"Finn it to Win it": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 52: Hurricanes vs. Chicago Blackhawks

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 18th skater tonight. Still, we got Mikko Rantanen's home debut and Ryan Suzuki's NHL debut, so that's fun. It was an ugly game for the Hurricanes, but there were glimpses of beauty throughout. The defense put on a show for the first 18 minutes of the game before allowing the tying goal late in the opening period. Then, the offense came to life for a pair of goals early in the second. The Canes were pushed to the edge tonight but held on for dear life. They earned two points under tough circumstances. That's all you can ask of them. 

Everyone will be talking about Rantanen scoring his first goal as a Hurricane in front of the home fans on Thursday night. If he isn't careful, he'll really start liking the Caniacs. The goal was awesome, but the pass from Jack Roslovic was even better. Rantanen was all over the ice tonight. In the first period, he was making passes to set up his linemates. Jackson Blake had a great chance in the slot that he pushed wide. He tied for the team lead in shots again tonight, putting five toward Arvid Soderblom. The most important stat was the one goal, which gave the Canes the lead early in the second period. It was a cool moment on a night worth celebrating.

I've been pushing for a Suzuki debut for weeks now. I hate that it was under these circumstances, but a debut is a debut, no matter how it happens. His story leading up to the game is insane, finding out he'd been called up just hours before the game and arriving 15 minutes before warm-ups started. He didn't play much, finding the ice for just 6:12, but he was out there for the game-winner. His chemistry with Juha Jaaska was evident, having spent time together in Chicago this season. I hope we'll see more of Suzuki because this was only a taste of what he can do.

Tonight's win wrapped up a busy January for the Hurricanes. Dare I say, the Carolina Hurricanes are back. The group ends the month on a seven-game point streak after going 10-3-2 in 15 games. They made arguably the biggest trade in franchise history. Everyone is clicking on all cylinders. The penalty kill is the best in the league. The only thing they really need to fix is their power play. If they can get that clicking, too, this is going to be a dangerous team down the stretch. They're only six points behind Washington right now, and it doesn't sound like the front office is done maneuvering. Buckle up, Caniacs. This is going to be an interesting few months.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Juha Jaaska
While playing just over eight minutes tonight, Juha Jaaska tripled his production by providing assists on two of the three Carolina goals. He helped start the scoring by setting up Seth Jarvis while short-handed before providing the secondary helper on the game-winner. Jaaska hasn't gotten much ice time during his short tenure in the NHL, but he is making the most of what he's been given. His first NHL goal is going to be an incredible scene.

The Road Ahead- The Canes' remaining schedule before the 4 Nations Face-Off break has a Western Conference flavor. The Kings will be in town on Saturday night before the Canes fly to Winnipeg and Minnesota next week. The final game before the break is next Saturday afternoon as the Canes host Utah.

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