"It Still Doesn't Seem Real": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 50: Hurricanes at New York Islanders

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 review, but I don't have that many negative things to say about the game. I didn't love the Canes' game overall, though I felt they played well enough to win. They showed flashes of brilliance, but also underwent stretches when the Islanders had them on their heels. It came down to one bad pass in overtime that allowed New York to skate the other way on a 2-on-1 to win it. Otherwise, the Canes were perfect on the penalty kill, looked fine on their only power play, and got good efforts throughout the lineup. They'll take the point knowing they probably should've earned the second.

I guess the Canes got their 2-0 lead and didn't know what to do with it. They've grown used to playing from behind, so playing with a lead is a slightly foreign concept. Their first 6:30 minutes were their best of the game. Jesperi Kotkaniemi helped Jack Rosovic break out of a slump, though I think switching his number had just as much to do with it. Then, Sebastian Aho got a friendly bounce off an Islanders' skate to extend the lead 72 seconds later. The Canes had other great chances throughout the night that they couldn't finish. I think the pure shock of playing with the lead is what hampered their offense tonight.

The real intrigue surrounding the game was how the new guys would fit into the lineup. I thought Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall underwent a slight feeling-out process in the first period before finally settling in during the second period. Rantanen established his shot in the second, hitting the post with a changeup on his best chance of the game. He finished the night +1 and had five shots playing next to former World Junior teammate Sebastian Aho and rookie Jackson Blake. Hall started the night on the fourth line before getting a bump to the second line with Kotkaniemi and Andrei Svechnikov. He didn't record a shot, but Hall clearly still has plenty left in his tank. I think he could surprise some people in the Canes system.

If I had to single out one overwhelming negative from the game, it was the Canes' performance in the dot during regulation. At one point, New York led Carolina 30-13 on draws. It directly led to the tying goal after Bo Horvat beat Jordan Staal and set up the chance for Anders Lee to pop home. The Islanders are the best team in the league in the dot, winning two percent more draws than any other team. However, the Canes aren't slouches either, sitting in fourth in face-off percentage. Ironically, they won both face-offs during overtime, so they must've figured something out late. 

When We Meet Again- The Canes and Islanders will play the final game of their season series on March 30th at the Lenovo Center. It'll be the third game of a four-game homestand for the Canes. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Finishing 2/3 of the Gordie Howe hat trick less than 16 minutes into a game is no small feat. I don't think I had Jesperi Kotkaniemi being the first Hurricane to drop the gloves this season on by Bingo card. Kotkaniemi continued his excellent week by extending his point streak to four games by making the stretch pass to Jack Roslovic on his first-period goal. I'm not sure how the rest of the league stacks up, but he might have a case to be one of the three stars this week.

The Road Ahead- The road to the 4-Nations Face-Off is quickly coming to a head. The group has six games left before the break, starting on Tuesday against the Rangers at MSG. They'll return home for their next two, hosting the Blackhawks on Thursday and the Kings on Saturday.