After earning points in seven straight games, the Carolina Hurricanes had dropped their last two, including a 3-0 shutout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. Playing their final road game before the break, the Canes hoped for better fortunes in the State of Hockey on Thursday. The Wild entered the game on a mini slide of their own, dropping two straight shutout decisions.
The Canes returned to the traditional 12/6 look after deviating slightly in Winnipeg. Juha Jaaska re-entered the lineup as the 12th forward, while Scott Morrow was scratched. Frederik Andersen took control of the net for the group. On the other end, Filip Gustavsson manned the pipes for the home team, looking to shut out the Canes for the second time this season.
Within the first three minutes, the Canes were chasing the game. Dmitry Orlov wasn't able to handle a puck, leaving Jalen Chatfield to chase it down. Marat Khusnutdinov beat him to it and spun a pass to the front of the net for a charging Yakov Trenin. Opening Andersen's pads, Trenin slid his shot through the five-hole to get the Wild out front early.
The rest of the first period was largely controlled by the road team. The Canes had chance after chance against Gustavsson, but nothing got through. Andersen was tested a few times late in the period and withstood the threats. Minnesota clung to their one-goal lead after 20 minutes despite being outshot 15-7.
Minnesota flipped the script in the second period. This time, they controlled the lion's share of the period. It was during this period that the frustrations started to come to a head, especially from Mikko Rantanen. He had a golden opportunity on a 2-on-1 that he shot wide of Gustavsson's blocker before slamming his stick.
Just over 12 minutes into the period, Jackson Blake would earn the Canes' best chance to break the shutout. After being hauled down by Brock Faber, Blake earned a penalty shot against Gustavsson. He had the net open if only he'd not lost control of the puck. It bounced on Blake as he tried to work back to his forehand. The puck trickled to the goalie as it stayed out of the net, killing the chance.
Andersen would make one more big stop to keep the game 1-0 at the end of the second, but Minnesota quickly extended their lead in the third. Jared Spurgeon's shot from the point was tipped by Vinnie Hinostroza and hit the post. Andersen flopped back to cover it, inadvertently knocking it over the line. The referee didn't make a signal but the replay quickly confirmed it was a good goal.
The later in the game we got, the dimmer the team's chances looked. Gustavsson was on top of everything, looking poised for another shutout win. With Andersen on the bench with 3:00 left, the Canes quickly made it a one-goal game. Seth Jarvis' pass from below the goal line found Sebastian Aho in the slot. Aho spun and fired it through traffic to give the Canes life.
The Canes' two-minute drill in the offensive zone was nearly perfect. They pressured the Wild non-stop in the final minutes, but they couldn't tie it. Rantanen, who'd been stung by friendly fire shortly before the goal, flubbed a few chances and the Wild defense threw themselves in front of everything. They just couldn't find another one, falling 2-1 to Minnesota for their third straight loss.
The team is officially in a rut, and it's not pretty. The scoring has vanished into this thin air this week, barely getting one late on Thursday to avoid back-to-back shutouts. If I had $100 for every time the Canes missed the net in Minnesota, I'd have a decent amount of money in my hand. That's on top of hitting the net 38 times. Yet, only one shot got through.
Mikko Rantanen was a central focus of the ESPN+ broadcast as the Canes' shiny new toy. The longer the game went, the more frustrated Rantanen became. It started with him missing the net in the second period. Then, he took two tripping penalties, the second of which he was especially perturbed about. I'm still convinced his snake-bitten ways will be resolved sooner rather than later because he has been all around it. I urge everyone to remain patient.
Frederik Andersen's performance will be lost in the result, but he's the only reason the Canes remained within striking distance in this game. He made a massive desperation save late in the first period and stopped Marcus Johansson's breakaway late in the second to prevent Minnesota's lead from extending. He finished with 22 stops, turning in his second-best start since returning from injury, albeit in a losing effort.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will play their final game before the break in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon against the Utah Hockey Club. After that, most of the group will get two weeks before returning to action on February 22nd in Toronto. For Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, Seth Jarvis, and Jaccob Slavin, they'll compete in the 4 Nations Face-Off, beginning next Wednesday.