"I'm Sorry, Mama": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 65: Carolina Hurricanes vs. St. Louis Blues

The moms are in town for this one, which means their boys need to put on a show for them. Having the family in attendance has usually fared well for the Canes in the past. In recent memory, we had the memorable win in Boston that led to Jordan Martinook and his mom giving an iconic interview on TNT after he scored the winner. Last season, Sebastian Aho finished a game in overtime with the dads and mentors in Raleigh for a contest with Calgary. Against the St. Louis Blues, the Canes need to focus more on getting the puck in the net because they didn't do it at all the last time they met. We don't want the moms getting mad about a goose egg on the scoreboard. I'm looking at Brandon Bussi to play a part in that, too. He was hung out to dry in St. Louis, but he needs to be better than the version we've seen since the return from the Winter Olympics. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (8:38)- Mark Jankowski (7) (unassisted)

2nd Period

STL (4:00)- Jimmy Snuggerud (14) (Dylan Holloway (15) & Cam Fowler (22))

3rd Period

STL (15:12)- Jimmy Snuggerud (15) (Dylan Holloway (16) & Robert Thomas (28))

STL (19:09-EN)- Pavel Buchnevich (15) (Jack Finley (3) & Alexey Toropchenko (5))

My Thoughts

Two disturbing trends have been rearing their ugly heads for the Hurricanes since they returned from the break. The first is their inability to capitalize on their hot starts. In their last six games, the Hurricanes have come out of the gates on a tear. They're spending extended periods of time in the offensive zone, throwing everything they can at the opposing netminder. During those six games, the Canes had scored the opening goal against Vancouver, Calgary, Pittsburgh, and tonight against the Blues. They were tied 0-0 in their other two against Seattle and Edmonton before allowing the first goal during the second period. They lost to Seattle, but they recovered to beat Edmonton. Against the Canucks, they trailed 2-1 after 20 before eventually winning. The win over the Penguins was a weird one, leading 4-2 before blowing the lead and winning a shootout. Their loss against Calgary was the embodiment of both demons coming full circle. I'd like to see the team start quickly and keep their skates on the gas.

Another trend recently has been the complete disintegration of their game during the second period. It started in Calgary on Saturday night, allowing three goals in quick succession in an eventual loss. Against the Penguins on Tuesday, the Canes took way too many penalties, and they never got to their game because of it. Tonight, they allowed an early goal to tie the game, and it felt like that completely threw their game into disarray. The Blues had two shots during the opening 20 minutes. They had five within the first five minutes of the second period, not to mention the crossbar that they hit. The Canes were very lucky that it ended up being just one goal against after 40 minutes. 

Compared to his last three starts, this was a much better version of Brandon Bussi. The biggest improvement was the puck-handling element of his game. He didn't turn the puck over tonight. In fact, he was very close to generating a few chances. I didn't actively pucker every time he came out of the crease to play the puck. That's just one aspect of the game, though. The big thing is stopping the puck. For the most part, Bussi did that, too. However, both goals that he allowed felt stoppable, especially the game-winner. I don't place the entire blame on him for either, and the offense not backing him up by scoring another goal is equally as critical in the Canes losing this game. It's the first time this season that Bussi has suffered consecutive losses of any kind, let alone two in regulation. There's still another gear for him to get back to. This did feel like a positive step for him.

We've spent plenty of time talking about how the Canes threw this game away, so let's be a little more positive to close it. First, the fourth line was very good again tonight. They got the only goal, preventing another shutout loss at the hands of the Blues. I really want to see Nicolas Deslauriers make his Canes debut, but I don't want to split up the fourth line right now, especially since they've been the team's best line over the last few games. The rest of the group had plenty of chances that they couldn't get past Jordan Binnington, who was phenomenal tonight. Sebastian Aho had seven shots. Jordan Staal had five. There were a ton of high-quality shots that Binnington was forced to stop. It's a bit reminiscent of the Seattle loss, which was more about what the goalie did than what the Canes didn't do.

First Star of the Game: Mark Jankowski

Only one Hurricane recorded a point tonight, and it was Mark Jankowski. His goal was pretty much all about him. First, he intercepted a pass in the neutral zone to send the Canes up the ice on a 2-on-1. Next, he dangled around a defender to improve his chance even more. Finally, he buried the shot over Binnington's blocker to get the Canes on the board. It was a great play, one of the few shining moments that the Canes had tonight. 

Around the League

Pittsburgh: The door is open for the Penguins to shrink the Canes' lead after losing in Raleigh on Tuesday night, though they trailed 1-0 after the first period as of writing this.

New York (I): After tonight, the Top 4 in the division will have all played the same number of games, giving the Islanders a sense of where things stand ahead of their game against the Kings.

Columbus: While they only got one point in Sunrise tonight, regulation losses by the Bruins and the Red Wings have the Blue Jackets just one point out of a playoff spot at the end of the day.

Philadelphia: It has been a very good two days for the Flyers, who earned a massive victory over the Capitals on Wednesday before taking down a stacked Wild team in a shootout tonight.

Washington: Losing to the Flyers last night wasn't ideal, but the Capitals recovered to snap the Sabres' eight-game winning streak on a late goal by Jakob Chychrun.

Current Standings

Metropolitan Division

Carolina: 88 Points

Pittsburgh: 79 Points

New York (I): 79 Points

Columbus: 77 Points

Philadelphia: 73 Points

Washington: 73 Points

Eastern Conference Wild Card

WC #1- Detroit: 79 Points

WC #2- Boston: 78 Points

Columbus: 77 Points

Ottawa: 73 Points

Philadelphia: 73 Points

Washington: 73 Points

Next Up: The 2026 Mom's Trip will emanate from Tampa Bay on Saturday night. The Canes and the Lightning meet for the final time this season, and having the moms with them should provide a little more motivation for them to get back to Raleigh with two points. With multiple days between games, they'll likely come home before departing for Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. It begins a back-to-back, which brings the Penguins back to town on Wednesday.