2024-25 Regular Season, Game 12 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Carolina Hurricanes endured their first subpar performance on Tuesday night yet managed to escape the Philadelphia Flyers with a 6-4 victory in Raleigh. The Flyers struck first with a 5-on-3 marker, but the Canes responded late in the period on Jackson Blake's fourth of the season, tying him for the rookie lead after a beautiful pass from Jack Drury. They struck again twice in 54 seconds in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Eric Robinson squeaked one through Aleksei Kolosov's arm and Jordan Martinook tapped home a rebound to score his first goal of the season. The Flyers wouldn't go away quietly. Owen Tippett ripped a shot past Pyotr Kochetkov late in the second period to pull within a goal, and Morgan Frost trickled one across the goal line early in the third to tie it up. Jack Roslovic scored his team-leading seventh goal 29 seconds later to restore the lead, but Travis Konecny added his second goal and fourth point of the night to tie it at four. Overtime felt inevitable, but Martin Necas wanted to go home early. With 30.2 seconds left, Necas found enough daylight to put home the go-ahead goal. Seth Jarvis added the empty-netter in the dying seconds to push the Canes to a two-goal victory. 

The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (5-7-2, 12 Points, 7th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: The Hurricanes were in Pittsburgh to begin their six-game road trip on October 18. Despite dominating the first period, the Canes conceded the first goal of the contest to Drew O'Connor after he picked the corner. Jackson Blake responded just over a minute later, scoring his second goal in as many games to tie it. The power play came to life in the second period, netting a pair of goals. Martin Necas started it early in the period and Shayne Gostisbehere added another late. Jack Roslovic rounded out the scoring midway through the third period as the Canes cruised to a 4-1 victory. After allowing the opening goal, Frederik Andersen finished the night with 25 stops, outdueling Penguins rookie Joel Blomqvist (34 saves), despite a sterling start from the young netminder. 

Since We Last Met: Their loss to the Hurricanes began a six-game losing streak, four of which came during their trip through Western Canada. After losing their first game back home to Minnesota, the Penguins turned it around with consecutive wins against the Ducks and Canadiens. They were on the losing side of a 4-3 decision in a shootout against the Islanders on Tuesday night. After a torrid start to the season, Evgeni Malkin has slowed down a little. While he still leads the Penguins with 16 points, he has just two points in his last four games. Sidney Crosby hasn't slowed down at all. Crosby has five goals in the Penguins' last three games and eight points in their last four. He is tied with Rikard Rakell for the team lead in goals with six. Their goalie situation has settled a little with Alex Nedeljkovic returning from injury. Joel Blomqvist, who the Canes saw in Pittsburgh, has been solid, too. It hasn't prevented them from being among the worst defenses in the league. 

Stories of the Night

1. Getting Back to Their Game

Tuesday was a stark departure from what has allowed the Hurricanes to start the season as well as they have. While they won the game, it didn't look good. They weren't good with the puck, lacking the precision and crispness we'd grown used to seeing. They didn't defend well, allowing several odd-man chances to the Flyers they were fortunate didn't connect. Fortunately, their offense showed up, scoring when they needed to the most. Tonight, the focus should be returning to what made them successful, especially against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Make it a repeat of what they did in Pittsburgh to begin their State Fair road trip.

2. Can the Canes Repeat Against Crosby & Malkin?

One of the largest contributors to the Canes' win in Pittsburgh was their ability to keep Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in check. After getting off to stellar starts, neither recorded a shot against Frederik Andersen in almost 20 minutes on the ice. They did it without having the advantage of controlling the matchup. In Raleigh, the Canes will have the chance to staple Jaccob Slavin to them, especially when they're on the ice together. It'll be a tall task for the Canes. 

3. Finishing Right at Home

It was a big point of emphasis when they played in Vancouver to finish their road trip, and it doesn't change with the change in venue. The Hurricanes have played well during this homestand, even if their efforts were flawless. They have a chance to finish it perfect at 4-0-0 and extend their win streak to eight games. With a grueling road trip, in terms of competition, ahead, adding one more win before playing three good teams in their barn could be a good way to set themselves up for their trip.