-Gabriel Dorris-

The Recap

The Overview

The Canes came out hot and got the first 3 shots of the game, but the first goal would belong to San Jose, off of a great Thomas Hertl pass straight to Fabian Zetterlund setting him off on a breakaway, where he sent the puck right of Andersen and into the net. However, less than a minute later, a Michael Bunting shot from above the left circle would hit defenseman Mario Ferraro in front of the net and bounce straight to Seth Jarvis, who would slide in his first of two powerplay goals this game. The rest of the period was scoreless, but not uneventful, as goaltender Frederick Andersen would take a puck to the face and have to leave for the game, replaced by Antti Raanta. The Canes would put up 18 shots on the first period, while the Sharks would only manage 5.

The Canes would strike first in the second frame, as Jaccob Slavin had a wonderful takeaway at center ice that sprung him out on a breakaway, where Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood would make the initial save but Slavin would take him his own rebound for a 2-1 Canes lead and the team’s 4th shorthanded goal of the season. But just 17 seconds later, on the same powerplay, Carolina would lose their lead off of a long distance Filip Zadina shot, making it two straight periods where San Jose scored on their first shot. That would not be the only powerplay goal for the Sharks in the second, as William Eklund would pick up a bounce off the wall and throw it in behind Raanta. The shot would be reviewed for goaltender interference, as the skate of Eklund would go under the pad of Raanta, but it was eventually counted.

The Sharks entered the third down 30-11 on shots but up 3-2 on goals, and with about half a minute of powerplay time. Carolina would manage the kill, in what ended up being a great period for their special teams units. Six and a half minutes into the third, Mackenzie Blackwood would absolutely rob Jaccob Slavin on a 2 on 1 chance, but just 3 minutes later Stefan Noesen would actually tie things up, potting a powerplay goal on a tic tac toe play with Skjei, and Kotkaniemi. The Canes would later take the lead on another powerplay, as Burns sent the puck to Necas on the goal line, who passed it up to Seth Jarvis, who would slap it home for his second of the game. With five minutes left in the period, Martin Necas took a pass from Michael Bunting and completed his signature wrap around goal, and Brett Pesce would wrist one in from the wall just 15 seconds later to shut things down. The final score was 6-3 Canes.

Standout Players

Seth Jarvis scored his first goal of the season, and then his second. He looked great on the powerplay, penalty kill, and at even strength, and is continuing to develop into a great player. Michael Bunting seems to fit right in already, getting his second and third assists of the season to put him at 4 points in 4 games. Jalen Chatfield got a spot on the third pairing for the first time this season, and made Orlov look like a far better player instantly in his 12 minutes of ice time. Martin Necas was all over the ice from start to finish, Teuvo Teravainen still hasn’t missed a beat this season, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who had two assists, is starting to make his extension look really good, and Brady Skjei became the first defenseman in Canes history to score 6 points in his first 4 games. Stefan Noesen also managed two points and looked just as solid as ever on the powerplay.

In order, my three stars would be Michael Bunting (***), Martin Necas (**), and Seth Jarvis (*).

The Preview

The Overview

The Hurricanes are blowing into a fight with the Seattle Kraken at 10PM EST. The Canes are 3-1-0 and first in the Metro, while the Kraken are 0-3-1 and are one of only 2 winless teams left in the league. The other is the San Jose Sharks. Antti Raanta was first off the ice this morning at practice, and is the projected starter for Carolina. Sebastian Aho did practice this morning, but did not play with his normal linemates, implying he may be out for a 2nd game. Joey Daccord has played one game so far this season, where he allowed just 1 goal on 25 shots against the Blues. He’ll be starting tonight. Seattle has done a good job keeping goals out of their net, but have only scored 3 in 4 games. The Canes have scored an impressive 19, but have also allowed 17. This game will likely be decided by how poorly the Cane’s defense/goaltending and the Kraken’s offense plays, along with whether or not the Canes can continue to light it up on special teams.

Players to Watch

If Sebastian Aho is indeed out, then Teuvo Teravainen will likely play 1C for a second straight game. He’s looked really good this season, and if he can maintain it playing a different role without his best linemate, then it might be pretty safe to say he’s having a bounce back year. Antti Raanta will be starting for the Canes, and has had a poor start he hopes to overcome. Jalen Chatfield and Tony DeAngelo will also continue to duke it out for the spot on the team when Svechnikov returns, and Dmitry Orlov had his best game of the season against San Jose, something he hopes to build on.

Prediction

The Canes have had a cupcake schedule so far, where they’ve played two playoff bubble teams and two lottery teams. This game is continuing that pattern, as Seattle looked like a bubble team in the preseason, and hasn’t even played to that level so far. The Canes haven’t had a great start either, but they’ve managed to come through with three wins, and I think they do that again tonight, winning in blowout fashion before they face by far their best opponent of the season in Colorado this Saturday.

5-1 Canes

Record: 3 (correct winner) – 1 (incorrect winner) – 0 (predicted OT/shootout loss and lost in regulation, or vice versa.)