Carolina Hurricanes: Superstar Finns keep Canes afloat
The Carolina Hurricanes ended the weekend with two out of four points from a tough back-to-back that saw the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins visit Raleigh. After a thrashing on Saturday night, the Canes bounced back Sunday against the Bruins.
It was well-known around the Caniac Community that this weekend was absolutely vital for the Carolina Hurricanes to keep their rapidly-decreasing playoff hopes alive. It started Saturday night with a horrendous showing from the hockey club. It was just a deflating game to watch as it seemed goaltender Curtis McElhinney was the only one that came to play. He stopped 29 of 32 shots from the Pens. The whole game was an atrocity, specifically the lifeless power play that yielded no goals on four chances. The Canes also played pretty loosely with the puck, giving it away 25 times. It was an extremely hard game to stomach as you could seemingly feel the season slip away with every minute that passed. The 3-0 shutout loss was discouraging and honestly left very little hope for Sunday’s matchup with the Bruins. But oh did the tables turn.
The Bruins visited Raleigh on Whalers night riding a three game win streak, and looking to hand the Canes a backbreaker of a loss. In a night where the Carolina Hurricanes payed homage to their roots in sporting some very sharp Hartford Whalers uniforms, it seemed like the Bruins were just two steps ahead early on. The Bruins came out hot, scoring two goals in the first nine minutes of the game. If you were like myself, at this point in watching the game, it was time to take a very deep breath and just think “here we go again“. Thankfully, that deep breath worked this time.
It turned into the Finn show shortly after, as Teuvo Teravainen kicked off the scoring with a goal that pumped life back into the team and PNC Arena alike. Sebastian Aho scored the next two goals, one being the first of two shorthanded goals (!). Justin Faulk added to the goal total with a classic Faulk wrister that Canes fans have been missing this year. The Finns finished with four points apiece in the same fashion – two goals and two apples each – with both scoring while shorthanded. I should also mention that fans got a Christmas present that has been much advocated for (from myself as well), a line that boasts Andrei Svechnikov, Aho, and Teravainen. Hopefully that stays put, it could be electric for a long time to come.
Rod Brind'Amour is finally finding his feet. dark. Next
The 5-3 victory for the Carolina Hurricanes should keep hopes for the season alive heading into the three-day Holiday break, as they are seven points out of a playoff spot. Let’s hope the rest does the team the power of good, and they come back ready to go on a nice win streak. From Sunday’s performance, Canes fans will continue to cling to some hope. Merry Christmas everyone, and enjoy.