"C'est La Vie, Que Sera Sera": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 81: Hurricanes at Montreal Canadiens

With the last two games meaning absolutely nothing to the Hurricanes, they decided to give many of their starters the night off. The group skated 11/7 this morning during their morning skate, so all signs pointed to the NHL debuts of Skylar Brind'Amour and Domenick Fensore. This was welcome news to the Canadiens, who need a point to clinch a playoff spot, while Columbus fans were probably very upset. The Canes' only goal during these next two games is to not get hurt.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

MTL (3:50)- Kaiden Guhle (5) (Juraj Slafkovsky (33) & Nick Suzuki (59))

CAR (9:56)- Taylor Hall (18) (Sean Walker (11) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (21))

2nd Period

MTL (16:22)- Nick Suzuki (30) (Alexandre Carrier (22))

MTL (18:48)- Kaiden Guhle (6) (Cole Caufield (33) & Lane Hutson (60))

3rd Period

CAR (14:10)- Tyson Jost (3) (Bradly Nadeau (1) & Dmitry Orlov (22))

MTL (18:05)- Jake Evans (13) EN (unassisted)

My Thoughts

The writing was on the wall for the Canadiens to clinch a playoff spot tonight with the Canes resting their top forward line (Jarvis/Aho/Blake), two of their shutdown defensemen (Slavin/Chatfield), and two of their best defensive forwards (Staal/Martinook). Only needing one point to qualify for the playoffs, the Canadiens did what got them to this point by relying on their top line to lead the offense. Nick Suzuki was on the ice for all four Montreal goals, providing a goal and an assist, and Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky had an assist each. Kaiden Guhle scored twice on a rare offensive night for him. It was exactly what they needed to do to get to the dance, clinching the final spot in their final game of the regular season.

Despite losing, the Carolina Hurricanes played a good game, even with the aforementioned absences. At the top of the list were Domenick Fensore and Bradly Nadeau. Fensore moved well in over 17 minutes of ice time. He finished the night with five shots and a pair of hits. With Carolina's defense appearing set for next season, this was a good performance to put Fensore at the top of the list to be the seventh defenseman to begin the year. Nadeau didn't look out of place at all, either. Making his second NHL appearance, Nadeau looked at home on the power play and looked strong in the third period. His six shots didn't end with a goal, but he did get his first point on Tyson Jost's goal in the third. He won a battle in front of the net, redirected a shot, and allowed Jost to find the loose puck for his first assist and point. 

As for the regulars, some played better than others. Tonight's top line had a decent game, led by Taylor Hall's tying goal in the first. Sean Walker was a big part of that goal, and he had a good night. William Carrier and Eric Robinson led the physical charge, finishing with ten and eight hits, respectively. Pyotr Kochetkov had a good night, too. He lost, but it was far from his fault. Both of Guhle's goals featured heavy traffic, while a brutal defensive breakdown left Suzuki alone in the dot for the go-ahead goal late in the second. Otherwise, Kochetkov was perfect in the third period and made some big, confidence-boosting stops to keep his team in the game. He wasn't overly active outside of his crease, other than a DOGPOG penalty, but was very good with his stick to deny chances. He's had a few encouraging starts lately.

It's no secret that some within the fan base haven't loved Brent Burns' utilization this season. I've had my moments when I haven't loved his game. There's no indication that Burns will be out of the lineup tomorrow night, keeping his Iron Man streak going. Once Alexander Nikishin is good to go, assuming the team wants to give him a look in the playoffs, I would seriously consider sitting Burns. Scratching him would likely be akin to something egregious in the minds of the coaching staff, but Burns has rarely provided anything sustainable during the back half of the season. Sometimes, there comes a point when you have to break the cycle and make the unpopular decision. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Bradly Nadeau

I don't think there was a shortage of players to consider, but I'm rocking with Bradly Nadeau. Making his season debut on Wednesday, Nadeau showcased his lethal shot. He didn't score a goal, but he had some great chances against Samuel Montembeault. Arguably, his best was his wrister in the second that Montreal's goalie snagged. Nadeau got time on the second PP unit, and he had a great third period, recording his first point with a primary assist. He finished with a game-high six shots in just over 13 minutes.

The Road Ahead- The Hurricanes conclude the regular season tomorrow night in Ottawa in a battle of playoff teams. The Senators are also locked into their series with the Maple Leafs, so there is nothing at stake for either side in their season finale. From there, it's time for the playoffs as the Hurricanes welcome the Devils for the first two games of the first round. The start date has yet to be announced, but it sounds like Sunday or Monday will be most likely.