2024-25 Regular Season, Game 48 Preview: Hurricanes at Dallas Stars

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 after three months, while Mrazek stopped 44 shots against his former club. 

The Opponent: Dallas Stars (29-16-1, 59 Points- 3rd in the Central Division)
Last Meeting: The Hurricanes defeated the Stars 6-4 when they visited before Thanksgiving. Things started poorly when Tyler Seguin scored 18 seconds into the game. A few minutes later, Sebastian Aho set up Seth Jarvis for a short-handed tally, and the Canes got it back. Thomas Harley restored Dallas' lead just past the halfway point in the period, snapping a shot from the slot off the bar and in. After Jackson Blake hit the post on one end, Mason Marchment finished a chance on the other end, putting Dallas up by two in the second period. The Canes started to chip away early in the third. Jarvis returned the favor to Aho, setting him up just over a minute in as they pulled within a goal. Brent Burns found the equalizer shortly after, snapping one from the point that Jake Oettinger never saw. The Canes' power play would give them the lead after Shayne Gostisbehere put one through traffic. With 5:15 left in regulation, Miro Heiskanen threw one past Spencer Martin, knotting the game at four. Sometimes it pays to be lucky. With two minutes left, Martin Necas' pass on the power play hit two Dallas skates and snuck into the net. Andrei Svechnikov finished it off, scoring the empty-netter to seal a 6-4 win.

Since We Last Met: The Stars are stuck in a three-team race in the Central Division to sort out spots two through four. Entering play, Dallas sits in third, leading the Avalanche by two points and trailing Minnesota by one. They went on a seven-game win streak from late December into mid-January but have lost three of five since. They're coming off a solid 4-1 win against the Red Wings over the weekend. Matt Duchene has clearly loved his time in Dallas because he is turning back the clock again this season. Duchene leads the team in points (45) and trails Roope Hintz for the goals lead by one (18). He has been on a heater, scoring seven points in Dallas' last four games. They are an impressive mix of veterans and youngsters that is set for a long time. While they're outside the Top 10 in goals, Jake Oettinger has been one of the best goalies in the league this season. He's Top 10 in GAA and save percentage and second in wins. He had a tough outing in Raleigh, but those are few and far between this season for the Stars' netminder. This is a tough bunch, even when they're playing without guys like Hintz and Mason Marchment. 

Stories of the Night
1. A Brutal Back-to-Back
Even with a day between games, going from Chicago to Dallas to play is tough. Having to travel and play on consecutive nights should be illegal. Sure, the Canes have probably endured worse, but I still don't like it. Especially, since it's a nationally televised game, too. Given the Canes' current road struggles, their win last night notwithstanding, and Dallas being a very good team, this could be a tough game for the visitors. I guess it's a good thing they won last night to bank two points against a lower-caliber team. 

2. Kochetkov Needs to Outplay Oettinger
If the Canes want to win their third straight game, it'll come down to Pyotr Kochetkov being better than Jake Oettinger, who I presume will start for the Stars. That's a tall task since Oettinger has been very good this season and the group in front of him played last night. Kochetkov was excellent against the Golden Knights on Friday night and has largely been good in January. Now that Frederik Andersen is back, I expect Kochetkov to be as motivated as ever to maintain his spot as the team's starter for the foreseeable future. Otherwise, Andersen could swoop in and take it away, again.

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