Carolina Hurricanes: Keys to Securing the Bag Against Florida
The Carolina Hurricanes will host the Florida Panthers tonight for the first time this season. The outcome of this matchup will determine who holds 1st place in the new Discover Central Division.
The Florida Panthers have come a long, long way since even last year. New additions Carter Verhaeghe and Patric Hornqvist have been lighting it up in Florida; they both have 12 points each in 13 games played (Verhaeghe leads the team in goals with 7g, 5a. Hornqvist with 6g, 6a).
Florida have also been able, as usual, to rely on star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau for point production as well. Huberdeau has 17 points (5g, 12a) in 13 games played, and Barkov has 14 points (5g, 9a) in 13 games played.
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The Carolina Hurricanes surely have their work cut out for them in tonight’s matchup. The Canes have been on a roll, turning in a 10-3-0 record, their best since 2005-06. I don’t need to remind anyone reading this what happened that year, but we’ll put that on the back-burner.
Florida has been just as good against most of the same teams; they’re currently sporting a 9-2-2 record- the best start for them in franchise history.
Tonight’s game will test the mettle of both teams. Which side has the better forward group? Which side has the more competent defense? Which side’s goaltending will stand tall? We’ll know in the next few hours.
Trocheck Reunited
Tonight’s game will be the first time Vincent Trocheck has ever been on the other side of the ice to the Florida Panthers.
Trocheck was beloved both in the locker room and in the stands in Florida. As we have quickly come to learn, Trocheck is not only good at hockey, but is incredibly engaged with the fanbase and is just an all-around great teammate to have in the locker room.
Vincent Trocheck was so popular among his #FlaPanthers teammates, there were some tears shed when they said goodbye after last year’s trade. The reunion comes today in Carolina. https://t.co/i8NvNkLECg
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) February 17, 2021
I’m sure Troch will be happy to see his old buddies, but he’s fully bought-in to the Canes’ system at this point.
There are no friends on the ice after the puck drops.
Ned Back in Net
Rod said earlier (at the time of writing) that he’s leaning towards starting Alex Nedeljkovic tonight, and he absolutely should be.
James Reimer looked shaky to start the Carolina Hurricane’s last game against Columbus, although he did regain his footing after settling in a bit.
Better Off Ned pic.twitter.com/TVd73JMg6z
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 14, 2021
Alex Nedeljkovic, in both of the starts Rod has given him, has proven to be a more than capable backup at the NHL level; given more time in the crease, I can see him blossoming into an incredibly solid NHL-level starting goaltender, which spells good news for the Canes after this season if they decide to re-sign him.
With Petr Mrazek waiting in the wings to recover from his thumb surgery, all Ned really needs to do is keep proving that he’s more than capable of holding down the fort, and I’m sure we’ll see him do so again tonight against a star-studded group of forwards.
It’s Turbo Time
So, Teuvo Teravainen decided to pop off against Columbus the other night.
Teuvo technically had 2 goals and 3 assists in that game, but his first goal was called back due to a missed offside call that happened 45 seconds prior to the goal.
And I took that personally pic.twitter.com/fYrJERkdjB
— Michael Smith (@MichaelSmithNC) February 16, 2021
Turbo took that personally, and roared back to life as he masterfully dunked on John Tortorella and the Columbus Blue Jackets for the rest of the night.
Tonights’ game will show us if Teuvo is really back to full force, or if he just really wanted Tortorella to pay for taking away his second goal of the season.
Game Notes
Location: PNC Arena
TV: Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
Uniforms: Red Homes
Potential Lineup:
- McGinn – Aho – Teravainen
- Niederreiter – Trocheck – Necas
- Svechnikov – Staal – Foegele
- Martinook – Paquette – Fast
- Slavin – Hamilton
- Gardiner – Pesce
- Skjei – Bean
Potential Goalie Matchup:
Carolina: Alex Nedeljkovic, 1-1-0, .882%, 2.92 GAA
Florida: Chris Driedger, 4-1-1, .926%, 2.31 GAA
2. 97. 3. 109. Final
Moneypuck.com gives the Carolina Hurricanes a 64.74% chance of winning tonight’s game.