Thoughts From My Couch

The Carolina Hurricanes dropped their second straight game on Saturday night, falling 5-1 to the Boston Bruins. All of Boston's damage came from one line, but they did quite the number on the Canes. Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm scored in the final 1:11 of the first period to give Boston a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. David Pastrnak, who assisted on both goals, scored once in the second period and twice in the third to complete the natural hat trick and get him to 40 goals for the season. The only silver lining for the Canes was Justin Robidas scoring in the final minute of regulation to collect his first career goal and break the shutout. Regardless, Jeremy Swayman was incredible, making 39 stops to snap Boston's 10-game losing streak. The Opponent: Buffalo Sabres (34-36-6, 74 Points- 7th in the Atlantic Division) Last Meeting: The Sabres visited Raleigh at the end of February, and the Canes jumped on them early. After Jesperi Kotkaniemi dropped the gloves with Dylan Cozens o...

The Canes began their road trip with a subpar effort against the Red Wings last night, meaning they needed to get back to form against a struggling Boston team. With their ongoing ten-game losing streak, the Bruins have fallen to last in the conference as they count down the days in their season. Frederik Andersen assumed control of the net, trying to extend his win streak to eight games while avoiding a back-to-back sweep to start their four-game journey.  Scoring Summary 1st Period BOS (18:49)- Morgan Geekie (28) (David Pastrnak (53) & Nikita Zadorov (14)) BOS (19:47)- Elias Lindholm (15) (David Pastrnak (54) & Morgan Geekie (19)) 2nd Period BOS (10:14)- David Pastrnak (38) (Elias Lindholm (26)) 3rd Period BOS (1:28)- David Pastrnak (39) (Morgan Geekie (20) & Elias Lindholm (27)) BOS (15:18)- David Pastrnak (40) (Morgan Geekie (21) & Mason Lohrei (27)) CAR (19:05)- Justin Robidas (1) (Scott Morrow (4) & Shayne Gostisbehere (37)) My Thoughts Every blue moon, we...

The Carolina Hurricanes began their four-game road trip with a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. Ben Chiarot and Marco Kasper scored 26 seconds apart midway through the first period to get Detroit out to a 2-0 lead. Jackson Blake cut into the lead early in the second after Seth Jarvis knocked down a pass, allowing the rookie to snipe it over Cam Talbot's glove. Once again, Detroit scored a quick pair. This time, they needed just 21 seconds as Patrick Kane scored on a breakaway and Michael Rasmussen tucked one from after sneaking behind the Canes' defense. Eric Robinson's deflection brought the Canes back with two as he tipped Justin Robidas' shot, earning him a point in his NHL debut. Brent Burns made it a one-goal game midway through the third as his point shot was deflected by a Red Wing, but the Canes couldn't find the equalizer. Alex DeBrincat scored a last-second empty-net goal to ice a 5-3 win for Detroit.  The Opponent: Boston Bruins (30-37-9...

The Canes begin their final long road trip of the season on Friday night, visiting the Motor City for the final collision with the Red Wings this season. Carolina won both meetings in March, both of which were tight battles between the cross-division foes. Detroit still has a lot to play for as they chase down one of the final playoff spots, but there are plenty of teams in their way. This game still has some meaning for the Canes as they try to wrap up home ice for the first round this weekend. Scoring Summary 1st Period DET (9:03)- Ben Chiarot (4) (Alex DeBrincat (30) & Dylan Larkin (35)) DET (9:29)- Marco Kasper (16) (Elmer Soderblom (7) & Lucas Raymond (48)) 2nd Period CAR (1:57)- Jackson Blake (15) (Seth Jarvis (31)) DET (9:05)- Patrick Kane (20) (unassisted) DET (9:26)- Michael Rasmussen (11) (Tyler Motte (5)) CAR (12:36)- Eric Robinson (14) (Justin Robidas (1) & Jaccob Slavin (19)) 3rd Period CAR (12:44)- Brent Burns (6) (Jack Roslovic (16) & Jaccob Slavin (20)) ...

The Carolina Hurricanes punched their ticket to the postseason on Wednesday night while punching a hole in the Washington Capitals. Sean Walker got it going early, capitalizing on a Washington turnover before snapping a shot over Logan Thompson's blocker. The Canes' power play struck twice in the opening frame. Jackson Blake jumped on a rebound, and Seth Jarvis clapped one from the dot to extend the lead to three after a nearly flawless opening 20 minutes. Logan Stankoven made it 4-0 before Washington got on the board during a 5-on-3. Alex Ovechkin scored from his spot, moving two goals away from tying the all-time goals record. Blake scored his second goal of the night on the power play early in the third period to restore the four-goal lead. Things got very chippy at the end of the game, with 114 penalty minutes leveled to each side in the final seven minutes. The Canes won 5-1, earning two big points as they cement their spot in the playoffs.  The Opponent: Detroit Red Wings...

The Canes conclude a four-game homestand with their toughest opponent and the only team ahead of them in the division race. Welcoming Alex Ovechkin as he aims for the goal-scoring record, the home team hoped to keep him quiet in his pursuit while trying to earn two points and clinch a playoff spot after their help fell through on Tuesday. Ovechkin is just four goals away from breaking the record, going into the building where he was drafted and has had an excellent career.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (6:14)- Sean Walker (5) (unassisted) CAR (10:13)- Jackson Blake (13) PP (Taylor Hall (22) & Shayne Gostisbehere (35)) CAR (13:21)- Seth Jarvis (30) PP (Shayne Gostbsiehere (36) & Sebastian Aho (42)) 2nd Period CAR (9:27)- Logan Stankoven (12) (Jack Roslovic (15)) WSH (19:25)- Alex Ovechkin (39) PP (Jakob Chychrun (27) & Dylan Strome (49)) 3rd Period CAR (6:55)- Jackson Blake (14) PP (Seth Jarvis (30)) My Thoughts Even with as hot as the power play has been recently, nev...

The Carolina Hurricanes ensured a positive homestand by taking down the New York Islanders, 6-4, on Sunday night. The game started well for the Canes, getting goals from Mark Jankowski and Logan Stankoven 13 seconds apart to lead 2-0 in the first five minutes. The Islanders pushed back. Pierre Engvall and Kyle Palmieri tied it up before the end of the first period, and Engvall scored again early in the second to push the Islanders ahead. The Canes' special teams pulled the Canes back ahead before the end of the middle frame. Sebastian Aho scored on the power play before setting Seth Jarvis up short-handed to give the Canes a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes. Anders Lee tied the game early in the third, but Dmitry Orlov's drive from the point re-established the Canes' lead, which they wouldn't relinquish. Jarvis buried another pass from Aho late in the game to provide the dagger in a 6-4 victory. The Canes' penalty kill went 5-for-6 in the game, and Pyotr Kochetkov struggle...