"Special Teams and Shooting Stars": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 21: Hurricanes vs. Dallas Stars

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 (14:46)- Miro Heiskanen (4) (Wyatt Johnston (8))

CAR (17:53)- Martin Necas (12) PP (Shayne Gostisbehere (11) & Seth Jarvis (9))

CAR (19:45)- Andrei Svechnikov (8) EN (Sebastian Aho (16) & Jaccob Slavin (7))

My Thoughts

How different would the mood have been if the Stars had looked like the same team during the third period that they were during the first two periods? Let's just say I wouldn't have been a happy camper. Honestly, even if Martin Necas hadn't scored the late winner and the Canes had to settle for a point, I wouldn't have been too upset. I might've been disappointed and a little worried but after how things were looking through 40 minutes, I could've lived with one point. Instead, the Hurricanes managed to find some late-game magic and take two points in regulation. It felt like everything was working against them. They couldn't get a call if their lives depended on it and the puck luck was nowhere to be found. I'm still dumbfounded how Mason Marchment was called for high-sticking five seconds into the game. Instead, the Canes scored on both power plays, the second of which materialized after two of the most bizarre bounces I've ever seen. I would expect nothing less from a Carolina-Dallas game.

After scoring against Ottawa last weekend, I hoped that Sebastian Aho was going to take off. Over the last six games, Aho has four goals and nine points. I'd say he has finally arrived. He and Seth Jarvis used the penalty kill to get the Canes in the game, with Jarvis scoring short-handed in the first period and Aho bringing the Canes within a goal right after killing a penalty in the third. Aho finished the night with a goal and three assists, bringing him to 23 points through 21 games. I've said a few times this season that Aho's start has been quieted by how incredible Martin Necas has been. Necas, with two points tonight, is now tied for the league lead in points with Nathan MacKinnon (35). Aho is playing better than a point per game, yet he's not getting the same level of shine. 

If I've said it one time about Hurricanes goalies, I've said it a million times. Spencer Martin's final line won't tell the entire story tonight. I wouldn't classify it as a good start for him, but he played better than his save percentage indicates, especially during the third period. I can't give him too much flack with how the first period played out, but I'd have liked stops on Dallas' third and fourth goals, especially given their timing. Still, Martin made crucial stops during the Canes' comeback bid in the third, including on Roope Hintz's breakaway after he missed the poke check. All I care about is the win, so his numbers don't matter too much, especially given the circumstances. However, if this becomes a recurring issue, it could get old quickly.

I called Columbus a must-win game. Not only did that not come to fruition, they lost another goalie. This has the potential to be a tone-setting win for the remainder of this grueling week. The Canes weren't going to win this game based on the first two periods. Instead, they dug into their bag of tricks, scored five goals in 20 minutes, and earned two points. Before the week started, I said four points would be a successful week, given the quality of their opponents, though more would be ideal. They're halfway there already. Wednesday is the game I care about the most, so getting another two points going into Thanksgiving would make Thursday even better.

When We Meet Again- The Hurricanes will make their trip to Dallas on January 21st. It'll be the second half of a back-to-back for the Canes after playing in Chicago the night before.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game: Seth Jarvis

Seth Jarvis has proven himself to be an incredible personality off the ice. For all of the joking he does, few players on the roster possess the amount of skill he does. Mossing him for any length of time isn't fun, but it makes comeback games like this even sweeter. Jarvis was dynamite with Aho on the penalty kill, scoring a short-handed goal and adding an assist shortly after a penalty ended. He also added the secondary assist on the game-winning power-play goal from Necas. Quietly, he also finished with five hits, second to William Carrier for the game.

The Road Ahead- The New York Rangers will be in town on Wednesday night, marking the first meeting since New York knocked Carolina out of the playoff in the second round for the second time in three seasons. The Rangers have struggled lately, falling 5-2 tonight at home to the St. Louis Blues. The week ends with a home-and-home with the Florida Panthers on Friday and Saturday.