Carolina Hurricanes: Three takeaways from game vs STL
Carolina wins 3-2 after an incredible performance from their third-choice netminder in this one. Alex Lyon stood on his head in this one and really kept the Canes in a game there were being outclassed in at times. Especially when the team was short-handed, that seemed to be when Lyon really stood on his brain. He’s the reason Carolina didn’t get blown out
Carolina’s big boys woke up in this game too and made a big difference as the boys pushed through a quality opponent in the form of the St Louis Blues in order to secure two points in the standings. This was a game that had stacked everything against the Carolina Hurricanes, and the teams’ stars put in big performances to drag them through.
Carolina can take a lot of confidence from this game as they now prepare to travel out west for a long time in a hockey schedule. It’s going to be two weeks before we see the Hurricanes in action at PNC Arena when they welcome Washington. For now, it’s a season-defining road trip out west that awaits the Metropolitan Division leaders.
Carolina spoils the return of their former pupil as they give a clinical display on how to score from the backend. You couldn’t ask for anything more from this game if you are a fan of the Carolina Hurricanes. They got the win, they got the two points, played well, and woke up their sleeping superstars in the process as the two took over. You couldn’t have drawn it up better.
King of the Jungle bails Canes out
Carolina managed to get perhaps the best NHL performance ever seen from Alex Lyon in this one. A great guy, Lyon showed a lot of poise and maturity between the pipes. His lateral movement and ability to read the game and know what the next move is really paid dividends for the Canes tonight. He was the 3rd star in this game and thoroughly deserved it.
Carolina’s goaltender on this night put in as good a performance as you can justifiably ask for from a 3rd choice guy. He was everything you could have asked for. He was good with his rebound control most of the night, he was playing the puck well, he was seeing shots and he was stopping pucks. He even made a highlight level save in this one.
I’m not going to say anything ridiculous like “make Lyon the starter”. That would be insane and Lyon’s patience and skill have the ability to be his downfall as well as his best friend. But I’m saying now that there’s no reason to panic or shudder when Alex Lyon is at the crease behind you. Be calm, he stops pucks and he can do it by any means.
We will see Carolina’s Great Dane for the most part on this road trip, but should the organization ever find the need to turn to Lyon during this trip, the option to do it is certainly there. Carolina has even more depth in the organization than you’ve seen before. Lyon we all know has consistency issues, but he’s certainly
Carolina’s stars wake up
I have been calling on the Canes to wake their stars up, and in this one, the two came to play. Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho were not going to be denied in this one. Both had multiple points on the night, and Aho took home the 1st-star honors. Carolina’s top line showed up in a big way in this game, and really showed why they are some of the best players in the league.
This line also had a disallowed goal. Not for offsides, or goalie interference. Not for a high stick or a kicking motion. It was disallowed because St Louis touched the puck on a delayed penalty, promptly before Carolina smashed the puck into the net. A tough pill to swallow, but they got the win regardless. But it did confuse me why they took the goal off the board when the league wants to encourage scoring.
Anyhow, this was the first game in a while that we saw Sebastian Aho really step up and take over as only the Finn can. He came through big time when the team needed him, and he was the main reason Carolina was able to run the show against St Louis all night. Aho got the better of his opponents, and they dominated St Louis all night long.
Svechnikov hasn’t seemed to falter as Aho has. But there’s always going to be the same criticism of Svech. Stay out of the box. He took two more minors in this one, and I don’t even want to look up when the last time was that the Carolina Hurricanes had a game where he didn’t take a penalty. Otherwise, Svechnikov is still one of the premier players on the team, and he proved it in this one.
Offense from the defense
If I made you predict which Hurricanes defenseman would score a game-winning goal on the second half of a back-to-back against a red hot team and a Stanley Cup Champion from 3 years ago, how many of you would have said Brendan Smith? If you would have, you’re either lying to yourself or need to sell me your crystal ball. Either way, that was the case in this one.
Shots from the point seemed to cause a lot of trouble for the St Louis netminder all night long, which probably stems from the mass of humanity that was between the St Louis crease and the puck at the blueline. Carolina got bodies to the net, followed up with pucks to the net, took away the goalie’s eyes, and played good fundamental hockey in this one.
It wasn’t just Smith that looked dangerous either. Both of the other pairings looked deadly all night long and could have had more. Jaccob Slavin had a breakaway in this game for the love of all that’s holy. He showed a burst of speed I didn’t know he had to be honest, so if the stay-at-home defenseman is getting breakaway chances, you can tell the defense could have had a few bunches.
Smith got his first as a Carolina Hurricane and the game-winning goal in the third period and the Carolina Hurricanes are now 11-2 as they pack up to head on a long road trip starting with a stopover in the Entertainment Capital of the world, Sin City. It’s a date with the Vegas Golden Knights at the fortress in Nevada.
We will have the keys to that game closer to puck drop, but for now, thank you for reading. Your Carolina Hurricanes are now 11-2 and just a point back from the Florida Panthers at the top of the league. We will find out if Carolina can go to the top of the league when the team plays in Vegas, but until then, thank you for reading, and LET’S GO CANES.