2024-25 Regular Season, Game 65 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Carolina Hurricanes welcomed their newest additions to the lineup on Sunday night, battling the league-leading Winnipeg Jets at the Lenovo Center. Both made immediate impacts. Mark Jankowski opened the scoring late in the first period, snapping a beautiful shot past Connor Hellebuyck's glove. Then, he crashed the net and knocked home another early in the second to double the advantage. Logan Stankoven joined the party early in the third period, redirecting a shot from Shayne Gostisbehere on the power play to make it 3-0. Alex Iafallo broke the shutout with less than three minutes left, but Seth Jarvis scored into the empty net to put it away. Adam Lowry made it look closer than it was with a last-minute tally, but the Canes dominated on their way to a 4-2 win. Andersen made 20 stops in the victory, including some pretty ones to keep the Jets off the board in the second and third periods. 

The Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning (37-22-4, 78 Points- 3rd in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: The Canes lost a heartbreaker in Tampa in early January. The Lightning struck in the first period when Brandon Hagel finally got one past Pyotr Kochetkov late in the period. Andrei Svechnikov retaliated with a weak backhander that somehow eluded Andrei Vasilevskiy, but Nick Paul got it back less than three minutes later on the power play. The captain, who helped assist Svechnikov's earlier goal, found the back of the net midway through the third, and both teams looked destined to settle the game in overtime. Instead, Brayden Point made his presence felt by spinning and firing a shot past Kochetkov with less than a minute left to deny the Canes a point. Kochetkov made 30 stops, while Vasilevskiy made 29 to aid the Bolts to a 3-2 victory.

Since We Last Met: Maintaining their spot in the Top 3 of the Atlantic Division, the Bolts haven't been losing much lately. Sure, they were shut out by the Bruins over the weekend, but those losses have been few and far between. Tampa Bay didn't have a flashy trade deadline, reuniting with Yanni Gourde and bringing Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Kraken. They clearly like their team, and why wouldn't they? They have one of the most high-powered offenses in the league, led by Nikita Kucherov (92 points; 3rd in the NHL), Jake Guentzel, and Brayden Point (32 goals each; T-6th in the NHL), and a dangerous power play. Their defense isn't too bad either. Andrei Vasilevskiy has returned to his usual form, playing a league-high 50 games while facing and stopping the most shots. They're locked into a tight battle in the division, trying to chase down Florida and Toronto to gain home ice for the first round of the playoffs. 

Stories of the Night
1. The New Guys' Encore
On Sunday night, Logan Stankoven and Mark Jankowski were the centers of attention, playing their first games as Hurricanes after being acquired on Friday. Now, it's back to business. Game 2 isn't as special as the first one. They know the expectations placed upon them, even as the new guys on the roster. There will still be a spotlight, but it's a little dimmer than it was a few nights ago. They have jobs to do and that's to help this group beat the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.

2. Andrei Svechnikov and Victor Hedman
No, it's not because the two have a long history and will come to blows. It's because both are dealing with injuries and are integral parts of their teams. Svechnikov was hurt during the team's win on Sunday, missing time late. He wasn't present for practice on Monday, giving me pause that he'll be available on Tuesday. On the other hand, Hedman, who missed the Bolts' game on Saturday against Boston, was at practice for Tampa Bay on Monday, so there's optimism that he'll be good to go. Even if he is, there's no way he's playing at 100%, giving us another thing to keep our eyes on.

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