"Joey's Trench": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 60: Carolina Hurricanes at Seattle Kraken

The Hurricanes are in the Pacific Northwest tonight, as we on the East Coast sit up way past our bedtimes to watch them take on the Seattle Kraken. With time winding down before the trade deadline passes, the Canes enter with wins in five straight and points in 12 straight, battling a Seattle team that is trying to stay north of the cut-off line in the Western Conference. The Canes have all of the momentum in the world on their side, but this daunting four-game, week-long trip is going to be a massive test for them. The team must've liked what Frederik Andersen showed on Saturday against Detroit because they turned right back to him tonight to get the trip started, facing a red-hot Joey Daccord on the other end.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

None

2nd Period

SEA (3:22)- Kaapo Kakko (8) (Adam Larsson (12))

SEA (8:48)- Ben Meyers (6) (Frederik Gaudreau (14) & Adam Larsson (13))

CAR (18:30)- Nikolaj Ehlers (16) (Jordan Martinook (13) & Sean Walker (12)

3rd Period

None

My Thoughts

Welp, it sure stinks that we stayed up that late to watch a loss, especially one that the Hurricanes played really well in. It all came down to the performance of Joey Daccord, who was a brick wall in the crease. He stopped 35 shots, and he made it look relatively easy. I can't pinpoint one specific save that stands out as being other-worldly. Daccord made the easy stops that he needed to make, and he stole two points from the Hurricanes to aid in Seattle's efforts to make the playoffs. The big thing was the Canes' inability to get inside Seattle's defense and create enough traffic in front of Daccord. Shots from the point were either being blocked or were easily caught by Daccord's glove. The one time they got him moving ending up in the back of the net, courtesy of Nikolaj Ehlers. That was one of the lone bright spots in the offensive end. It was one of those games you just shrug your shoulders and tip your cap to the goalie on the other end.

I can't really pick apart the complete effort from the group after this loss. Like I said, I thought they played well and were the better team for most of the night. They had two tough moments that ended up costing them dearly, and I'll get to them in a moment. Otherwise, I liked the chances the Canes were creating and the puck movement they had in the offensive zone. I thought they generated the looks that they needed to with their late power play. The penalty kill was perfect, with their lone mistake erased by a successful coaches' challenge. Props to the video team for catching that one. The Canes didn't give up many chances, and two goals allowed should be enough to do it on most nights. That's where Daccord's performance is so lethal. Almost every line had chances to score, with the Staal line being the only one to break through.

The common thread in both goals for Seattle was Alexander Nikishin, and not in a good way. His errant pass resulted in the 2-on-1 goal that broke the scoring, and he didn't get physical enough on Ben Meyers to prevent him from scoring the second goal. It was a low-percentage pass that Nikishin was trying to make to William Carrier that hit Adam Larsson's skate and created the transition chance. Now, none of that matters if Frederik Andersen makes a stop there. He got most of it, but clearly not enough. It was a stoppable shot from Kaapo Kakko. On the second one, Andersen didn't have much of a chance, with Nikishin losing the positioning battle before Meyers put home the rebound. Nikishin didn't play much in the third, finishing the night with under 14 minutes played. Andersen stopped 13 of 15, with his night pretty much done after the second period. I don't think he played bad, but on a night when the offense couldn't come to his aid, that one goal against was a tough pill to swallow.

Again, I'm not mad or disappointed with the effort the Hurricanes put forth in Seattle. While it ended their streaks to start the road trip, it's not the end of the world. They won't practice on Tuesday as they head to Vancouver. I'd expect to see Brandon Bussi in the net after Andersen made consecutive starts. The Canucks are a team on the decline, already trading their best player and positioned to do a little more selling before Friday's trade deadline. However, another lackluster effort on Wednesday might be a cause for concern.

First Star of the Game: Nikolaj Ehlers

From the jump, it was clear that Nikolaj Ehlers was ready to make an impact. He ended the night with four shots on the net, and one of them was the only shot to beat Daccord tonight, so major judos to him for that. Ehlers has scored twice during the three games since returning from the Olympics, inching closer to another 20-goal campaign.

Around the League

Pittsburgh: The Penguins routed the Golden Knights, 5-0, on Sunday afternoon, making Vegas look foolish and shrinking their deficit in the division in the process.

New York (I): The Islanders have had a flair for the dramatic lately, completing their third straight multi-goal comeback with a 5-4 win over the Cats on a last-minute goal by Anders Lee.

Washington: The Capitals haven't played since their lopsided loss on Saturday, and they only play once between now and this weekend, hosting Utah on Tuesday.

Columbus: The Blue Jackets saw a 4-0 lead slip through their gloves at MSG tonight, but Kirill Marchenko prevented a complete collapse by scoring in overtime to earn two valuable points. 

Philadelphia: The Flyers picked on a struggling Toronto squad north of the border, winning in the shootout to keep pace with the rest of the teams in the division.

Current Standings

Carolina: 82 Points (60 GP)

Pittsburgh: 75 Points (Silovs was named the NHL's 2nd star for the last week; 59 GP)

New York: 75 Points (1 multi-goal comeback away from tying the '05-'06 Canes for the most in a row (4); 61 GP)

Washington: 69 Points (Have 3 days between contests this week; 62 GP)

Columbus: 68 Points (10-2-1 under Rick Bowness; 59 GP)

Philadelphia: 67 Points (Quietly winners of 3 straight; 60 GP)

Next Up: The Canes trek onward, heading north of the border to face the Vancouver Canucks in their final game before Friday's deadline. The focus will momentarily shift to the trade market for the next few days before they get back in action for a weekend double-header in Alberta. They'll start with the Oilers on Friday night before finishing the trip in Calgary on Saturday.