"This is 30": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 17: Hurricanes vs. St. Louis Blues

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 fandom. He's doing things that haven't been accomplished by a Hurricane. He's the fastest player to 30 points in franchise history, needing just 17 games. He's the third player in the league to hit 30 this season. He's two goals back for the most in the league and tied for fourth in assists. He's doing it while playing next to a guy who is constantly under a microscope and a new guy playing the best hockey of his career, too. Eric Robinson had a three-point night, scoring a goal and setting up both of Necas' goals on Sunday. I'm still going to withhold from asserting that Necas is going to join Staal as a 100-point scorer because there's still so much hockey left to play. Still, he's 3/10 of the way there after tonight.

Along with Necas' incredible four-point night, Pyotr Kochetkov was stellar in his return to the lineup. He wasn't out long and I was a little surprised to see him play tonight, but he looked every bit the part of the goalie who had been nearly unbeatable before Utah. The Canes looked a step behind the Blues early in the game, allowing the first goal early in the contest. However, Kochetkov kept his team afloat until they were able to find an answer late in the first period. Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich both had great games for the Blues, getting excellent chances on the Canes' netminder. Kochetkov didn't bat an eye. He was just aggressive not to be considered reckless, like he was in Vancouver during the early-season road trip. Kochetkov's saves weren't all highlight-reel worthy, but they were timely and steady. After earning his ninth win of the season on Sunday, Kochetkov is now tied for the second-most in the league.

The Necas line did the majority of the scoring tonight, but there were plenty of noteworthy performances from the rest of the lineup. Jackson Blake is at the top of that list. With the Canes down a goal late in the first period, Blake drew a holding penalty against Oskar Sundqvist. The top unit, which he has been on since Seth Jarvis' injury, came out and scored at the end of the period, and his hard work started it. The fourth line, as a whole, was very good. Jalen Chatfield and Dmitry Orlov were on the ice for all three 5-on-5 goals tonight, with Orlov earning the primary helper on Robinson's goal by getting the puck quickly to the net. 

After a disappointing road trip and with the injuries starting to pile up a little, the Hurricanes needed to dig deep coming home for this back-to-back. This weekend was a roaring success. It alleviated many of the doubts I was having following their lackluster performance in Utah. They beat the Senators and Blues by a combined 8-1, with Martin and Kochetkov stopping 53 of 54 shots. The special teams were exactly that, scoring three times on the power play and going perfect in both games. They have assumed the top spot in the division, the second-most points in the league, and the second-best points percentage. It's still very early, but this team is looking really good.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Martin Necas
What more can I say about Martin Necas other than, "WOW!" He has been the Hurricanes' best player through 17 games and it's not close. He had some close competition with Eric Robinson and Pyotr Kochetkov for the top spot tonight, but factoring on all four goals will give him the crown.

The Road Ahead- For the third time this season, the Hurricanes will embark on a road trip of at least three games. This time, all three games are against division opponents. They'll play a back-to-back against Philadelphia and New Jersey on Wednesday and Thursday before finishing the trip in Columbus on Saturday.

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