2024-25 Regular Season, Game 29 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators

It took until the final few minutes, but the Carolina Hurricanes got back into the win column on Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks. The defense accounted for all three goals at even strength. Shayne Gostisbehere started it in the first five minutes, burying a slick pass from William Carrier to get it going. San Jose responded late in the frame after Luke Kunin slid a rebound through Pyotr Kochetkov's pads. Kunin struck again midway through the second, catching Kochetkov leaning after an excellent effort from William Eklund below the goal line. Needing to find a spark, Brent Burns found himself on the right side of a beautiful passing sequence with Martin Necas and Sebastian Aho. Burns tapped home a brilliant Aho pass early in the third period to tie it. Late in the game, Jalen Chatfield was the hero, knocking down a clearing attempt and snapping one past Vitek Vanecek with 2:39 left to give the Canes the 3-2 lead. Kochetkov and the defense bore down and finished the job, earning a tough two points to begin their four-game homestand.

The Opponent: Ottawa Senators (13-13-2, 28 Points, 5th in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: The Senators were in Raleigh on November 16th as the Canes returned from their three-game road trip. Spencer Martin took the start, and he was lights out. Jordan Martinook opened the scoring eight minutes into the game, which stayed 1-0 until Sebastian Aho scored in the last minute of the second period to extend the Canes' lead. Jackson Blake added another power-play marker in the first minute of the third period. William Carrier added the empty-net goal, leaving one order of business left. Martin shut the door down the stretch, earning the first shutout of his career by making 24 stops in a 4-0 victory.

Since We Last Met: True to their overall record, the Senators have been playing .500 hockey since being shut out in Raleigh. However, none of their wins have come against teams in playoff spots right now. They've fallen to the top four teams in the Pacific Division and the Islanders while picking on some of the weaker squads in the league. This shouldn't undermine how solid they've been. The Senators are coming off a one-sided 5-1 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night, headlined by a natural hat trick from Drake Batherson, who added an assist as well. Ottawa's leading scorer Tim Stutzle contributed a pair of assists and Brady Tkachuk scored his 14th goal to take the team lead. Linus Ullmark made 31 stops in the win, earning his 8th of the season. Stutzle, Batherson, and Tkachuk have each eclipsed 30 points, while Adam Gaudette has 13 goals as part of his incredible season.

Stories of the Night
1. Second Period Blues
Over the last week, the Hurricanes have struggled to play their game during the second period. Seattle, New York, and San Jose all outplayed the Canes during the middle frame, helping them earn leads heading into the third period. Twice, it has burnt the Canes in the end, working back into Tuesday's game against the Sharks. They haven't played a clean 60 minutes of hockey since beating St. Louis the night after beating Ottawa in November. Tonight would be a great night for them to change that.

2. Stopping Ottawa Again
When Spencer Martin and the Hurricanes shut out the Senators a month ago, some of Ottawa's stars showed up while others didn't. Brady Tkachuk finished the night with a game-high seven shots whi;e Tim Stutzle added four. On the other hand, Drake Batherson and Josh Norris failed to contribute anything. I wouldn't expect the same tonight. The Senators have to be riding high after convincingly winning on Wednesday. The Canes will need to be on their A-game to stop this Ottawa attack.

3. Finding a Balance
The Canes bucked a recent trend of relying on their power play to get their offense working. They scored all three goals at 5-on-5 while going 0-for-4 with the man advantage. The Canes have struggled to find a good balance between even strength and special teams recently. When one starts working, it's usually to the detriment of the other. The Hurricanes are at their best when both sides are working in perfect harmony. 

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