Bookended by strong periods, the Hurricanes get one for their moms in Tampa Bay

The moms were hoping for a show tonight, as the Carolina Hurricanes hit the ice in Tampa for their third and final meeting with the Lightning this season. The season series has been split, with the home team claiming the first two contests. The Canes sought better fortunes than they received on Thursday night, losing on home ice, 3-1, to the St. Louis Blues.

Despite practicing on the fourth line on Friday, we did not see Nicolas Deslauriers make his Canes debut tonight, with the lineup around Frederik Andersen looking the same for Rod Brind'Amour's 600th game as the bench boss. Andersen was aiming for his fourth win in five starts. He was opposed by Andrei Vasilevskiy, while Nick Paul and Erik Cernak returned to the lineup for Tampa Bay.

The Canes' top line wasted little time getting started. Andrei Svechnikov drew a penalty, but he didn't wait for the power play to hit the ice, scoring seconds later to get the Canes out front 36 seconds in. The middle of the period featured a Seth Jarvis fight, and Sebastian Aho closed it by scoring on a slick feed from Svechnikov after being denied on a breakaway. After 20, the Canes led, 2-0.

The second period was looking like another great frame for the Canes, but the Bolts just needed an inch to get rolling. Yanni Gourde got a shot through Andersen that the Canes' netminder got a good piece of. Regardless, the Bolts were on the board. Just 81 seconds later, K'Andre Miller's indecision allowed Charle-Edouard D'Astous to finish a 3-on-1, sending the game into the third tied at two.

They needed to play a flawless third period to get the job done, and that's what the Hurricanes did. Moments after a pair of ridiculous stops by Andersen and Sean Walker, Jordan Martinook surprised Vasilevskiy from a sharp angle to put them back in front. Andersen made one more big stop on Nikita Kucherov before Logan Stankoven put it into the empty net, sealing a 4-2 road win for the Hurricanes.

The Aho line dominated the first period, getting it started the right way

It's hard to start a contest as well as the Hurricanes did tonight. Well, maybe their last meeting with the Lightning was better on the scoreboard. The Aho line was on the ice for the opening draw. They immediately drew a penalty and scored a goal before the power play even got the chance. It took them 36 seconds, and it was the catalyst to another strong start for the group.

Andrei Svechnikov scored the first goal from Sebastian Aho to get it started. Svechnikov returned the favor late in the period to double the lead. Not to be lost in it all was Seth Jarvis dropping the gloves with Zemgus Girgensons. The hit on Aho was clean as a whistle, but with the growing sentiment surrounding the Auston Matthews-Radko Gudas incident, it was a big response by Jarvis.

The third period was all about defensive excellence and big saves

It was another sour end to the second period for the Canes, but they refused to let it ruin the third. The biggest sequence of the night came just before the halfway point. Left alone in the right dot, Frederik Andersen got over to deny Nikita Kucherov's one-timer. Kucherov immediately jumped on the puck, sending it to Brandon Hagel. Sean Walker defended the vacant net by sticking out his skate.

The stops immediately led to Jordan Martinook scoring a goal on the other end, continuing his trend of scoring big goals with the families around. Andersen stoned Kucherov one more time at the end of the game, with the Bolts' star skating right to the front of the net for a golden chance to tie it. He couldn't bury it, leading to Logan Stankoven's dagger into the empty net.

Additional Thoughts

Keeping Kucherov off the scoresheet is a herculean task. The same goes for Jake Guentzel. Kucherov had plenty of chances, as we've already mentioned, leading Tampa with five shots. However, Guentzel was almost nowhere to be found. He didn't record a shot, and the only mark on his stat line was a hit. Otherwise, it was crickets.

Ignoring the end of the middle frame, this was as strong a win as the Hurricanes have put together. They close out the season series with a win, taking two of three from the Bolts with wins 16 days apart. They played like the two best in the conference, but they also exposed some glaring holes. The Canes maintain their division and conference leads, becoming the first in the East to 90 points.

Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will enjoy a short break before flying to Columbus for the first half of a mid-week back-to-back. They'll face the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, and then fly home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins again on Wednesday. The Canes embark on another road trip next weekend, making stops in Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Montreal.