3 keys to the first game after Christmas for the Hurricanes against the Habs
Carolina Hurricanes hockey returns tonight… hopefully. With the majority of the missing pieces of the forward core now back in the lineup, it will genuinely be the Carolina Hurricanes forward core combating the Habs in this one, as opposed to the Chicago Wolves groups which played against Los Angeles and Detroit before the pause. We’re going to see one of the best forward groups in the sports in this one.
This game will be the end of the Canes games for this calendar year, so it’s always good to go out on a high note. One of the Canes’ most successful years in franchise history could be capped off with a victory tonight over the new rivals from French-speaking Canada. Start the year strong, end it with a win, and end it with 2 points in the standings to take the division lead back from Washington.
There’s a lot of storylines to look for heading into this one, and we’re going to talk about them all. Carolina gets their two best forward talents back from COVID isolation, accompanied by their shining young rookie, and the team’s captain will be among the biggest storylines heading into this one. Now, there are still 3 Canes on the COVID-19 reserve list having to isolate, and they’ll hopefully be back soon.
As for now, it’s Gameday for the players the team has at its disposal. Whoever takes to the ice for the Canes in this game is going to be given a large task, and they’re going to need to do it if they want to end the 2021 calendar year with the same success that the organization as a whole has sustained throughout the previous 363 days. It’s the new enemy coming to PNC Arena in Raleigh, and the headlines in Quebec are already starting to write themselves.
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.
Sebastian Aho’s return headlines this clash of rivals
After being put on the NHL’s COVID-19 reserve list and being unable to play against Vancouver, Los Angeles, or Detroit, Carolina’s marksman makes his comeback against the team that once got him to sign an offer sheet to kick the entire thing off. There are so many layers to Sebastian Aho‘s return to the lineup having to be against this particular hockey club, but that’s the way it lined up.
Aho has been rampant before he was sidelined, being listed as one of the NHL’s stars of the week for his performances against Edmonton and Calgary as he was the dominant force in both games. 15 goals and 32 points for the Oulu native outline his importance to this hockey club for everything he does as a player and a leader both on and off the ice.
As I said, we will never be able to escape the shadows of what happened between Montreal and Aho in the 2019 off-season. Previous ownership might have balked at the idea of paying Aho that much money, but thankfully Tom Dundon was so rambunctious about matching the offer sheet that it removed all doubt about what the team was going to do, but the gesture still ran deep.
Since then, Aho’s performances against Montreal have always been headlines for both fanbases, and Aho doesn’t seem to have much compassion for the team that wanted him so desperately. If he can find the torrid pace he was on before he was removed from the lineup for COVID reasons, then Carolina is going to be in good hands. When Aho’s at his brilliant best, there aren’t many players in the world better than the Finn.
Upping the Antti in a big way
I mentioned earlier that there are 3 Carolina Hurricanes remaining on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. One of them is the Canes starter and early season Vezina candidate Frederik Andersen. In the absence of their Danish number 1, the Canes will likely find themselves turning to Finnish shot-stopper Antti Raanta. It’s another chance for Raanta to show he deserves more time in between the pipes as he hasn’t played since the Western Canada road trip.
Now, this is by no means meant to disrespect Raanta. We’ve all seen he is a very capable netminder and he can make saves when the team needs him to. However, he’s not been as good as one of the early Vezina favorites in Andersen, which is admittedly a high bar. Raanta is going to be asked to play at the same high-level Freddie has been playing at all year, and it’s up to Raanta to prove it.
With the Carolina Hurricanes being reliant on their goaltender in previous games against teams that they should beat, this could be a game that is tighter than the Canes fans will like. Raanta will likely be needed to make timely big saves at key moments to keep his team in the game and keep the puck out of his net to allow the free-flowing Canes, attackers, all the time they need to break through this Montreal team.
This should be a fun game, and it’s one we’ve been waiting for as a fan base since the holiday break. Carolina plays against the Canadiens at PNC Arena for this 7 PM EST puck drop and the final game of the calendar year. A chance to end it out on top of the division as the team has been so often during their 365 days this year.