game by the skin of their teeth, coming from behind to beat Wisconsin on the road, 16-13. This moves the Ducks to 8-0 in conference play with one game remaining. Their opponent is up in the air, but the picture will get clearer once Ohio State and Indiana play next week. One team will be gua...

The Carolina Hurricanes found their way back to the win column on Saturday night by downing the Ottawa Senators 4-0 behind a 24-save masterpiece from Spencer Martin. Jordan Martinook kept his hot November going by banking a puck off Anton Forsberg from below the goal line to open the scoring. The power play struck in the final minute of the second period and the first minute of the third period to extend the lead. Sebastian Aho made it 2-0 on a perfect cross-seam pass from Martin Necas to help him extend his point streak to 12 games. Jackson Blake added his fifth of the season with the third-period marker, giving the Canes a comfortable cushion. The Senators pressed hard during the third period, but couldn't solve Martin. William Carrier put them away for good with the empty-net goal, earning the Canes' first shutout of the season and Martin's career. Martinook, Jordan Staal, and Shayne Gostisbehere each ended the night with a pair of points. The Opponent: St. Louis Blues (...

The Hurricanes returned to Raleigh to begin a quick back-to-back against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. The Canes went 1-2-0 during their most recent road trip, including a disappointing loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday night. With injuries starting to pile up for the team, Spencer Martin assumed control of the net in the hopes of getting the Canes back on the winning side. The Senators were trying to play spoiler and hand the Hurricanes a home loss on a Saturday night in Raleighwood. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (8:00)- Jordan Martinook (6) (Jordan Staal (4)) 2nd Period CAR (19:19)- Sebastian Aho (4) PP (Martin Necas (17) & Shayne Gostisbehere (7)) 3rd Period CAR (0:43)- Jackson Blake (5) PP (Andrei Svechnikov (10) & Shayne Gostisbehere (8)) CAR (15:06)- William Carrier (2) EN (Jordan Staal (5) & Jordan Martinook (5)) My Thoughts The Hurricanes clearly didn't like how Wednesday's loss felt because this looked like the team that had been dismantli...