"Krak-ed": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 45: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Seattle Kraken

Today was a great day to get Jaccob Slavin back into the lineup. Frankly, any day would've been a good day for that. The Hurricanes are finally back to full strength again amongst the forwards and the defense, which isn't something we've seen in a long time. They had the chance to finish a perfect homestand against the West on Saturday night, while the Seattle Kraken sought to extend their point streak to 11 games with a win in Raleigh. They'd have to do it without their leading scorers, Jordan Eberle and Chandler Stephenson, in the lineup, but they are all about playing sound defense in front of their netminders. Brandon Bussi and Joey Daccord drew the assignments tonight, giving us a good duel on Saturday night in Raleighwood.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (3:23)- Logan Stankoven (10) (K'Andre Miller (17))

SEA (14:13)- Matty Beniers (9) (Cale Fleury (2) & Ryan Lindgren (5))

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

SEA (5:56)- Berkly Catton (3) (Ryan Winterton (7))

CAR (10:37)- Jordan Martinook (7) (Jordan Staal (8) & Seth Jarvis (12))

CAR (13:50)- William Carrier (5) (Jaccob Slavin (1) & Jordan Staal (9))

My Thoughts

I will never complain about the Carolina Hurricanes earning two points. Okay, maybe that's not completely true, but I won't complain about how they did it tonight. It was far from a good game for the group. They didn't find their offensive identity until the final ten minutes of the game. Fortunately, it led them to score twice and beat the Seattle Kraken, so I'll take it. They had a good start, scoring an early goal and keeping the Kraken without a shot for most of the opening period. However, when Seattle scored to tie the game at one, it felt like they assumed control for a good part of the night. The Canes' chances in the offensive zone rarely felt dangerous. However, they flipped a switch when they went down 2-1, and the Staal line was the leading force. The captain set up a pair of goals, with Jordan Martinook and William Carrier('s skate) getting the goals 3:13 apart. The defense deserves a ton of credit for keeping Joey Daccord in the net longer than Seattle wanted him to be, finally getting him off the ice with 1:20 left. By then, it was too late.

It was a slow burn for Jaccob Slavin in his return to the ice. He was made to look foolish by Matty Beniers on his tying goal in the first period, showing there was still some rust for the Canes' defenseman. Fortunately, he got the last laugh tonight. His presence on the blue line was sorely missed, even with the Canes' recent success. He makes the seemingly small plays that can change games. It makes the big moments stand out even more. Tonight, it was his 300th point, which we initially thought was his game-winning goal. Instead, it was Carrier's, but his assist is the primary helper and counts all the same. Slavin played 19:45 tonight, the fourth-most for the blueliners. I'm sure we'll see that time go up more as he gets further along, but this was a good first step.

We've grown so used to Brandon Bussi being lights out that we've forgotten that goalies need a little help sometimes, too. There have been nights when he has needed it during his incredible start, though they've been few and far between. His start against Toronto is a shining example. Tonight, that was also the case. For two periods, Bussi hadn't faced much work, making seven stops on eight shots. However, he almost gave the game away with an errant pass that was knocked down and ended up in the back of his net. Instead, the defense locked in. They allowed just one shot in the final 14 minutes in the comeback win. Bussi got the win, his 16th in 19 starts, but this was more about the group in front of him leading the way.

The vibes when the Hurricanes lost to Colorado last Saturday night were about as low as they've been all season. The Canes blew another multi-goal lead to drop their third straight. Then, they put together a 60-minute effort in Newark against the Devils in the second half of the back-to-back. One week later, the Hurricanes have won four straight games, beating the Devils, the Stars, the Ducks, and the Kraken to open up a slight lead in the Metropolitan Division. The secondary scoring has returned. The defense is at full strength again. The goalies are putting in performances good enough to earn wins. Things are starting to look bright again in Raleigh.

First Star of the Game: Jordan Staal

When the moments are the brightest, the captain seems to leave his mark. Tonight, he was the only player with multiple points, setting up both goals in the final 10 minutes. He put Beniers in a blender behind the net on Martinook's tying goal, forcing the Kraken forward to make the wrong decision and abandon the front of the net. Then, he played catch with Slavin on the winning goal. He might've gotten the secondary assist on the goal, but Staal deserves another primary helper.

Next Up: The Canes face a pair of back-to-backs in the coming week. The team ventures to the Motor City on Monday for their second meeting with the Red Wings this season, with the top spot in the conference likely on the line. Then, they'll visit St. Louis on Tuesday night to complete the set. Next weekend, the Canes return to the Lenovo Center for a Friday night tilt with the Florida Panthers before returning to Newark on Saturday for the second time in less than two weeks.