"The Tick": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 30: Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

After a disappointing result against the Ottawa Senators on Friday night, the Hurricanes sought better results with the Columbus Blue Jackets in town. Dustin Tokarski got the call in the net for the Canes, making his first NHL start in two seasons against a Columbus team playing the second half of a back-to-back. The Canes were shut out on Friday by Linus Ullmark, causing many to wonder where the offense has gone. Against a potentially tired Columbus, the Canes need a hot start to prevent another losing effort.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (8:28)- Sebastian Aho (8) SH (Seth Jarvis (11))

CAR (19:08)- William Carrier (3) (Jordan Staal (7) & Jordan Martinook (8))

2nd Period

CBJ (15:52)- Dmitri Voronkov (8) (Kirill Marchenko (18) & Ivan Provorov (9))

CAR (17:16)- Jordan Martinook (7) (Jordan Staal (8) & Dmitry Orlov (12))

3rd Period

CAR (6:19)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (5) (Martin Necas (30) & Sean Walker (4))

My Thoughts

The Canes had a 3-1 lead late in the second period when Seth Jarvis took a high-sticking penalty with the Canes on the power play. In the dying seconds, Sean Monahan missed a wide-open net, hitting the outside of the post with Dustin Tokarski out of position. He immediately looked skyward and ran off the ice once the horn sounded at the end of the period. Instead of a one-goal game, Columbus had to climb out of a two-goal hole. Imagine how different this game would play out if Columbus scored there. Instead, the Canes maintained their lead, killed the remainder of the penalty in the third period, and put them away on Jesperi Kotkaniemi's snipe a few minutes later. There's no guarantee that Columbus makes a comeback if Monahan does score, but that's not how the breaks have been going for the Canes lately.

Making his team debut and his first NHL start in almost two years, there was plenty of reason to doubt the outcome of tonight's game as Tokarski took the net. His numbers in Chicago were excellent, but he hasn't been on this level for a while. He alleviated my doubts with his handling of the Blue Jackets' early power plays. Tokarski's side-to-side movement was phenomenal, his rebound control improved as the game progressed, and he did a magnificent job of fighting around screens to keep Columbus out of the net. He was the team's best penalty killer on a night when they went 5-for-5 against a power play that has been sharp recently. Add a beautiful short-handed goal by Sebastian Aho on a 2-on-1 with Seth Jarvis to open the scoring and it was destined to be a good night for the Hurricanes.

The early penalties prevented the Canes from establishing their 5-on-5 game. Once they settled in, Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, and William Carrier took control for the home team. They picked up a huge goal at the end of the first period, with Staal setting up Carrier as Martinook picked up the secondary helper. Then, they added another late in the second period after Staal's drive was redirected by Martinook. This was the type of game I expected to see from them as three of the hardest-working forwards on the team. The rest of the group followed their lead. The other three lines had their moments in the offensive zone, especially the fourth line. 

The last note on tonight's win was the challenge on the aforementioned Martinook goal for goalie interference for our bi-monthly question about what goalie interference is. Carrier was in the crease when Martinook redirected the shot and it looked like there was contact with the goalie. The league determined that the contact didn't prevent Elvis Merzlikins from playing his position, so it counted. I thought there was a better case to overturn this goal than Jack Roslovic's power-play goal that came off the board during the ensuing chance after the failed challenge. It just goes to show that no amount of hockey watching will allow you to understand the true meaning of goalie interference.

When We Meet Again- The Hurricanes will celebrate New Year's Eve in Columbus for the third get-together of the season. The Blue Jackets won the first meeting in Columbus in the shootout in November.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Dustin Tokarski

Anyone from the Staal line would be just as deserving, but there's no better story tonight than Dustin Tokarski winning in his Hurricanes debut, especially in the fashion he did it. No goalie has ever pitched a shutout in their team debut, though Tokarski was very close tonight. It felt clear early that Tokarski was on his game, making big stops during the penalty kill to get the team moving. He was solid all night, earning the spotlight.

The Road Ahead- The homestand ends Tuesday night with the New York Islanders in town. The Hurricanes will be on the road in the lead-up to Christmas, beginning with a battle against the division-leading Washington Capitals on Friday night. They'll enter the holiday break after a back-to-back against the Rangers and Predators next Sunday and Monday.