Carolina Bounces Back, Defeats San Jose in Shootout

Svechnikov’s Production

For a kid that’s just 19 years old, Andrei is certainly special. After having a decent start to his career last season, many thought he would take that next step forward. And with that, we are witnessing the rise of a superstar. Just when you think he is going to take a step back, he shows that he’s not going anywhere, and continues to produce on a consistent basis.

Tonight was no exception to that either. He scored the first goal of the night on a great backhand shot that Aaron Dell had no chance of stopping. He would later tally an assist, one that single-handily created the chance that lead to the goal in the 2nd period. Not to mention, he gets the only goal of the shootout just for good measure.

After tonight’s result, Svechnikov is averaging right around a point per game. His 19 assists and 31 points are both good for the team lead in each of those categories as well. In the 82 games he played in last year, he tallied 37 points. In only 29 games, he’s already almost at that marker. It is amazing to see how far he has grown.

The sky is truly the limit for Svechnikov. His steady production has been a huge improvement to the Hurricanes offense, and he only continues to get better. As the season rolls along, who knows how high he will go. One thing is for sure, I’m ready to see what he does next.

Petr Mrazek Bounces Back

For the last two weeks, all eyes have been on the backup, James Reimer. For Petr Mrazek, he had a few rough games in that stretch and had many wondering if he still had what it took to maintain the starting position for the team. It was important that he had a bounce-back game, and he certainly did tonight for the Hurricanes.

Despite giving up two goals in this one, Mrazek was really solid. He stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced, and most importantly, stopped all three shots in the shootout. While he shined in the shootout, it was the 3-on-3 portion of the night where he really stood out and took this game into his own hands with some dazzling stops that kept the team alive.

While he had some great moments, there were times where he looked shaky as well. After an altercation with Joe Thornton, his head didn’t seem like it was all there. And as the 2nd period rolled along, the Sharks took advantage and tied the game with less than a minute.

Despite that one hiccup, Mrazek was solid in this one, and he definitely needed it. If Carolina hopes to return to the playoffs and make a deep run like they did last year, Mrazek is going to have to play a big role in that. His enthusiasm can fuel this team and take them to another level, and we saw an example of that tonight. Let’s hope this is the start of a good run for him and the team.

Physicality From Both Sides

When it comes to cross-conference play, you typically don’t expect a game that is very rough and physical. The game was a surprise for me, because both teams didn’t lay off of each other at all. It was clear that they didn’t like each other tonight.

The most prominent moment was the altercation I mentioned on the last page between Petr Mrazek and Joe Thornton. Mrazek took exception when Thornton tried to pry the puck loose after Mrazek covered it. One thing led to another and Thornton essentially punched Mrazek in the mask, sending him to the ground.

Even beyond just that particular moment, the game featured multiple huddles behind the net with many players involved. Of course, it wouldn’t be a physical game without Joel Edmundson providing some of that toughness and physicality from the back-end. He’s pretty good at lip service as well.

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While we come to expect the display of physicality from guys like Mrazek and Edmundson, there was another player tonight that displayed it who really isn’t known for doing so. Of course, I’m talking about Sebastian Aho. One particular moment that stood out to me was a sequence of big hits against Mario Ferraro in the 3rd period.

When you think about cross-conference games, the last thing you think about is a brawl where both teams simply don’t like each other. Typically you’ll see games where players have a clean 60 minutes and then move on to the next one. This game was completely different and had a bit of everything.  It was an exciting game to watch, and Carolina finished with two points that they really needed. On to the next one!

Next Up: Vs Minnesota on December 7th