2024-25 Regular Season, Game 77 Preview: Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres
The Carolina Hurricanes dropped their second straight game on Saturday night, falling 5-1 to the Boston Bruins. All of Boston's damage came from one line, but they did quite the number on the Canes. Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm scored in the final 1:11 of the first period to give Boston a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. David Pastrnak, who assisted on both goals, scored once in the second period and twice in the third to complete the natural hat trick and get him to 40 goals for the season. The only silver lining for the Canes was Justin Robidas scoring in the final minute of regulation to collect his first career goal and break the shutout. Regardless, Jeremy Swayman was incredible, making 39 stops to snap Boston's 10-game losing streak.
The Opponent: Buffalo Sabres (34-36-6, 74 Points- 7th in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: The Sabres visited Raleigh at the end of February, and the Canes jumped on them early. After Jesperi Kotkaniemi dropped the gloves with Dylan Cozens off the opening draw, Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, and Mikko Rantanen (PP) scored 3:32 apart to give the Canes a 3-0 advantage midway through the first period. Alex Tuch scored late in the period on the power play to cut into the Canes' lead. Taylor Hall notched his first goal as a Hurricane, burying a ridiculous pass from Jack Roslovic to restore the three-goal lead. JJ Peterka got one back early in the third period, but Seth Jarvis' empty-net goal would finish the Sabres for good. Pyotr Kochetkov only needed to make 13 stops, while James Reimer made 27 saves in relief in a 5-2 Hurricanes victory.
Since We Last Met: Buffalo is playing like a team with nothing to lose. Their loss in Raleigh kicked off a six-game losing streak, but the Sabres have been scorching since then. They're 10-4-0 in their last 14, winning seven of their last eight and four in a row coming into Tuesday's contest. The Sabres have been especially good at home, winning six straight at KeyBank Center. Tage Thompson has been filling the net, scoring in four straight (seven goals), including a hat trick on Sunday night against the Bruins. He's eclipsed 40 goals once again, sitting third in the league with 43. He also leads the Sabres with 70 points. Alex Tuch has surpassed 30 goals and 60 points (33-29-62), Dahlin is at 62 points, and JJ Peterka is over 60 points for the first time in his career. The Sabres enter the night with the seventh-ranked offense in the NHL. Scoring hasn't been their problem. Stopping their opponents from scoring has been. They allow the fourth most goals per game in the league (3.51). Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen is barely above .500, and his underlying numbers aren't great. Defense is a big reason the Sabres have extended their postseason drought for another season.
Stories of the Night
1. The Power Play Finds Its Groove, Again
While they haven't scored in their last two games, the Canes' power play looks miles better than it did for most of 2025. They're 7-for-24 over the last seven games and have only gotten to work three times in the last two contests. The Sabres' penalty kill hasn't been great lately, allowing seven goals in eight games, though they've also scored three times while short-handed. The Canes will likely have their chances, so capitalizing when given the opportunity could be the difference between winning and losing their third straight.
2. Can Kochetkov Find His Game?
Since shutting out the Flyers before their California trip, Pyotr Kochetkov hasn't been playing like himself. He's 1-3-0 in his last four starts, allowing 18 goals and posting a .804 save percentage. Frederik Andersen has begun to lap him in the pursuit of the Game 1 start in the playoffs with his recent play, outside of Saturday's loss. Regardless of whether he's in line to be the starter, the Canes need Kochetkov to get back to what made him tough to beat for a few months. You never know when you're going to need your backup to steal a game in the postseason.
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