2024-25 Regular Season, Game 44 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Anaheim Ducks

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 considerable distance between the Ducks and the Flames in fifth place. The numbers don't look very good, especially on offense. The Ducks are near the bottom of the league in goals, with only Troy Terry (14) and Frank Vatrano (11) with more than eight. Terry leads the team with 33 points, but he has been out for the last few games after he and his wife welcomed their second child. Trevor Zergars has also been out of the lineup with a back injury, though he hadn't been doing much, either. This group has an abundance of young talent mixed with veteran leaders. They acquired Jacob Trouba from the Rangers not too long ago, giving them both Trouba and captain Radko Gudas to worry about physically. The only real bright spots have been their goalies. John Gibson, who is likely out the door before the trade deadline, and Lukas Dostal, the heir apparent to the crease, have the Ducks in the middle of the pack in goals allowed, though Gibson suffered a 6-0 loss last night in Philadelphia. They have been struggling to score, which makes me all the more concerned about how they will play in Raleigh tonight. 

Last Season's Meetings: The Hurricanes and the Ducks split their season series with the home side winning each game. The Ducks handed the Canes their first loss when they visited during the State Fair last October. Anaheim jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, though the Canes brought it within a goal with less than five minutes to go. Anaheim added two empty-net goals to take a 6-3 win. Frank Vatrano recorded a hat trick for the Ducks, while Teuvo Teravainen scored twice for Carolina. The Canes won the return game in Raleigh in mid-January by the same score. Brady Skjei and Andrei Svechnikov scored 15 seconds apart in the first period to open the scoring, the Ducks worked it to 3-3 midway through the second period. Stefan Noesen and Jack Drury scored at the end of the period, and Seth Jarvis added to the lead in the third period to secure a 6-3 victory. Jarvis recorded three points and 12 Hurricanes found the scoresheet in the win.

Stories of the Night

1. Eric Staal Becomes Immortalized

Before dropping the puck against the Ducks, the organization will take time to honor one of the best players to suit up for the Hurricanes. Eric Staal spent 12 seasons with the team, playing more games, scoring more goals, and accumulating more points than any player since relocation. His #12 will be sent to the rafters to sit next to the other greats. I have no doubt the ceremony will be wonderful and appropriate for the magnitude of Staal's accomplishments.

2. The Start After the Ceremony

While the ceremony will be good, it means the teams will be sitting around for longer than normal. This will place the start of the game under a microscope. Along with the pre-game festivities, the Ducks will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after playing in Philadelphia on Saturday. With the Canes having Saturday off, they should be a little fresher than Anaheim. A hot start could put the Canes ahead of the game early, allowing them to extend their win streak to three games.