Carolina Hurricanes: Three Takeaways from Digital Win Over St. Louis Blues

Welcome Back (Digital) Justin Faulk!

Justin Faulk finally got to come back to Raleigh, North Carolina. Well somewhat.

In his years here in Carolina, Faulk has built a bit of a reputation, a fanbase, and perhaps some resentment. He has been an All-Star, a Co-Captain, and a leader in the locker room. He has helped anchor a red, white, and blueline of American defenders. He has been the go to guy to support the troops and has gone above and beyond to show it.

So when he does make his return to Raleigh it will be a special moment. One that will be applauded and held in high regard. One that will be celebrated with more than just a tribute video. He has earned his spot in Hurricanes history.

Until then we have this virtual return to enjoy and celebrate.

Welcome back Justin!

Even the Digital Canes Have Penalty Issues.

I wish I was joking. But the Carolina Hurricanes had to kill six penalties, including about a minute of five on three time against the Blues in the first two periods. But through it all the Hurricanes Penalty Killing stayed true to reality and the team only allowed a single goal to be scored through all that.

Unfortunately, it was the one they needed to take a one goal lead into the third period. All that power play time allowed the Blues to rack up Shots on Petr Mrazek, who was playing lights out even in the digital world.

It however also took away from the Hurricanes’ ability to generate offense, With penalty after penalty taken in the second period, the initial lead of 2-1 taken into that game was quickly erased and went the other way.

When the team actually does manage to give itself the time to play offense great things do happen. That is exactly what happened in the third.

The Epic Come Back Third

The third period started with a Hurricane in the box, as is tradition. But while the Blues looked like they were going to coast to a clean winning third period, the Digital Canes had a different idea.

With less than half the period left in the game, the Carolina Hurricanes turned the jets on. A single shot was needed to to the game and it came off of Brock McGinn‘s stick. That created a sudden shift in the tide of the game and the Hurricanes never looked back.

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With less than four minutes in the period, a back and forth game that looked to be going to overtime suddenly looked dire for the Blues. The Canes stopped taking penalties and instead focused on generating offense, and with the talent on the roster, the results were undeniable. A lead taking goal was scored to give the Canes a 4-3 lead and before the Blues could even blink and try to pull their goalie another was scored in quick succession.

Three goals in about seven minutes or so seems good, but the Blues weren’t out of the game just yet. They pushed hard but kept being denied by Mrazek shot after shot. They eventually pulled Jordan Binnington with about a minute to go but that only opened the window for the sixth and final goal by the Canes with seconds left.

The Canes earned themselves a real win and the first Storm Surge seen by fans since Valentines day was digitally born:

All in all it was a fun digital experience, and while a decent imitation of the real thing, it was still plenty fun. A simulation is not the real thing however and we hope to see real hockey return sooner rather than later. Until then we are going to enjoy these sims!

Question for CC Readers: What was your favorite moment from the digital game?