Thoughts From My Couch

The quick weekend trip to Canada finished in Canada's capital on Sunday night. Both the Hurricanes and Senators played on Saturday, earning wins in extra time. The Canes' win over the Maple Leafs was especially dramatic, getting two goals in the final 1:32 of regulation to force overtime and winning in the shootout after killing a penalty in overtime. Brady Tkachuk earned his 30th goal and a hat trick with Ottawa's overtime win over the Islanders. The Canes looked to pick up a second win on their trip before heading back stateside to close the journey on Tuesday. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (7:19)- Dmitry Orlov (4) (assisted by Brendan Lemieux (2) & Martin Necas (26)) OTT (13:50)- Thomas Chabot (7) (assisted by Brady Tkachuk (26) & Parker Kelly (8)) 2nd Period CAR (2:03)- Evgeny Kuznetsov (8) PP (assisted by Brady Skjei (27) & Dmitry Orlov (18)) OTT (4:51)- Tim Stutzle (17) (assisted by Thomas Chabot (17) & Claude Giroux (37)) CAR (19:38)- Seth Jarvis (23...

There's never a dull moment when the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs meet in Toronto, and last night was no exception. After a scoreless first period, Toronto made Carolina pay for terrible puck management in the neutral zone. John Tavares, William Nylander, and Nicolas Robertson all beat Pyotr Kochetkov to put Toronto up 3-0. Jordan Martinook got one back shortly after Robertson's goal, and Seth Jarvis scored on the power play with less than three seconds left to get the Canes back into it, trailing 3-2 after 40 minutes. David Kampf scored on a breakaway early in the third period, and it looked like Toronto was about to close the door on the Canes. Instead, Sebastian Aho scored twice in the final 1:32 of regulation, including the tying goal with less than seven seconds to go, to earn the Canes at least one point. Toronto earned a chance on the power play midway through overtime after Jake Guentzel slashed Auston Matthews, but Kochetkov and the penalty kill stood their ground, pushi...

The Hurricanes were on the road for their first of three games and the first half of a back-to-back in Toronto on Saturday for Hockey Night in Canada. The Canes are coming off a dominant 4-0 performance on Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. Making their second trip to Toronto this season, Carolina looked to find a way to slow down the league's best goal scorer, Auston Matthews. For two teams deeply entrenched in the playoffs, this was certain to be a fun game between two of the league's most interesting teams. Scoring Summary 1st Period None 2nd Period TOR (4:47)- John Tavares (21) (assisted by TJ Brodie (18)) TOR (6:27)- William Nylander (36) (assisted by Morgan Rielly (41)) TOR (12:03)- Nicolas Robertson (9) (assisted by John Tavares (27) & Timothy Liljegren (17)) CAR (13:27)- Jordan Martinook (12) (assisted by Brent Burns (24) & Jesper Fast (12)) CAR (19:57)- Seth Jarvis (22) PP (assisted by Jake Guentzel (32) & Sebastian Aho (44)) 3rd Period TOR (2:55)...

The Carolina Hurricanes got the last laugh on Thursday night when they dominated the Florida Panthers for 60 minutes to win the season series. With Frederik Andersen and Sergei Bobrovsky squaring off since battling in the Eastern Conference Finals, it was the Canes' goalie who got the last laugh. Seth Jarvis opened the scoring in the final minute of the first period, snapping a shot over the shoulder of Bobrovsky to get the Canes going. The Kuznetsov line took over the game in the second period. Martin Necas buried a rebound as he was falling, doubling the lead and giving Jake Guentzel his first point as a Hurricanes with the secondary helper. Less than six minutes later, Evgeny Kuznetsov finished a shot from the left dot, sending PNC Arena into a frenzy as he celebrated like only he knew how. The Canes put the game away for good after Andrei Svechnikov banked a shot from the defensive zone off the boards and into the empty net to seal a 4-0 win. Andersen recorded his first shutout...

After a thrilling battle three weeks ago, the Hurricanes and Panthers met at PNC Arena to conclude their season series. With each side picking up a win in their home arena, the Canes looked to avenge their 1-0 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night. With Jake Guentzel playing in his second game and Evgeny Kuznetsov getting used to the team's style, the team is starting to take its final form for the stretch run. This was sure to be a spirited affair between two teams whose rivalry is growing with every passing encounter. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (19:11)- Seth Jarvis (21) (assisted by Jordan Staal (18) & Jaccob Slavin (21)) 2nd Period CAR (2:46)- Martin Necas (21) (assisted by Dmitry Orlov (16) & Jake Guentzel (31)) CAR (8:27)- Evgeny Kuznetsov (7) (assisted by Jalen Chatfield (13) 3rd Period CAR (15:42)- Andrei Svechnikov (17) EN (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (22)) My Thoughts The Panthers are starting to become one of those teams, like the Bruins, Rangers, and Devils, tha...

Tuesday's loss to the New York Rangers was about as close as it can get. All it took was one bad bounce for the Rangers to get on the board, allowing Igor Shesterkin to do the rest. Jake Guentzel made his Hurricanes debut after being activated off IR before the game, playing with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Martin Necas. The lone goal of the night came with eight seconds left in the first period when Adam Fox threw a rebound chance off Brady Skjei's skate and into the net. Kuznetsov had two prime chances in the second period to tie the game, but Shesterkin was there to stop him. Not to be outdone, Pyotr Kochetkov made the save of the night in the third period, robbing Vincent Trocheck on a 2-on-0 to keep it 1-0. Andrei Svechnikov hit the post, and Guentzel hit the outside of the net, but nothing was getting past Shesterkin. He stopped all 28 shots he faced to preserve New York's 1-0 shutout win, extending their lead in the Metropolitan Division. The Opponent: Florida Panthers (45-...

The Hurricanes hosted the Rangers on Tuesday night for the rubber match of their three-game regular-season series. After splitting the two meetings at Madison Square Garden, the Canes looked to draw closer to the Rangers by winning the season series. The big news before the game was the impending debut of Jake Guentzel, who the team acquired on Thursday before the trade deadline. Bringing his playoff pedigree to Raleigh, hopes haven't been higher amongst the fans for a potential run for the Stanley Cup. Before that, there is still plenty left to complete in the regular season, beginning with a battle against a big division rival. Scoring Summary 1st Period NYR (19:52)- Adam Fox (11) (assisted by Chris Kreider (28) & Ryan Lindgren (10)) 2nd Period None 3rd Period None My Thoughts New York was the better team in the first period, and they were rewarded with eight seconds left in the period with a bounce off Brady Skjei's skate. For most of the next 40 minutes, the Hurricanes ...