"Everything's Golden": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 68: Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks

The pause has come to an end as the Hurricanes kick off their three-game California adventure with the San Jose Sharks. Neither team has played since Saturday, cutting off the Canes in the middle of a seven-game win streak. After a big shutout victory in their outing against the Flyers, everything seems to be rolling in the right direction for the team as they begin their penultimate long trip of the campaign. San Jose remains one of the bottom feeders of the league, but their flashy young core has shown glimpses of something special during another hard season.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

SJ (13:00)- William Eklund (15) SH (Ty Dellandrea (6))

2nd Period

CAR (10:31)- Seth Jarvis (27) (unassisted)

3rd Period

CAR (4:58)- Sebastian Aho (26) (Jackson Blake (13) & Brent Burns (19))

CAR (14:18)- Sean Walker (4) (Taylor Hall (20) & Shayne Gostisbehere (31))

My Thoughts

Remember when we all thought the Canes wouldn't win another road game ever again? I guess we were overreacting a little. They've now won three in a row away from the Lenovo Center after sinking the Sharks on Thursday night. This game had its ebbs and flows, but it was largely controlled by the road team, especially in the third period. Outscoring the Sharks 2-0 and getting two big penalty kills, especially the late 6-on-4 up 3-1, was massive. The Sharks are at the bottom of the standings, but they gave the Hurricanes an excellent game. Major props for Georgi Romanov in his first start. He's the first goalie to stop Mark Jankowski in a Canes sweater since the trade. There's a lot to be said for that. Macklin Celebrini was quiet. Will Smith was good, albeit kept at bay. This is three good road efforts in a road to get the Canes back to .500 away from Raleigh. 

The top line drove the bus once more. Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Jackson Blake were all phenomenal, dominating just about every shift they had the entire game. All three found the back of the net, though Blake's came off the board because he was offside on his beautiful breakaway chance. He still found the scoresheet by setting up Aho's go-ahead goal in the third period with his hard work below the goal line. The trio finished with almost 1/3 of the team's shots, combining for ten. With his tying goal in the second period, Jarvis extended his point streak to six games. Taylor Hall also had a good game, using his size and speed to set up the insurance marker and push his point streak to four games. 

I don't care what the final box score reads, Frederik Andersen was perfect. The Sharks scored a goal, but it was as fluky and undeserved a goal as I've ever seen. Andersen didn't have to make any all-world stops to earn the victory, but he had to be sharp during the short spurts when the Sharks pushed. Particularly, he was good late in the first, early in the second, and late in the third during the Sharks' final power play. Andersen is now 7-2-0 away from home with a 1.66 GAA and a .932 save percentage. When the team needs a good road start, Andersen has been a safe bet this season.

Going into the trip, everyone knew Saturday's game was going to be the toughest. The Canes are the hottest team in the league, winning eight straight. The Kings are the best home team in the league, earning points in 12 straight in their barn, and they've won six of their last seven. A surging Canes offense against one of the best defenses in the NHL. This is going to be a heavyweight clash between two teams who are virtually locked into the playoffs. Pyotr Kochetkov will need to be at the top of his game against one of this season's best stories, Darcy Kuemper.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Sebastian Aho

The entire top trio deserves to be in this spot for their efforts tonight, but I'm riding with the Canes' superstar after leading the team with five shots. He scored the game-winner early in the third period, but he also needs praise for being a major disruptor on Seth Jarvis' goal in the second. He was in the middle of the play to force the errant pass, leading to Jarvis' 27th goal. He didn't get an assist, but he did in spirit.

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

Washington (12 Points Behind for 1st)- The Capitals became the first team to clinch a playoff spot tonight by defeating the Flyers, 3-2. The Great 8 notched goal #888 to bring him seven goals away from breaking the record as the Capitals hit the century mark in points.

New Jersey (8 Points Behind the Canes for 2nd)- Despite owning a 3-1 lead in the third period, the Devils' game unraveled in the final 20 minutes as they lost 5-3 to the Flame on home ice. While they still have a good lead for third in the division, things are starting to get a little tight in New Jersey.

New York (I) (8 Points Behind the Devils for 3rd)- Seemingly out of nowhere, the New York Islanders have joined the fray after winning their third straight game tonight. They knocked off the Montreal Canadiens in overtime, pulling within two points of the Habs for the second Wild Card spot.

New York (R) (8 Points Behind the Devils for 3rd)- While one New York team is trending, the Rangers are falling in the opposite direction, again. They lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight on home ice as the Leafs played back-to-back, dropping the decision 4-3 to remain two points out. 

Columbus (9 Points Behind the Devils for 3rd)- The Blue Jackets are starting to play their way out of a playoff spot, dropping another one in overtime tonight to the Florida Panthers. The offense couldn't find an answer for Sergei Bobrovsky, who shut them out 1-0 on Aleksander Barkov's game-winner in overtime.

The Road Ahead- The trip continues on Saturday in a big bout with the Los Angeles Kings, the NHL's best home team this season. They'll immediately head to Anaheim to play the Ducks on Sunday to finish the back-to-back and the road trip. Once they're back in Raleigh, the Canes begin a four-game homestand against the Predators on Tuesday. They'll also host the Habs, the Islanders, and the Capitals over the next week.