The Carolina Hurricanes took their first trip north of the border this season for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch against the Montreal Canadiens. The group tried to build on their first win of the season on Saturday, a 3-2 overtime victory over the Flyers. With the Canadiens celebrating their home opener, the Canes tried to play the spoiler, just as they'd done in May.
Brandon Bussi sought his first win of the season. He had a rough start on Friday against the Capitals, and the Canadiens lit him up for a season-high six goals in his only outing last season. The rest of the Canes' lineup remained in place from Saturday's win. Jakob Dobes took the net for Montreal, who were without Ivan Demidov after announcing he'd miss time with a lower-body injury.
If you were late to the party, you missed quite a bit. The Canes didn't score in the first ten seconds, but they struck quickly. Jackson Blake's shot hit Taylor Hall at the side of the net and deflected in to give the Canes an early lead. Less than a minute later, Zach Bolduc pounced on a rebound to tie it. Just 64 seconds after that, Nick Suzuki's knuckleball beat Bussi to push Montreal ahead.
The Canes got another fortunate bounce when Jalen Chatfield's shot from the wall redirected off Eric Robinson's hip and past Dobes to draw the Canes even. However, the Canadiens buried their first chance on the power play. Bolduc called his own number on a 2-on-1 in front of the net, squeezing his shot through Bussi's arm to regain the lead before the end of the first period.
The second period was much kinder to the Canes as they began to take over. Sebastian Aho scored on the power play for the third straight game, sliding a shot through Dobes' pads early in the frame. Then, excellent forechecking from the fourth line allowed Mark Jankowski to roof a backhander bar-down, pushing the Canes back ahead as they finished the middle frame.
It took a bit for the Canes to extend their lead, but Hall was in the right spot to see the puck fall at his skates and slide a backhand along the ice, beating Dobes and giving the Canes their first multi-goal lead. With Dobes on the bench late, Juraj Slafkovsky made Carolina sweat a little by shrinking the lead, but Andrei Svechnikov put the game away with the empty-net goal, giving the Canes a 6-4 win.
Bussi slowly built a game after a tough start
After a good start on Opening Night, Bussi didn't look great against the Capitals. He allowed a few soft goals, and it put the Canes in a tough spot, especially since they weren't scoring yet. Tonight, the team could've easily returned to Pyotr Kochetkov, but Bussi drew the assignment. Once again, his start to the night left a lot to be desired.
There wasn't a ton he could've done on Montreal's tying goal, but Nick Suzuki's goal was a floater, and he couldn't squeeze his arm on Zach Bolduc's power-play goal late in the opening period. For most of the first period, he'd allowed more goals than he'd made saves. However, as the game went along, Bussi started to build something.
The group in front of him didn't allow much to get to him in the second period, giving up four shots, and Bussi stopped them all. Half of his workload came in the third period, and he stopped nine of the ten Montreal chances, including a few timely saves late. His final line isn't the prettiest, but the "1" in the win column is all that matters for him. Knowing Bussi, this should snowball into something great.
The second and fourth lines really needed big nights
No Hurricane was in greater need of a big night than Taylor Hall. While his entire line has struggled at 5-on-5 this season, Hall hadn't been nearly as sharp. Sometimes, all it takes is one bounce to get your game going. I thought Jackson Blake would get credit for the opening goal, but it hit Hall, and that was the spark that he needed. Eventually, it led to another, which served as the game-winner.
The Canes really needed their fourth line to show some signs of life, too. They were the Canes' best line during the Eastern Conference Finals, so Montreal was the perfect place for them to get rolling. Both Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski provided multi-point nights, scoring a goal and assisting on each other's tally. There must be something about scoring against the Canadiens.
For the Canes to reach the same levels they achieved last season, it's going to take everyone. The top line is playing well, but that is what is expected. Carolina is a dangerous team because of what they get from everyone. They hadn't really gotten that before tonight. This felt like the kind of win that could really get the Canes moving in the right direction.
Few players are hotter to begin the season than Aho and Svechnikov
I, rightfully, was low on Sebastian Aho's and Andrei Svechnikov's performances on Opening Night. Since then, they've looked so much better. They've put up points in bunches, extending their respective point streaks to three games with great efforts tonight. William Carrier didn't find the scoresheet, but he was also noticeable again while playing on their wing.
Svechnikov has been more of a playmaker to begin the year, though he hasn't been afraid to throw pucks at the net. He had 12 shots entering the contest, but no goals through three games. He didn't have any success with Dobes in the net, so he did what he does best. With Dobes on the bench, Svechnikov put the puck into the empty net, breaking into the goal column to finish the job.
In the middle of it all is Aho. With his second straight three-point game, Aho has factored into seven of the team's 11 goals this season. He has a power-play goal in three straight games, moving to the top of the league with his fourth goal tonight. He added two assists, including a beautiful pass to Svechnikov to set up his goal. He's playing like the superstar we know he can be.
The Canes will head home in search of their first win in Raleigh this season after winning consecutive games on the road. They'll host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at the Lenovo Center before heading right back on the road. This weekend features another back-to-back, sending the group to Chicago on Saturday and back to Philadelphia on Sunday.
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