"Moore or Less": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 51: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Chicago Blackhawks

For the third time in five games, the Carolina Hurricanes are on national television. It's their second time on ESPN+ during that stretch, and the first time around didn't go very well for the Canes. Fortunately, they're on home ice this time, so that could be a positive sign. Their opponent is the Chicago Blackhawks, which means it'll be a steady diet of Connor Bedard talk for the better part of 2.5 hours. It doesn't matter, though. The Canes are riding a three-game winning streak that includes a fun win over the Sabres on Monday. With only a change in the net coming, the home team needs another sound defensive effort against one of the league's top stars. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CHI (11:12-SH)- Ilya Mikheyev (9) (unassisted)

CAR (12:50)- Joel Nystrom (1) (Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6))

2nd Period

CHI (4:35)- Nick Lardis (5) (Ryan Donato (10) & Oliver Moore (10))

CAR (9:16)- Jordan Staal (11) (Jordan Martinook (9) & Jaccob Slavin (2))

3rd Period

CHI (13:38)- Connor Murphy (2) (Tyler Bertuzzi (14) & Ilya Mikheyev (8))

CAR (14:10)- Jackson Blake (16) (Logan Stankoven (15) & Taylor Hall (15))

Overtime

None

Shootout

CAR- Andrei Svechnikov

CHI- Connor Bedard

CHI- Oliver Moore

My Thoughts

I won't go so far as to say that the Hurricanes played down to the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. I think Chicago played a very good road game in Raleigh. It felt like they knew what the Hurricanes wanted to do, especially on the power play, and baited them into making mistakes. However, for each time they fell behind, the Canes responded accordingly. They trailed three times tonight. Chicago never held the lead for more than five consecutive minutes. Each time they conceded a goal, a goal to tie it was right behind it. First, it was Joel Nystrom, finishing a pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who had an excellent night, to score his first NHL goal in a moment that felt like a long time coming. Then, it was Jordan Staal, burying a shot on a 2-on-1 to even it at two. Finally, it was Jackson Blake 42 seconds after Chicago took a 3-2 lead, finishing Logan Stankoven's heavy lifting with a tap-in. The Canes did enough to earn a point. That's what they had to settle for.

There were a few areas of the Carolina Hurricanes' game that I really liked tonight. The one that stood out the most was their level of physicality. The Canes outhit the Blackhawks 29-22, and they certainly landed the majority of the big ones. William Carrier laid one in the first period that took out both Artyom Levshonov and Wes McCauley. The most notable was the hit by Alexander Nikishin on Nick Lardis that led to him dropping the gloves with Oliver Moore. The right hands that Nikishin landed were also pretty nice. Andrei Svechnikov dropped Frank Nazar with a high-speed collision. Sean Walker tried to put Alex Vlasic on the bench in overtime. Walker paced the team tonight with six hits, while Jordan Martinook (5), Carrier (4), Kotkaniemi (3), and Staal (3) were close behind.

There's a duality to Frederik Andersen's night that I'm having a hard time putting into the proper words. I didn't love any of the goals that he allowed tonight. The first one was a bad rebound short-handed that he failed to control. The second was a short-side goal that he was a step too slow on, though I might be nitpicking a little. The last one was slid right around his pad. However, he made a few big-time stops late in the game to keep the game tied, which makes me think his start wasn't that bad. He flashed the pad twice on Oliver Moore before robbing him on an overtime breakaway. He threw the pad at Ryan Donato in the shootout, too. I don't think he necessarily had a bad game. Clearly, Andersen did enough to help his team get a point and have a fighting chance in the shootout. I'll take what I can get at this point. Points in four straight starts are a good thing.

The only thing that people seem to be stuck on is the lineup that Rod Brind'Amour deployed in the shootout. Honestly, I have no notes about the first three. Jackson Blake, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis are a formidable trio to start with. All three have scored in the shootout this season, and Svechnikov scored again tonight. Jarvis probably had Spencer Knight beaten if the puck hadn't rolled on him. However, after the third round, things fell apart. The three that followed were K'Andre Miller, Mark Jankowski, and Logan Stankoven. I can understand Stankoven, but Miller and Jankowski? They must've scored in practice to earn the chance, but Sebastian Aho and Nikolaj Ehlers are on the bench as well. Aho might score on a breakaway once in a blue moon. That's not a reason to keep him off the ice. If you're going to lose in the shootout, at least lose with your best players going. I'm not going to lose any sleep over a shootout loss, especially since there aren't shootouts in the playoffs. It is what it is.

First Star of the Game: Jesperi Kotkaniemi

As the trade rumors surrounding him continue to get louder with each passing day, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has put together a few good games in a row. The fourth line was the Canes' most impactful tonight, putting together the first scoring play of the night for the team. He provided a full-circle moment, setting up Joel Nystrom's first goal after Nystrom set Kotkaniemi up to earn his first point a few months ago. Kotkaniemi was physical and created offense. That's what the Canes need him to do.

Next Up: The Hurricanes escape the incoming weather to visit Ottawa on Saturday for Hockey Night in Canada. The team gets a four-day break after, suiting up for their next game on Thursday night against Utah. The Canes have a weekend back-to-back next weekend, visiting Washington, D.C., on Saturday before returning home to host the Kings on Sunday.