Thoughts From My Couch

With an overtime win over the Rangers last night, the Carolina Hurricanes moved past 50 points, becoming the first Eastern Conference team to do so. Tonight, they aimed for the back-to-back sweep to close 2025, visiting Sidney Crosby and the Penguins for the first time. Without any changes to the lineup, Frederik Andersen sought his first win in almost two months, especially with the news that Pyotr Kochetkov was likely done for the season. The team needs him to get it together because they've always been best when they can rely on both goalies to get them out of a jam. Brandon Bussi has done his part. It's time for Andersen to do the same. Scoring Summary 1st Period PIT (3:46)- Sidney Crosby (21) (Rickard Rakell (9) & Bryan Rust (18)) PIT (16:07)- Justin Brazeau (12) (Brett Kulak (3)) PIT (17:12)- Anthony Mantha (13) (Bryan Rust (19) & Erik Karlsson (24)) 2nd Period PIT (15:08)- Tommy Novak (7) (Parker Wotherspoon (10) & Erik Karlsson (25)) PIT (18:08)- Anthony Man...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes picked up two big points on Monday night, earning a victory in the first half of the back-to-back against the New York Rangers. New York got on the board early, scoring on the power play after Vladislav Gavrikov stepped into a one-timer. The Canes' man advantage got it back late in the frame. Operating up two men, Sebastian Aho sniped it top corner on Igor Shesterkin, who had no clue where the puck was. Late in the second, the Rangers got a friendly bounce to regain the lead. The puck hit several players in front of the net before Jonny Brodzinski batted it home. The home team got the bounce back in the third. Jalen Chatfield's initial chance was kicked away, but the rebound hit Jordan Martinook's heel and slid through Shesterkin's pads to knot it up again. With 60 minutes not enough time to settle things, the team took it to overtime. Late in overtime, Taylor Hall drew the penalty that would prove to be the difference. Jackson Blake t...

It has been a wild day for the Caniacs today. It all began with the team claiming Noah Philp off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, but things quickly devolved from there. The upsetting news surrounded Pyotr Kochetkov, who elected to have season-ending hip surgery after it appeared that he would get the start tonight against the Rangers. The team also announced that Shayne Gostisbehere wouldn't be okay to go as he nurses a groin injury. K'Andre Miller was designated as a game-time decision, though he appeared fine to face his former team tonight. With another game looming tomorrow night, the Canes needed to make the most of tonight's affair against a bitter divisional rival. With the Bus, in the net, there was reason for some pre-game confidence. Scoring Summary 1st Period NYR (1:39-PP)- Vladislav Gavrikov (7) (Artemi Panarin (25) & Vincent Trocheck (13)) CAR (15:57-PP)- Sebastian Aho (14) (Alexander Nikishin (10) & Nikolaj Ehlers (17)) 2nd Period NYR (13:00)- Jonny ...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes returned from the Christmas break with a stellar effort against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. While they were the far better team in the first period, the Wings capitalized on their smallest mistake. A flubbed pass ended with Michael Rasmussen sliding it through Brandon Bussi's five-hole to open the scoring. After being handled in the first period, the Canes' offense came to life in the second. Jackson Blake redirected a shot early in the frame, and Eric Robinson buried one for the third straight game 75 seconds later. Shayne Gostisbehere sniped a shot top shelf on John Gibson late in the frame, extending the Canes' lead to 3-1 after two periods. Andrew Copp scored on the power play early in the third, but the two-goal lead wouldn't be blown this time. Andrei Svechnikov capitalized on Dylan Larkin slipping in the slot, snapping it home to restore their two-goal advantage. Jordan Martinook finished it off, scoring his 100th c...

With the holidays behind them, it was back to business on Saturday night for the Hurricanes. Their return means a chance to get back on track after a tumultuous journey into Christmas, losing three straight games after blowing multi-goal leads, including a pair of losses to the Panthers. They played without \some of their snarl in the lineup, but both Jordan Martinook and William Carrier appeared poised to return for the group tonight. Brandon Bussi was also back in the net for the first time since losing his nine-game winning streak in Sunrise. Facing a Detroit team on a roll and pushing to pass them for the top spot in the conference, the Canes needed to simplify and return to the ways things had been in Raleighwood. Scoring Summary 1st Period DET (12:39)- Michael Rasmussen (5) (JT Compher (8)) 2nd Period CAR (3:22)- Jackson Blake (11) (Shayne Gostisbehere (24)) CAR (4:37)- Eric Robinson (9) (Sebastian Aho (20) & Andrei Svechnikov (16)) CAR (15:22)- Shayne Gostisbehere (4) (Jalen...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes are sliding right now, with each of their last three losses being incredibly concerning. The Canes held a 2-0 lead against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night through two periods. Eric Robinson opened the scoring by finishing a beautiful play in transition early in the first, and Andrei Svechnikov scored on a breakaway after being released from the penalty box. Things were moving in a positive direction. Early in the third, Niko Mikkola's drive hit Alexander Nikishin's skate and went into the net. This signaled the beginning of the end. Luke Kunin and Anton Lundell scored 43 seconds apart to suddenly give Florida the lead. Sam Bennett added another, and Seth Jones scored on the power play. Out of nowhere, the Panthers, who'd been largely outplayed by the Canes for 40 minutes, found their mojo and silenced the crowd. Their five-goal third period handed the Hurricanes their third straight loss, all three have come after they held multi-goa...

With Christmas quickly approaching, the Carolina Hurricanes sought revenge against the Panthers once more. Last Friday night, it was about avenging their conference finals loss from May. This time, they're trying to get the Panthers back for some blatantly dirty plays from that game as they erased a 3-0 deficit to beat the Canes in a shootout and halt their winning streak. The change of venue should bring a change in atmosphere for the group, getting the Caniacs on their side for this pre-Christmas bout. Santa Clause might want to avert his eyes because there was certain to be some naughty behavior on the ice in Raleigh tonight. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (4:11)- Eric Robinson (8) (Sebastian Aho (19) & Joel Nystrom (5)) 2nd Period CAR (1:58)- Andrei Svechnikov (9) (Jordan Staal (6)) 3rd Period FLA (3:53)- Niko Mikkola (1) (Eetu Luostarinen (11) & Sam Reinhart (17))  FLA (6:17)- Luke Kunin (2) (Noah Gregor (2) & Aaron Ekblad (11)) FLA (7:00)- Anton Lundell (12) (Sam ...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes failed to protect another lead on Saturday night, dropping their second straight game. Everything started smoothly for the group. Jordan Staal intercepted a pass and set up Eric Robinson for a one-timer to open the scoring early. Then, after Robinson drew a penalty, Jackson Blake tipped Nikolaj Ehlers' pass through Andrei Vasilevskiy to double the lead just four minutes in. Late in the period, the Canes added another on the power play. Bradly Nadeau was in the perfect spot to take advantage of a loose puck off a defender's skate, snapping it home to extend the lead to three. Tampa came out of the intermission on fire, getting goals from Gage Goncalves and Brayden Point to shrink the lead to one. Andrei Svechnikov turned a puck over, allowing Jack Finley to get in on a 2-on-0 as the Canes changed. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped his first shot, but Finley was there to put the rebound home. Svechnikog got it back early in the third by scoring a beautifu...

Friday night was a good night that quickly turned sour for the Carolina Hurricanes. Their 3-0 lead disappeared, Seth Jarvis was hurt in overtime, and the team lost its winning streak in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers. Without much time to process everything that happened, the Canes were back on the ice to complete their road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are dealing with injury concerns of their own. With both teams needing a soft reset, they turned to their Russian netminders to lead the way on Saturday night. The Canes played without three key players, while the Lightning had a few questions ahead of puck drop. Anything could happen on Saturday night. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (2:42)- Eric Robinson (7) (Jordan Staal (5)) CAR (4:00-PP)- Jackson Blake (10) (Nikolaj Ehlers (16) & Shayne Gostisbehere (23)) CAR (12:27-PP)- Bradly Nadeau (2) (Logan Stankoven (10)) 2nd Period TBL (0:30)- Gage Goncalves (3) (Dominic James (4) & Max Crozier (5)) TBL (1:20)- Brayd...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes allowed a 3-0 lead to slip through their hands against the Florida Panthers on Friday night. Things got off to a good start after Jordan Staal popped home a rebound for his 10th goal of the season. It was the only goal on the board until Sebastian Aho scored on a breakaway early in the third period to double the lead. Aho was on the spot to make it a three-goal game when he snapped a rebound past Sergei Bobrovsky on the power play. That's when things fell apart. The Panthers started playing their agitating game, leading to a comeback. Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart scored during the final ten minutes of regulation, sending the game to overtime. Early on, Seth Jarvis exited the game after being tripped and crashing into the goal post. Neither team scored in overtime, and the Panthers were one shot better in the shootout, ending Brandon Bussi's win streak at nine games and the team's win streak at six. Aho (2G), Jarvis (2A), an...

The stakes for this game aren't nearly as great as their encounter in May with the Prince of Wales Trophy on the line. It is, after all, mid-December. However, there's a good deal of pride on the line for the Carolina Hurricanes after they were quickly and unceremoniously dispatched in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Florida Panthers. It's a Friday night before Christmas. No divisions or conferences are going to be won tonight. However, the Canes can get a little revenge, which is about all they can hope for. Along with this "revenge", the Canes are trying for their sixth straight win, and Brandon Bussi is chasing a spot atop the record books once again. So, in a way, there is plenty to play for in Sunrise tonight. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (11:53)- Jordan Staal (10) (Eric Robinson (3) & Shayne Gostisbehere (22)) 2nd Period None 3rd Period CAR (1:27)- Sebastian Aho (12) (Andrei Svechnikov (14) & Seth Jaris (9)) CAR (7:34-PP)- Sebastian Aho (13) (...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes began their three-game journey through the Southeast with a victory on Wednesday night in Nashville. Jackson Blake haunted the Predators once again, striking late in the first period to break through Juuse Saros. However, the Nashville netminder was the story of the night after 40 minutes. It was the only goal he allowed as the Canes assumed complete control of the contest. That changed early in the third period. Sebastian Aho snapped his five-game scoreless drought by burying a shot on the power play from the slot to double the lead. Less than two minutes later, Aho set up Seth Jarvis in transition for a one-timer to earn him his 19th goal of the season. The Predators fought back, getting a goal from Filip Forsberg to bring them within two. Pyotr Kochetkov was a brick wall the rest of the way. He finished the night with 25 stops. Aho added one more into the empty net to complete a three-point night, Blake and Andrei Svechnikov each recorded two point...

Before they can worry about getting revenge on the Florida Panthers or establishing themselves as the real beasts of the East against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Carolina Hurricanes have to turn their attention to the Nashville Predators. They dominated the Preds in Raleigh 10 days ago, but this Nashville team is moving in the right direction, winning three of their last four. Beginning a trip of three games in four nights, this might be the "easiest" game on paper, though it's far from it on the ice. This is destined to be an upset team looking to get some revenge of their own. If the Canes aren't careful, the Predators could do the same thing to them. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (13:00)- Jackson Blake (9) (Logan Stankoven (9) & Alexander Nikishin (9)) 2nd Period None 3rd Period CAR (2:43-PP)- Sebastian Aho (10) (Jackson Blake (12) & Andrei Svechnikov (12)) CAR (4:33)- Seth Jarvis (19) (Sebastian Aho (18) & Nikolaj Ehlers (15)) NSH (8:06)- Filip Forsb...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes completed a perfect week against division foes on Sunday night and ensured a home-and-home sweep against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Canes got off to a better start, getting an early goal from William Carrier to play from in front. They doubled up on the power play later in the period. Alexander Nikishin's shot was tipped in front of the net by Taylor Hall, putting the Canes up 2-0. Jamie Drysdale got the Flyers within one in the final minute of the period. During a delayed penalty, his shot from the point was tipped by Carrier into his own net, souring an otherwise solid period. The game remained 2-1 until the Flyers pulled Dan Vladar for the extra skater. Trevor Zegras, who'd been a thorn all weekend, was left all alone to put one home, sending the game to overtime for the second straight night. Neither side figured it out in overtime, giving us another shootout. After Zegras hit the post in the first round, Andrei Svechnikov caught Vladar ...

The day we've been waiting for has finally come. Jaccob Slavin is back in the lineup for the first time in two months, facing the Flyers as he did the last time he was on the ice. While it signals the end of Joel Nystrom's time in the NHL (for now), it brings the team as close to full health as they've been since Slavin's injury. With the Canes and the Flyers meeting for the second night in a row, it would be interesting to see which team comes out of the gates hot. With the same amount of wear and tear on each side, it would be up to Brandon Bussi and Dan Vladar to keep their teams in the fight. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (5:44)- William Carrier (3) (Sean Walker (7) & Jordan Staal (4)) CAR (15:53-PP)- Taylor Hall (7) (Alexander Nikishin (8) & Jackson Blake (11)) PHI (19:07)- Jamie Drysdale (3) (Trevor Zegras (19) & Matvei Michkov (9)) 2nd Period None 3rd Period PHI (18:08)- Trevor Zegras (13) (Travis Konecny (19) & Christian Dvorak (15)) Overtime No...

The Hurricanes and the Flyers will grow well acquainted this weekend, kicking off a home-and-home on Saturday in Philadelphia. The Canes have been very good this week, already knocking off a pair of division opponents. They'll have two more this weekend with a pair against the Flyers, who are trying to establish themselves as legit threats to the Wild Card and the top of the division. It also means we'll likely see four different goalies in the net. Pyotr Kochetkov and Samuel Ersson drew the first assignments for their teams. Scoring Summary 1st Period PHI (10:04)- Bobby Brink (8) (Trevor Zegras (18) & Travis Sanheim (12)) PHI (17:34)- Trevor Zegras (12) (Travis Konecny (18) & Jamie Drysdale (11)) 2nd Period CAR (9:11)- Nikolaj Ehlers (8) (Shayne Gostisbehere (20)) CAR (14:12)- Alexander Nikishin (4) (Joel Nystrom (5) & Taylor Hall (10)) 3rd Period CAR (12:26)- Seth Jarvis (18) (Andrei Svechnikov (11) & Shayne Gostisbehere (21)) PHI (12:49)- Carl Grundstrom (2) ...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes battled the Washington Capitals on Thursday night with sole possession of first place potentially on the line. Neither side found paydirt in the first period, but it was Washington that got it rolling in the second. Alex Ovechkin sprung Connor McMichael for a breakaway chance that he slid between Brandon Bussi's pads to get the Capitals on the board. The Canes finally broke even late in the frame. After hitting three posts, Nikolaj Ehlers popped a rebound past Logan Thompson to finally beat the Washington netminder. Midway through the third, the Capitals struck again. Nic Dowd, who opened the period by dropping the gloves with Jordan Martinook, redirected a pass from Rasmus Sandin home to restore Washington's lead. With Bussi heading to the bench late in regulation, Logan Stankoven tied it again, snapping a deflected pass from Ehlers over Thompson's glove. Bussi came up with a trio of dazzling stops in overtime and three more in the shooto...

The top of the Metropolitan Division was on the line on Thursday night when the Hurricanes visited the Capitals. Does it matter that much, considering we're in December? Not really, but we need to find ways to make these games feel important when they really aren't. Along with potentially overtaking the Capitals, it was a shot at revenge for the Canes after the Caps took it to them in Raleigh exactly one month ago. Brandon Bussi was given the reins again, and there was no reason not to after winning his ninth start in ten games on Tuesday. We'll have to wait a little longer to see Jaccob Slavin back in action, meaning I wouldn't get my birthday "wish" this time around. Scoring Summary 1st Period None 2nd Period WSH (5:00)- Connor McMichael (5) (Alex Ovechkin (16) & Rasmus Sandin (6)) CAR (13:43)- Nikolaj Ehlers (7) (Logan Stankoven (8) & Alexander Nikishin (7)) 3rd Period WSH (11:32)- Nic Dowd (2) (Rasmus Sandin (7) & Connor McMichael (12)) CAR (17...

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes closed their seven-game homestand on the right foot, knocking off the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first of four straight games against division opponents. The Blue Jackets broke the ice in the first period. Sean Monahan made a perfect pass to the front of the net for Dmitri Voronkov to finish on the power play, staking Columbus to an early lead. Jet Greaves had kept the Canes quiet until halfway through the second period. A massive two-man effort from Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis ended with the former setting up the latter for his 17th goal to tie the contest at one. The third period belonged to the home team. Joel Nystrom intercepted an attempted entry by Columbus. He turned it the other way, setting up the Canes for a 2-on-1. Taylor Hall found a streaking Eric Robinson to bury one and give the Canes their first lead of the night. The Canes' power play struck again, too. Jordan Staal redirected Svechnikov's shot to score his second on t...