2025-26 Regular Season, Game 73 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes got back into the win column on Saturday night, completing their season sweep of the New Jersey Devils. The Devils got on the board first, with Timo Meier finishing a 2-on-1 late in the first period to break the ice. It was pretty much all Carolina from there. Just past the halfway point in the contest, Nikolaj Ehlers scored on the power play on a wicked shot to the top corner, tying things up at one. Shortly after, Jackson Blake showed patience with the puck, waiting for a defender to slide out of the way before sliding his shot past Jacob Markstrom. Just under 90 seconds later, Jordan Staal tipped a shot under Markstrom's arm, pushing the lead to two. In his return, Shayne Gostisbehere got the dagger, intercepting a pass in the neutral zone and calling his own number with a snipe past Markstrom's glove. Seth Jarvis put the Devils away for good, scoring his 30th goal of the season while short-handed into the empty net. Evgenii Dadonov scored with under 30 seconds left to make it look closer than it was, but it was a dominant 5-2 victory for the Hurricanes. Ehlers, Gostisbehere, and Taylor Hall had two points each, and Brandon Bussi stopped 17 shots to earn his second straight win.

Injury Report
Unless someone gets added before game time, I don't think there's anyone who belongs here.

The Opponent: Montreal Canadiens (41-21-10, 92 Points; 3rd in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: The Canes visited Montreal on Tuesday and got off to a quick start. Nikolaj Ehlers' pass on the power play deflected off a Montreal stick and into the net to get the Canes on the board first. Jordan Staal doubled it soon after, making it seem like the Canes were in complete control. Oliver Kapanen got Montreal on the board with a beautiful deflection, cutting the Canes' lead in half and completely changing the tide of the game. Cole Caufield took over in the second period. He was on the spot to bury a rebound and tie the game before his redirection deflected off Juraj Slafkovsky to give Montreal its first lead. The visitors were pushing late in the game for the tying goal, but K'Andre Miller's mishandle at the blue line allowed Ivan Demidov to skate the other way and score on a breakaway to effectively end the Canes' night. Jake Evans added the empty-net goal for good measure in a 5-2 win for the Canadiens.

Since We Last Met: You can't afford to have an off night in the Eastern Conference this season. Every night, it feels like things are shuffling around. The Canadiens have done a good job of holding firmly onto their spot in the division this week. After beating the Canes, they won a tight battle against the Blue Jackets on home ice, beating Columbus 2-1 on Thursday. Then, they were lethal early and often against the Nashville Predators last night, winning their fourth straight game with a 4-1 win to begin their five-game road trip. Raleigh marks the second stop on their tour, which heads to Tampa next week before returning north for games against the Rangers and the Devils. Jakub Dobes, who stopped 41 shots on Tuesday, will get the net after Jacob Fowler was excellent in Nashville. Cole Caufield has five goals in his last four games, bringing him to 45 for the season. Everyone in their Top 6 is on a heater right now. The Canes know what they're up against, so it's on them to handle business. 

Stories to Watch
1. Use the schedule to your advantage
Both teams played last night, but only one of them had to travel for it. The Canes were done by around 7:30 on Saturday, while the Canadiens didn't start until two hours later. They played later and had to fly to Raleigh last night. They should be the more tired team. They made quick work of the Predators, so they might not have exerted too much energy, though the travel might be the toughest part of it all. It'll be up to the Canes to make that an issue.

2. Keeping the Top 6 in check...but for real this time
Montreal's Top 6 is the reason they won the game on Tuesday. Everyone contributed to their success. The same can be said for their win in Nashville. Their entire second line combined for three goals and six points, while Suzuki had two assists, and Caufield scored another goal. The Canes can't let them take this game over again. The Canes control the matchups, so I'm curious who'll be up against which line from Montreal.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023-24 Regular Season, Game 29: Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings (Postgame)

After picking up their first win on the road trip on Tuesday night in Ottawa, the Hurricanes looked to finish the road journey with a win in Detroit to build some momentum before heading home. With the Red Wings dealing with injuries and suspensions, the Canes tried to build on their excellent game against the Senators. Meanwhile, Detroit hoped to stay afloat with key contributors out of the lineup.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (4:48)- Jack Drury (4) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (9) & Martin Necas (14)) 2nd Period DET (5:20)- Michael Rasmussen (7) (assisted by Andrew Copp (9) & Jonathan Berggren (2)) CAR (11:49)- Jordan Staal (4) (assisted by Jesper Fast (5) & Brett Pesce (3)) 3rd Period None My Thoughts It's almost unfathomable to look at the Canes' 2-4-0 record on this trip and acknowledge that it's the same mark they had on their first long trip of the season after Opening Night. If you'd told me the Canes had identical records on those two trips without...
Read more

"Old Habits Die Hard:" 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 37: Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

For the final time in 2024, the Hurricanes hit the ice. For their New Year's Eve battle, they traveled to Columbus for their third meeting of the campaign against the Blue Jackets. With a split through two meetings, the goal was to keep Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski in check to earn two big points before the end of the year. Using Saturday's win over the Devils as a launching point, Sebastian Aho and the top line might have something special in store to ring in the New Year. Scoring Summary 1st Period CBJ (4:48)- Kirill Marchenko (15) (Sean Monahan (21) & Denton Mateychuk (1)) CAR (9:59)- Ty Smith (1) PP (Sebastian Aho (27) & Martin Necas (31)) CBJ (15:43)- Kirill Marchenko (16) (Dmitri Voronkov (11) & Sean Monahan (22)) 2nd Period CAR (5:47)- Jack Roslovic (17) (Seth Jarvis (16) & Sebastian Aho (28)) CAR (8:18)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6) (Eric Robinson (11)) 3rd Period CBJ (4:58)- Dmitri Voronkov (13) PP (Sean Monahan (23) & Zach Werenski (29)) Overtime N...
Read more

2024-25 Regular Season, Game 3 Preview: Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Hurricanes found their way into the win column on Tuesday night, beating the Devils 4-2 for their first victory of the season. After allowing a goal to Jack Hughes early in the second period, the Hurricanes scored three unanswered. Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere put the Canes ahead through 40 minutes before Jackson Blake redirected a shot midway through the third period for his first NHL goal. Nico Hischier scored during a 5-on-3, but Sebastian Aho iced the game late into the empty net to secure the victory. Pyotr Kochetkov earned the win, outdueling Jacob Markstrom by making 24 stops. The Hurricanes now embark on a six-game journey as the State Fair rolls into town. The first stop on the trip will be their lone meeting with a conference opponent. The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-0, 6 Points This Season) Not much about the Pittsburgh Penguins changed during the offseason. Reilly Smith is the most notable addition to the team, but they are largely the same team they have ...
Read more