"The Whale is Mightier Than the Sword": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 59: Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres

The Hurricanes turned back the clock on Thursday night for their annual Whalers Night, celebrating with throwback jerseys and retro fashion as the Buffalo Sabres came to town to begin a three-game homestand. The Canes were desperately hoping for some good fortune after back-to-back rough nights coming out of the two-week break. The Sabres have been feeling it lately, winning six of their last seven games. The home crowd hoped to be serenaded by Brass Bonanza all night.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (6:09)- Jordan Staal (11) (Jordan Martinook (17))

CAR (7:57)- Sebastian Aho (21) (Mikko Rantanen (42))

CAR (9:41)- Mikko Rantanen (27) PP (Andrei Svechnikov (25) & Shayne Gostisbehere (25))

BUF (19:04)- Alex Tuch (21) PP (unassisted)

2nd Period

CAR (15:52)- Taylor Hall (10) (Jack Roslovic (10) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (16))

3rd Period

BUF (1:15)- JJ Peterka (17) (Ryan McLeod (17) & Jack Quinn (13))

CAR (17:49)- Seth Jarvis (23) EN (unassisted)

My Thoughts

It took four seconds for the tone to be set in one of the most unlikely ways possible. Jesperi Kotkaniemi's line rarely starts games, yet they did tonight. As the puck dropped, so too did Kotkaniemi's gloves as he squared up with Dylan Cozens for an impromptu opening bout. The judges gave Kotkaniemi the win, as did the Caniacs in attendance for Whalers Night. It was the extra shot of adrenaline the crowd needed to get excited for this game. It was already going to be a big game, but this opening fight raised the stakes quite a bit. Good for Kotkaniemi to know what this team needed before delivering the goods. 

Clearly, the team rallied behind Kotkaniemi's fight because they had the type of start we've been starved for this month. The captain led by example by legally using his skate to redirect a shot into the net. Then, the new Finnish Connection got together as Mikko Rantanen fed Sebastian Aho to make it 2-0. To close it out, Rantanen showcased his stellar shot on the power play by picking on James Reimer and getting a kind bounce off the post to triple the lead. The hot start didn't last the entire night, but the Canes did enough to establish their dominance early that any Buffalo efforts were menial. 

It's almost as if we've been saying to give Rantanen and Taylor Hall some time to ease into their new roles with the Hurricanes. Tonight, donning untraditional Hurricanes colors, both new guys lit the lamp. Rantanen finally had his first multi-point effort since the trade, doing so in the first ten minutes of the game. Taylor Hall benefitted from a great pass from Jack Roslovic on the Canes' insurance goal late in the second period. Roslovic, who also set up Rantanen's first goal after the trade, did everything right on the play. He stole the puck from the goalie and made a slick drop pass, and Hall did the rest. It turned out to be a very important goal after two outstanding penalty kills by the Hurricanes.

While the game ended 5-2 and was clearly dominated by the Canes, the score could've been much worse. Lindy Ruff opted to pull Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen after Aho's goal, bringing former Hurricanes goalie James Reimer into the game. While he allowed the power-play goal to Rantanen shortly after entering, Reimer was phenomenal the rest of the way. The Canes had an unreal number of chances to extend their lead that Reimer snuffed out. He faced 29 shots after entering the game, allowing just two goals and keeping the Sabres in the game on the scoreboard. Reimer's effort wasn't matched by the guys in front of him.

When We Meet Again- The two sides will conclude their season series in Buffalo on April 8th. It'll be the third stop during a four-game road trip for the Canes.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Jesperi Kotkaniemi

While it's possible the Canes win this game without Jesperi Kotkaniemi dropping the gloves, I'm certain they won because he did. The only thing that could've made his night any better would've been a goal to complete the Gordie Howe Hat Trick. He picked up the secondary assist on Hall's goal in the second period to bring him one leg away from the accomplishment. Kotkaniemi set the tone. His team responded appropriately. 

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

Washington (38-13-8, 84 Points, 12 Points Ahead of the Canes for 1st)- It was a rare off night for the Capitals as they fell 5-2 on home ice to the St. Louis Blues. It's just their sixth regulation loss in D.C. this season as the Canes make up a little ground in the division race. 

New Jersey (33-22-6, 70 Points, 2 Points Behind Canes for 2nd): The Devils were trounced by the Avalanche on Wednesday night, falling 5-1. With Jacob Markson on the shelf, the team has struggled to find consistency, alternating wins and losses since late January.

The Road Ahead—To ring in March, the Canes will host the Oilers and the Flames on Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesday, they'll play a game in Detroit before returning home for four more at the Lenovo Center. During the next homestand, they'll also host a PWHL Takeover Tour game between the Minnesota Frost and the Ottawa Charge on Friday night.