Thoughts From My Couch

The new guys got to experience life on the right side of the Caniacs on Thursday night as the Hurricanes hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. It's the second meeting in ten days after the Canes escaped Chicago with a 4-3 overtime win last Monday night. While Mikko Rantanen made his home debut, the organization welcomed back Teuvo Teravainen, who spent the last eight seasons with the team. It would be a bittersweet reunion as the group tried to sweep the season series against Connor Bedard and the Hawks. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (16:57)- Seth Jarvis (20) SH (Juha Jaaska (2)) CHI (18:38)- Ilya Mikhayev (9) (Nick Foligno (12) & Jason Dickinson (9)) 2nd Period CAR (4:52)- Mikko Rantanen (26) (Jack Roslovic (9) & Dmitry Orlov (20)) CAR (5:59)- Jaccob Slavin (4) (Jackson Blake (7) & Juha Jaaska (3)) 3rd Period CHI (6:29)- Connor Bedard (15) (Seth Jones (19)) My Thoughts With a bug going around the locker room, the Hurricanes played without Sebastian Aho, Taylor Hall, and an 1...

The Carolina Hurricanes returned to Raleigh on Tuesday night after picking up three of a possible four points during their New York journey. They concluded the trip on Broadway, battling the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Andrei Svechnikov wasted little time getting the group going, burying Taylor Hall's pass to earn the new addition his first point as a Hurricane 56 seconds into the game. Frederik Andersen and Igor Shesterkin went save-for-save for the next two periods before the Canes extended their lead. Taking advantage of a terrible decision to pass from Vincent Trocheck on a breakaway, the Canes turned the puck up the ice. Jackson Blake hit Mikko Rantanen at the side of the net. Shesterkin went down on his side to stop Rantanen, so he laid it back for Svechnikov to tap home, giving Svechnikov his second goal and Rantanen his first point. The Canes broke the Rangers' will in the third. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis made it 4-0 within the first 2:30 of the perio...

The Canes have a major test ahead of them as they visit Madison Square Garden for the final time during the regular season. They were victorious in both meetings with the Rangers early in the year, but this team is starting to find their groove. With the new guys getting practice under their belts before Tuesday's bout, they should be acclimated to the Canes' system after a solid showing on Saturday without any prior practice. It's a big night in the Metro when these two teams collide, so you can bet there will be fireworks and fun times had by all. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (0:56)- Andrei Svechnikov (16) (Taylor Hall (16) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (15)) 2nd Period CAR (19:29)- Andrei Svechnikov (17) (Mikko Rantanen (40) & Jackson Blake (6)) 3rd Period CAR (1:04)- Sebastian Aho (17) (Andrei Svechnikov (20)) CAR (2:30)- Seth Jarvis (19) (Jordan Martinook (16)) My Thoughts For my money, this might've been the best the Hurricanes have ever looked in two games at Ma...

The Carolina Hurricanes welcomed Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to the lineup on Saturday night when they started their New York trip on Long Island against the Islanders. This was a rare occasion when the team started on time. Jack Roslovic, who changed to #98 with Rantanen's arrival, broke out of his scoring slump, buried a beautiful stretch pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi just over five minutes in. Sebastian Aho received a helpful bounce 72 seconds later, getting a deflection off Isaiah George's skate as he tried to find Rantanen from behind the net. Late in the period, Alexander Romanov got the bounce back as his shot from the point deflected off Sean Walker's knee to cut into the Canes' lead before intermission. The score remained 2-1 until early in the third period when Anders Lee pounced on a rebound to tie it. With nothing settled after 60 minutes, the teams continued into overtime. Andrei Svechnikov made an ill-advised pass attempt behind the New York net, springi...

It's the beginning of a new time for the Hurricanes after Friday night's shocker. Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall entered the lineup less than a day after the team plucked them from Colorado and Chicago, respectively. Their first outing will be on Long Island in the second of three straight divisional games. The Canes aimed for a fifth straight win after a big win on Thursday night. With the Rangers looming on Tuesday, it would be a big two points for Carolina.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (5:18)- Jack Roslovic (18) (Jesperi Kotkaniemi (14) & Dmitry Orlov (19)) CAR (6:30)- Sebastian Aho (16) (Jalen Chatfield (7)) NYI (17:53)- Alexander Romanov (1) (Casey Cizikas (2) & Adam Pelech (11) 2nd Period None 3rd Period NYI (6:26)- Anders Lee (21) (Bo Horvat (20) & Alexander Romanov (11)) Overtime NYI (2:03)- Brock Nelson (15) (Kyle Palmieri (20)) My Thoughts I said I wouldn't overreact to tonight's result. As a man of my word, I won't. Not to spoil the rest of...

The Carolina Hurricanes won another wild one on Thursday night, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets, 7-4, to earn their fourth straight victory. As is customary, they won despite falling into another early hole, allowing goals to Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko in the first ten minutes. They come out looking like a different team in the second period. Seth Jarvis started it with a power-play goal, opening the dam. Eric Robinson, Jackson Blake, and Sebastian Aho scored three times in 1:22 to open a 4-2 lead, and Jordan Martinook added the fifth goal, giving them five goals in under nine minutes. Columbus didn't go away easily, scoring twice at the end of the period to cut the Canes' lead to one. Jesperi Kotkaniemi provided the insurance marker midway through the third and Jarvis scored into the empty net to finish the Blue Jackets for good. Jarvis had a career-high four points, Aho added three, while Blake, Martin Necas, and Jordan Staal had two each. Frederik Andersen made 18...

The Canes made a quick trip home to face the Columbus Blue Jackets this season for the fourth and final time. Riding a three-game win streak, including back-to-back wins in Chicago and Dallas, Carolina was shooting for its longest win streak since October. Columbus occupies the top Wild Card spot as they've stayed hot into the new year. They're coming off a 5-1 win last night in Toronto that featured big nights from hometown kids Adam Fantili (first career hat trick) and Luca Del Bel Belluz (goal, assist). Scoring Summary 1st Period CBJ (7:08)- Kent Johnson (14) (Luca Del Bel Belluz (4) & Jake van Riemsdyk (10)) CBJ (9:48)- Kirill Marchenko (19) (Adam Fantili (13) & Jack Johnson (3)) 2nd Period CAR (2:48)- Seth Jarvis (17) PP (Sebastian Aho (33) & Martin Necas (38)) CAR (7:11)- Eric Robinson (11) (Seth Jarvis (19) & Frederik Andersen (1)) CAR (7:58)- Jackson Blake (11) (Sebastian Aho (34)) CAR (8:33)- Sebastian Aho (15) (Jackson Blake (5)) CAR (11:34)- Jordan Ma...

The Carolina Hurricanes did the unthinkable on Tuesday night. They won another road game. After beating Chicago on Monday, the Canes flew to Dallas to face the Stars on Tuesday night. It was a defensive struggle for most of the night, with neither goalie allowing a goal for well over 35 minutes. Jesperi Kotkaniemi would break the stalemate with just under three minutes left in the second period, capitalizing on the work of his linemates to snipe a shot over Jake Oettinger's shoulder. The Stars finally beat Pyotr Kochetkov midway through the third. Wyatt Johnston got him off his post enough to open a lane from below the goal line for Thomas Harley to score. It took 24 seconds for the Canes to retaliate. Sean Walker's chance was stopped, but Kotkaniemi was there to legally redirect the rebound off his skate and into the net. From there, the defense finished the job. Kochetkov finished with 22 saves and Martin Necas added two assists to lead the Canes to a 2-1 victory over the Sta...

For one of the toughest back-to-backs of the season, the Hurricanes flew from Chicago to Dallas to face the Stars on national television. The Canes barely made it out of Chicago with two points, getting a late goal from the captain and the overtime winner from Sebastian Aho to complete the 4-3 comeback victory. Against one of the best teams in the West, the Canes would need a big start from Pyotr Kochetkov and a spirited effort from the 18 in front of him to complete the back-to-back with four points.  Scoring Summary 1st Period None 2nd Period CAR (17:07)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (8) (Martin Necas (37)) 3rd Period DAL (10:11)- Thomas Harley (7) (Wyatt Johnston (26) & Miro Heiskanen (17)) CAR (10:35)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (9) (Sean Walker (8) & Martin Necas (38) My Thoughts The sign of a good team is being able to win under any circumstance. No matter how good or bad you play on a given night, the ability to adapt to any style and earn two points is a great sign. On Monday night, ...

The Carolina Hurricanes escaped Chicago last night with a 4-3 victory in overtime. The Blackhawks potted two in the first period, getting goals from Philipp Kurashev and Tyler Bertuzzi to open a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes. The Canes responded quickly in the second. Seth Jarvis scored a short-handed goal in the same venue he scored his first career goal to get the Canes on the board in the first 90 seconds. Jesperi Kotkaniemi tied it six minutes later, winning a battle behind the net before receiving Eric Robinson's pass and beating Petr Mrazek. All of the good things the Canes did in the middle frame soured when Ryan Donato scored with 18.7 seconds left in the period to restore Chicago's lead. Not to worry because the captain came through in the clutch down the stretch, scoring his 700th point in his 1300th game. In overtime, Martin Necas set up Sebastian Aho 51 seconds into the extra session to win the game 4-3 for the road team. Frederik Andersen made 22 stops in his return ...

It was a night of milestones as the Hurricanes skated into Chicago to begin the first half of a back-to-back. Captain Jordan Staal skated in his 1300th NHL game and Frederik Andersen, returning after nearly three months on the shelf, appeared in his 500th. For Andersen, it would be the first time we saw his surgically repaired knee in action. It was also the first time we've seen Teuvo Teravainen since returning to Chicago this offseason. Scoring Summary 1st Period CHI (9:46)- Philipp Kurashev (4) (Ryan Donato (13) & Louis Crevier (1)) CHI (16:55)- Tyler Bertuzzi (17) (Seth Jones (16) & Frank Nazar (4)) 2nd Period CAR (1:25)- Seth Jarvis (16) SH (Sebastian Aho (32) & Jaccob Slavin (13)) CAR (7:26)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (7) (Eric Robinson (12) & Jaccob Slavin (14)) CHI (19:41)- Ryan Donato (14) (Taylor Hall (15) & Philipp Kurashev (3)) 3rd Period CAR (14:37)- Jordan Staal (10) (Jordan Martinook (15) & Dmitry Orlov (18)) Overtime CAR (0:59)- Sebastian Aho (14) (...

The Carolina Hurricanes earned a hard-fought victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Raleigh on Friday night. Pyotr Kochetkov was under siege from the jump, doing everything he could to get the Canes into the second period scoreless. While he was sharp, Vegas got the first goal after Tomas Hertl settled a bouncing puck and lifted a backhander past Kochetkov early in the period to break the ice. This goal didn't faze Kochetkov, who was forced to stop a Keegan Kolesar penalty shot a few minutes later. The Canes responded just after the halfway point. Jordan Martinook won a battle to get his pass to Seth Jarvis at the front of the net. Jarvis kicked the puck to his stick and slid it past Adin Hill to knot it up. The game turned on its head to start the third. Jackson Blake earned a friendly bounce off Noah Hanifin's stick 46 seconds into the period to give the Canes their first lead. A few minutes later, Martinook intercepted a pass and lofted the puck out of the zone, creating a...

The Hurricanes started the holiday weekend with their only game as they hosted the Vegas Golden Knights. Coming off an unacceptable performance against the Sabres on Wednesday, the Canes could ill afford to go down the same path with one of the best teams in the Western Conference across from them. The big news before the game was Frederik Andersen being on the bench after being activated off IR. While he wasn't in the net, it was welcome news as the Canes inch closer to being at full strength. As they try to navigate the second half of the season, the healthier the better.  Scoring Summary 1st Period None 2nd Period VGK (4:22)- Tomas Hertl (13) (Alex Pietrangelo (19) & Victor Olofsson (8)) CAR (11:57)- Seth Jarvis (14) (Jordan Martinook (13) & Jaccob Slavin (12)) 3rd Period CAR (0:46)- Jackson Blake (10) (Andrei Svechnikov (18) & Dmitry Orlov (17)) CAR (6:09)- Seth Jarvis (15) (Jordan Staal (15) & Jordan Martinook (14)) VGK (9:52)- Shea Theodore (5) PP (Pavel Dorof...

The Carolina Hurricanes have dropped their last two contests, falling in Buffalo on Wednesday night after digging themselves into a 3-0 hole. Ryan McLeod scored 43 seconds into the game on the first shot against Dustin Tokarski to immediately force the Canes to chase. Dylan Cozens added to the deficit in the second period and McLeod put home his second of the game with 3.5 seconds left in the middle frame to send the Canes into the third down by three. Jaccob Slavin's bouncing shot eluded Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen early in the third to help start the Canes in the right direction. With just over three minutes left, Martin Necas unloaded a one-timer with the extra attacker on the ice to pull within a goal. The Canes didn't allow a shot in the third, yet the Sabres scored a goal. McLeod was awarded his third of the game after Brent Burns tomahawked and snapped his stick, preventing him from scoring into the empty net. The hat trick was the first of McLeod's career as the Sabres bea...

The Canes enjoyed a few days off after their busy start to January. Now, they'll have to get back into the swing of things when they travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres. Carolina ended the weekend on a slightly sour note, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Ducks after retiring Eric Staal's jersey on Sunday. The Sabres, who've been off since Saturday, are struggling at the bottom of the conference. While they feature a good offense, their goaltending has been suspect. With two well-rested squads facing off on national television, the Canes tried to extend their point streak to four games. Scoring Summary 1st Period BUF (0:43)- Ryan McLeod (8) (Connor Clifton (8) & Beck Malenstyn (5)) 2nd Period BUF (8:18)- Dylan Cozens (10) (Alex Tuch (18)) BUF 19:56)- Ryan McLeod (9) (Jason Zucker (17)) 3rd Period CAR (3:45)- Jaccob Slavin (3) (Brent Burns (13) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (13)) CAR (16:50)- Martin Necas (16) (Shayne Gostisbehere (22) & Brent Burns (14)) BUF (19:36)- Ryan ...

The Carolina Hurricanes honored one of the best on Sunday night, retiring Eric Staal's jersey before hosting the Anaheim Ducks to conclude a three-game homestand. The Canes outplayed the Ducks through two periods but found themselves on the wrong side of a 1-0 game thanks to a Jansen Harkins goal in the first period and an outstanding performance from Lukas Dostal in the net. Cutter Gauthier made it 2-0 early in the third, putting the Canes in a deep hole. The power play helped get them on the board. After Sebastian Aho had a goal wiped out for goalie interference, he set up Andrei Svechnikov 23 seconds later to get the Canes on the board for real. In the final minute, Seth Jarvis found the equalizer. With Pyotr Kochetkov on the bench, Jarvis spun and lifted a shot past Dostal to tie the game and send it to overtime. Unfortunately, the Canes couldn't finish the job. Gauthier got around the edge and slid a shot past Kochetkov to steal the second point in a 3-2 loss for the home ...

It was a special day for the organization as they welcomed Eric Staal home forever by sending his jersey to the rafters. The Hurricanes' leader in several regular-season offensive categories was set to receive a huge reception before the Canes and the Ducks closed the weekend on the ice. Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the lineup as the Canes slowly started to return to full strength. Meanwhile, the Ducks were playing without their leading scorer during the second half of a back-to-back after getting pumped on Saturday.  Scoring Summary 1st Period ANA (9:35)- Jansen Harkins (1) (Nikita Nesterenko (1) & Brian Dumoulin (9)) 2nd Period None 3rd Period ANA (1:18)- Cutter Gauthier (6) (Jackson LaCombe (11) & Leo Carlsson (8)) CAR (7:48)- Andrei Svechnikov (15) PP (Sebastian Aho (31) & Martin Necas (34)) CAR (19:04)- Seth Jarvis (13) (Martin Necas (35) & Brent Burns (12)) Overtime ANA (1:52)- Cutter Gauthier (7) (Jackson LaCombe (12) & Frank Vatrano (13)) My Thoughts ...

The Carolina Hurricanes completed their back-to-back on Friday night by shutting out the Vancouver Canucks, 2-0. It was a very low-event contest as the Canes threw their bodies into everything to make life easy for Dustin Tokarski, who only faced 14 shots in the victory. Coming off a hat trick the night before, Jordan Staal opened the scoring late in the first to score his fifth goal in as many periods. Andrei Svechnikov won a battle along the boards and powered to the front of the net to extend his point streak to four games with a snipe past Thatcher Demko. That was all they needed to get the job done. Staal finished with two points, and Dmitry Orlov was the only other player to find the scoresheet. It was the first time the Canes had won consecutive games in nearly a month.  The Opponent: Anaheim Ducks (17-20-5, 39 Points- 6th in the Pacific) It has been another season of meddling near the bottom of the division for the Ducks. While there are teams below them, there is a conside...

To complete the back-to-back, the Hurricanes shot for two wins in a row after taking down Toronto on Thursday on the back of Jordan Staal's hat trick. The Canes have only won consecutive games once over the last month, meaning a win streak feels long overdue. They'll have to contend with a Canucks squad that is playing the first half of a back-to-back, trying to start their weekend on the right foot. With the injuries piling up for both sides, this game was equally important for all parties.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (14:41)- Jordan Staal (9) (Dmitry Orlov (16)) 2nd Period CAR (1:37)- Andrei Svechnikov (14) (Jordan Staal (14)) 3rd Period None My Thoughts I will take a boring 2-0 victory over a stress-inducing 6-3 win 11 times out of 10 when given a choice between the two. The best way to describe this was that it was a hockey game that happened, which is great when your team scores the only two goals of the game. It's not as fun when your team is on the other side of ...

Their start left much to be desired, but the Carolina Hurricanes finished Thursday's game against Toronto on the right side of a 6-3 decision. Toronto scored twice in the first 7:30 of the game as they began to run the Canes out of the building. Two goals in 17 seconds by Eric Robinson and Jordan Staal not only brought them even but allowed them to completely turn the game on its head. Staal scored 35 seconds into the second period while short-handed, but Auston Matthews responded during the same penalty to tie the game at three. Jackson Blake restored the lead a few minutes later, earning Juha Jaaska his first NHL point with the primary assist. The Canes maintained their 4-3 lead through two periods before Staal completed his fifth career hat trick 20 seconds into the third by redirecting Brent Burns' shot past Joseph Woll. Seth Jarvis provided the empty-net dagger to close the win. Jordan Martinook recorded assists on all three Staal goals, and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 30 shot...

After the disappointing end to the tilt in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, the Hurricanes began a three-game homestand and the first half of a back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canes owned last season's series with Toronto, winning all three games, but this Leafs team enters on a wave of momentum. Toronto has won five straight and their offense has looked dangerous. Playing on national television, the Canes needed to make a big statement to begin the second half of their schedule. Scoring Summary 1st Period TOR (1:59)- Nick Robertson (7) (Max Domi (12) & Steven Lorentz (5)) TOR (7:29)- William Nylander (24) (unassisted) CAR (13:58)- Eric Robinson (10) (Ty Smith (1) & Martin Necas (3)) CAR (14:15)- Jordan Staal (6) (Andrei Svechnikov (17) & Jordan Martinook (10)) 2nd Period CAR (0:35)- Jordan Staal (7) SH (Jordan Martinook (11) & Jaccob Slavin (11)) TOR (1:13)- Auston Matthews (14) PP (Matthew Knies (11) & Mitch Marner (45)) CAR (4:58)- Jackson Blake (9) (J...