3 keys to the first game after Christmas for the Hurricanes against the Habs

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MONTREAL, QC – OCTOBER 21: Jeff Petry #26 of the Montreal Canadiens delivers a check on Jesperi Kotkaniemi #82 of the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at Centre Bell on October 21, 2021, in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has the chance to make the city of Montreal implode

How many players get the chance to drive a fanbase so insane that it becomes enjoyable for everyone else in the league? Jesperi Kotkaniemi will have the chance to do that tonight for the Carolina Hurricanes against his former teammates tonight in this one. A goal from the Finnish centerman might set the entire city up for implosion in the coming days.

With a goal, Jesperi Kotkaniemi would have 8 on the year. This might seem somewhat insignificant. However, an 8 goal scorer would lead the habs undisputedly. None of this joint-highest like he would be right now, he would be the top scorer on the Canadiens with 8 goals, and the thought of KK doing it against his former team when the entire fanbase is going to be watching just makes me smile just thinking about it.

Kotkaniemi has come under fire from a lot of Canadiens fans, mainly for his contract and his lack of point production. While both tend to be fair criticisms, it’s no secret that the 2018 3rd overall draft pick has really started to produce when given an elevated role in the recent games. KK was a big reason the Canes were able to score without most of their top talents.

Since moving to the middle against Vegas 6 weeks ago, Kotkaniemi has shown that the sky is the limit for him moving forward. If he works as hard as he can in practice and tries to learn from the veterans and stars on the team, Kotkaniemi could become a great player and a long-term piece of this Carolina Hurricanes forward core, which would rub even more salt in those Montreal wounds.

In the game at the Bell Center earlier in the year, Kotkaniemi recorded his first goal as a Hurricane and he has since found himself on the score sheet frequently as a center. If he keeps up his goal a game rate against the team that drafted him into the NHL, I do not think the result of this game matters for either team. If the Habs win and Kotkaniemi ends the night with more goals than any of them, it’s just a Pyrrhic victory.

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