-Gabriel Dorris-
The Recap
The Overview
The Canes, like against Colorado, had a rough first few minutes, and were bailed out by Pyotr Kochetkov, who made this absurd save one Brayden Point just two minutes in.
The second period had a similar start, as Kochetkov made yet another snow-angel save on Anthony Cirelli alone in front of the net.
In the third, both goaltenders again had some nice saves. Kochetkov robbed Kucherov on a wrap-around, Johansson stole an Aho snapper, and the score was still two-nothing with the third period halfway over. The Canes offensive units were shooting themselves in the foot this year, as Tony DeAngelo, Seth Jarvis, and Michael Bunting all had open net whiffs in the frame that could’ve tied the game or given the Canes the lead if they were finished. But they weren’t, and a lethal slapper by Nicholas Paul with under three minutes to go was the dagger that sent the Canes packing with a 3-0 loss.
The Postgame
This was far and away the best game played by both the defense and the goaltenders this season. Despite what the .870 would lead you to believe, Kochetkov looked really, really, good, and the defense, while not great or even solid, was miles better than anything we had seen from it up to this point (Minus maybe San Jose). If these two areas continue to improve, the team should follow. The only problem here was that the offense suddenly decided to choke, although until we see a few more games I’m inclined to believe this may have been a fluke. 3 missed or whiffed wide open nets and several other chances stolen blind by Johansson could’ve been the difference between 3-0 and 3-5.
In the post game interviews, Jaccob Slavin cited special teams as the number one concern, but did express hope that the team could snap back into it, and urgency for them to do so, saying “we just gotta win games.” Sebastian Aho was solid in his first game back from injury, and agreed that “the effort was there”, but added by saying that “it doesn’t matter what the effort if [the Canes] score zero goals.” He also expressed relief that the Canes were going home, and said that he believes the team’s primary concern is “putting the puck in the net.” Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged solid play on both sides, and said he “thought [the Canes] played pretty well”. He also seemed happy with the performance of goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, noting that “he kept [the Canes] in the game tonight. He said that the biggest thing the Canes need to do is find back their team game.
In order, my three stars (Canes players only) would be Jesperi Kotkaniemi (***), who failed to finish but was putting himself in excellent spots and making good shots all night, Pyotr Kochetkov (**), who had some really nice saves to keep the team in the game, and Martin Necas (*), who set up several S grade chances throughout the night, notably giving Michael Bunting and Tony DeAngelo each a chance on a wide open net (both missed).
The Preview
The Overview
Tonight at 7pm EST, the Canes will be lighting match number eight and bringing the Kraken to Raleighwood, in a game that could severely alter the momentum of the season for weeks to come. The Canes are 3-4-0, while Seattle is 2-4-1. Frederick Andersen is expected to return in net for the Canes after missing 9 days to a head injury, after posting a .855 save percentage, 4.14 GAA, and 2-0-0 record in three starts. Joey Daccord was first off the ice for the Kraken, and he has a .898 save percentage, 2.85 GAA, and 2-0-1 record in three starts.
Brett Pesce is expected to make his return to the team in 2-4 weeks, and Andrei Svechnikov may play tomorrow or on Monday, but neither play will be entering the lineup tonight. If the Canes want to win this game, they need to stop Seattle from scoring and win the special teams battle. The Kraken have lit the lamp just 16 times this year, and 12 of those goals came in two games against the Canes and Red Wings. The Kraken have a mediocre pp% of 21.6, but a solid pk% of 81.8. The Canes, however, have a dismal and uncharacteristic pk% of 68.8, but some of their special teams struggles have been masked by a pp% of 23.5 that is also uncharacteristic, but in a different way. Carolina will need to perform well in both these areas if they want to snap out of their funk.
Things to Watch
Like stated earlier, the Canes 5 on 5 defense played arguably their best game of the season, and if they can continue to improve on that, it’s huge for the team. However, the penalty kill is struggling, and being a huge component of how Carolina plays, this is something they’ll have to fix. Frederick Andersen will be starting his first game back after missing several to injury, and with Antti Raanta struggling in net thus far and Pyotr looking solid but not fantastic, the team has a bit of a leak in goal right now that Freddie’s return can hopefully solve. Dmitry Orlov had a really rough start to the season, and the last two games, while not great, have been a welcome improvement. We’re still watching to see if he can do like Brent Burns did last season and get back to level of play we’ve seen from him for over a decade.
Prediction
I’ve predicted the Canes to win a very optimistic 6 games out of 7, and they’ve only taken three of those. Still, the team has had a day of rest, they’re back at home, and there’s a serious sense of urgency that if they don’t get better now things might start getting really rough. With all this in mind, there’s little reason to believe the Canes won’t send a message to the NHL and take a commanding win against Seattle.
Well, except for last Thursday…
Prediction: 3-1 Canes
Record: 4 (correct winner) – 3 (incorrect winner) – 0 (predicted OT/shootout loss and lost in regulation, or vice versa.)
Canes Express 
Leave a comment