Hurricanes welcome the Dallas Stars for Max Domi’s Canes debut
By Conor Power
When the trade deadline passed on Monday, there were rumors that the Canes stood pat. That wasn’t the case, as the team went out and added forward Max Domi from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the forward core and strengthen the team’s major weakness. Tonight, Domi will make his Carolina Hurricanes debut. A big night in terms of the Canes moving forward.
Domi was acquired on Monday, but due to travel issues getting out of Columbus, he didn’t play in Tuesday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s going to be making his debut tonight and General Manager Don Waddell has said that Domi was acquired to bolster the top nine, meaning we’re going to see him in an elevated role. While he’s defensively suspect at times, he can score for fun.
In terms of which goalie we’re going to see tonight for the Carolina Hurricanes, Frederik Andersen was in the starter’s crease for the Canes today at practice. Carolina’s Vezina Trophy candidate is expected to lead the team into this game tonight against the Dallas Stars as they seek to make it two wins in a row, and Freddie looks to get back into the league lead for wins.
Dallas comes into this game needing a victory. They’re in the midst of a tough playoff race in the Western Conference. They’re sitting in the wild card places by a point, with four games in hand on Vegas below. If they want playoff hockey in Dallas, a win in Carolina is going to be vital. It’s up to the Canes to continue their dominance against Western Conference opposition and build on their 17-4-1 record against the West.
Either way, we know this game is going to be absolutely vital for both teams. Carolina trying to survive at the top of the Metropolitan Division and the Dallas Stars trying to get into the playoff conversation in the Western Conference. This is a game that’s going to be very important for both teams.