"Cruelty, Thy Name is Hockey": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 65: Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The homestand continues as the Hurricanes welcome their third of four visitors to the Lenovo Center. On Tuesday night, in front of the Caniacs, the team met with the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Bolts didn't do much at the deadline, they didn't really need to, considering how scorching their offense has been lately, outside of their shutout loss on Saturday to Boston. The Canes hoped for another encouraging game from their new guys after Mark Jankowski and Logan Stankoven combined for three of the team's four goals on Sunday. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (4:29)- Seth Jarvis (26) SH (Sebastian Aho (38))

2nd Period

CAR (12:56)- Jordan Martinook (12) (unassisted)

CAR (19:15)- Jack Roslovic (20) (Taylor Hall (18) & Jalen Chatfield (10))

3rd Period

TBL (4:38)- Gage Goncalves (3) (Brandon Hagel (41) & Darren Raddysh (25))

CAR (6:26)- Sean Walker (3) (Jordan Staal (21))

My Thoughts

Watching the Bolts' top power play work had me jealous because the way they move the puck is incredible. For almost two minutes, the Canes couldn't sniff the puck because it was moving around the zone at the speed of life. When they finally earned a stoppage and changed their group, to dynamic dup hit the ice. Seth Jarvis intercepted a pass. Aho pushed the puck to him on a give-and-go. Jarvis sniped a shot top corner on Andrei Vasilevskiy with two seconds left on the kill. It's almost unfair that's how it transpired. However, it fits tonight's theme beautifully. Hockey is a cruel sport, and the Lightning learned that the hard way.

After allowing the early goal, the Lightning were the better team. Their top line was making life miserable for the Canes, yet they couldn't solve Pyotr Kochetkov. On the other end, Vasilevskiy wasn't dealing with much he couldn't handle until midway through the second period. He made two incredible stops on a Jarvis breakaway chance and a Jordan Staal 2-on-1 set up by Logan Stankoven. The second stop was particularly impressive. Once again, we saw another shining example of hockey's cruelty. Mere seconds after his stop on Staal, Vasilevskiy let in one of the softest goals I've ever seen. Jordan Martinook wasn't trying to score with his backhand, but his shot rode up the blade of the goalie's stick and snuck across the line through the tiniest of holes. For all of the tough stops Vasilevskiy made, this goal would be the turning point.

Once the Canes grabbed their two-goal lead, they refused to let the Lightning back into the game. The top line had the best shift of the night, though it didn't end in a goal. They kept the Bolts' group on the ice in their own end for ages before Vasilevskiy finally earned a whistle. In the final minute, Jack Roslovic finally found the elusive 20th goal and the 100th of his career and while Tampa scored early in the third to break the shutout, Sean Walker responded immediately to restore the three-goal cushion. It was relatively smooth sailing from there. The power play continued to struggle, but it hardly hampered my ability to enjoy this game. 

There's a laundry list of things you could talk about from this game. The Canes' top line deserved better at 5-on-5. The Canes' discipline prevented the Bolts' power play from getting many chances. Kochetkov outdueled Vasilevskiy for the first time in his career, earning his career-high 24th victory. The list goes on and on. Most importantly, this team looks loose and much more confident with the deadline passing. There is an aura surrounding the group that feels overwhelmingly positive. As chaotic as the last few weeks have been, it feels like they're just having fun, which is allowing me to have more fun watching them.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Sean Walker

There are several deserving candidates tonight, but Sean Walker's statline really jumped out at me. Along with snapping a 42-game goalless drought, Walker finished tied with a team-high four shots. He also blocked a trio of chances and finished the game at +3, along with Jalen Chatfield. Walker has long been a player whose statline doesn't tell the entire story. Tonight, he was finally rewarded for his efforts with a goal he truly needed at an important time in the game. It squashed any hopes of a Tampa comeback.

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

Washington (10 Points Ahead for 1st)- While there is still plenty of time left in the game, the Capitals are leading the Ducks 3-2 after two periods as I'm writing this. They've been all over the Ducks the entire game, but Anaheim isn't going quietly.

New Jersey (6 Points Behind for 2nd)- In a big division clash, the Devils jumped out to a big lead and managed to hang on against the Blue Jackets tonight. Jesper Bratt led the way with three points and Luke Hughes added a goal and an assist in the victory to remain six points behind the Canes.

Columbus (12 Points Behind for 2nd, WC2)- Life in the Wild Card race remains stressful for all involved, especially the Blue Jackets. With tonight's loss to New Jersey, Columbus sits on the cut-off line, leading several teams by two points.

New York (R) (14 Points Behind for 2nd)- One of the teams Columbus is holding off is the Rangers, who lost 2-1 in Winnipeg. Igor Shesterkin was solid, making 22 stops, but the Rangers' offense couldn't do anything against Connor Hellebuyck.

The Road Ahead- The homestand concludes on Friday night as the Detroit Red Wings visit for the first time this season. The Canes will turn around and fly to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Saturday to complete the second half of the back-to-back. Then, they'll get five days off before beginning a California road trip with three games in four days.