"Friday Night Hospitality": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 72: Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens

It's Friday night in Raleighwood, which usually means Hurricanes hockey for the masses. For this week's installment, the Canes welcomed the Montreal Canadiens for their only visit of the season. After losing at home on Tuesday, the group needed to regroup to face a desperate Canadiens team trying to hold onto their final Wild Card spot. The Canadiens have lost four straight but have managed at least a point in seven of their last ten. This would be no small task, especially after Montreal shut out Carolina when they visited in February.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

MTL (0:23)- Josh Anderson (13) (Brendan Gallagher (15) & Christian Dvorak (18))

CAR (0:41)- Jackson Blake (12) (unassisted)

2nd Period

CAR (13:46)- Taylor Hall (17) PP (Jackson Blake (15) & Seth Jarvis (28))

CAR (16:10)- Sebastian Aho (27) (Seth Jarvis (29) & Jackson Blake (16))

3rd Period

CAR (19:00)- Andrei Svechnikov (19) EN (Jordan Martinook (20))

My Thoughts

It's crazy to think that Jackson Blake hasn't scored a goal in 22 games. He's had some taken off the board for one reason or another during this drought, but it's more unbelievable because of how well he's been playing with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. The Canes' top trio was easily their most effective tonight. They scored twice at 5-on-5, with Blake and Aho scoring, and both Blake and Jarvis assisted on Taylor Hall's power-play goal, his fifth in three games, giving Blake his first three-point game and Jarvis a two-assist night. The rookie has been outstanding for three months, but his point production hasn't been there. Tonight, that all changed. His hard work was finally rewarded, leading the way during a big win. 

The first period gave the impression that this was going to be a very spirited bout. For the second half of the opening 20 minutes, there was a lot of fireworks. It all began with Dmitry Orlov's massive hip check against Josh Anderson. After that, it felt like there was a scrum after every whistle. There was an especially big one before Sebastian Aho and David Savard were sent off late in the period. The referees quickly lost control of the game, failing to call a few obvious penalties against Montreal before Orlov finally laid the hit. The rest of the night didn't have the same energy as the Canes started to take over. It felt like they laid the bigger hits despite that not being their bread and butter. 

It's always fun to get players back in the lineup. Tonight, we saw the long-awaited return of Andrei Svechnikov after three weeks on the shelf. He didn't play a lot, spending his first game on the fourth line, but that didn't soften his overall impact. Svechnikov looked like he didn't miss a step. He set up two excellent scoring chances in the second period and laid a massive hit on Jayden Struble to bring the crowd to their feet. He reunited with the Jordans with Samuel Montembeault on the bench late in the game, scoring the empty-net goal to find the scoresheet. Obviously, we shouldn't overreact to one game, but it's hard not to be excited about getting another big weapon back into the lineup.

If the playoffs began today, Frederik Andersen would be in the net for the Hurricanes. Over the last week, he's placed some separation between himself and Pyotr Kochetkov, with the latter struggling in his last two starts. Andersen is on a six-game win streak, allowing two or fewer goals in all six wins. There's still plenty of time for Kochetkov to turn things around, but Andersen is on a heater right now. He wasn't super busy tonight, but, as is often the case, Montreal's chances were usually dangerous ones. He came up with two stops on Alex Newhook in the third period, including a breakaway chance after Orlov turned the puck over in the neutral zone. It's a good problem to have, but the coaching staff will have to make a decision soon.

When We Meet Again- The Hurricanes will return to Montreal for their penultimate game of the regular season in April. It'll be the first half of a back-to-back before they wrap up their season in Ottawa.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Jackson Blake

Not only was he the best rookie on the ice tonight, he might've been one of the best players. His linemates might have a legitimate claim to that crown, but recording your first career three-point game is nothing to be ashamed of. It's even more impressive when you score a goal without recording a shot. This type of game was long overdue for Blake. He's on the verge of becoming the 11th rookie in franchise history to hit 30 points, needing just two more points. 

Checking In on the Playoff Picture

New Jersey (9 Points Behind for 2nd)- The gap continues to grow as the Devils appear destined for third in the division. The Devils were shut out by Connor Hellebuyck on Friday night, losing 4-0 to begin a tough weekend back-to-back.

Columbus (8 Points Behind NJ for 3rd, WC2)- At the moment, the Blue Jackets sit in the second Wild Card spot following a wild 7-6 shootout victory against the Vancouver Canucks tonight. It's unlikely to hold once tonight's action finishes, but this was a much-needed victory for Columbus.

New York (I) (9 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- The Islanders remain right on the line after losing at home to the Canucks on Wednesday. They led the game 2-1 before allowing four unanswered goals. They are set for a weekend back-to-back in the Southeast, facing the Bolts on Saturday and the Canes on Sunday.

New York (R) (9 Points Behind NJ for 3rd)- If their result in Anaheim holds tonight, the Rangers will leapfrog New York, Columbus, and Montreal to sit on the line as the second Wild Card. They currently lead the Ducks 3-1 late in the second period, giving them a good chance to find their way onto the right side of the playoff line.

The Road Ahead- After tonight's game, there are only ten games remaining in the regular season for the Hurricanes. They'll finish their homestand with visits from the Islanders and the Capitals before beginning another four-game road trip. This trip will be up North in Detroit, Boston, Buffalo, and D.C. Their final two home games will be against the Rangers and the Maple Leafs before a Canada back-to-back against Montreal and Ottawa to finish the regular season.