The road trip ended on Saturday, as the Carolina Hurricanes' six-game journey brought them to Dallas. The Canes entered 4-1-0 on the trip after earning an exciting 5-4 shootout victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday in a throwback Whalers-Nordiques matchup. Frederik Andersen made 44 stops in the win, while Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho extended their point streaks.
The Canes played on Saturday night without FIVE of their Opening Night skaters after losing three on Thursday. Mark Jankowski re-entered the lineup, while Bradly Nadeau made his season debut after being called up on Friday. Brandon Bussi made his third appearance of the road trip after wins in San Jose and Los Angeles, battling Dallas' Jake Oettinger between the pipes.
The first period was simply an excellent road effort from the Hurricanes. Jackson Blake put them out in front of it by jumping on a loose puck in the slot, dangling some defenders, and snapping one past Oettinger. In the dying seconds, Sebastian Aho converted on a 2-on-1, extending his season-opening streak to eight as a solid period of defensive work ended with a 2-0 Carolina lead.
All of Carolina's hard work disappeared early in the second. Miro Heiskanen's pass redirected past Bussi off Nikolaj Ehlers' stick, breaking the shutout. Then, about five minutes later, Sam Steel redirected a shot on the power play past a screened Bussi to even it up. The Canes' netminder stood on his head the rest of the way, getting the game into the second break tied at two apiece.
The difference in the game proved to be a questionable call against Taylor Hall, and more friendly fire. Hall laid a clean hit on Roope Hintz with the Canes on the power play. It was violent collision that knocked Hintz out of the game, but Hall was given two minutes for charging. After Seth Jarvis took a second penalty, Heiskanen's pass deflected in off Mike Reilly for the winner in a 3-2 Stars victory..
The power play's struggles continue to be the headline
We've lived with the lack of conversions throughout the trip because the team had been playing well in every other area of the game. That doesn't mean it still isn't an issue. Just like Monday's loss in Vegas, the power play had plenty of chances to swing momentum back in the Canes' favor. Instead, it has looked unplayable almost every time it was on the ice.
They tried something a little different, rolling with five forwards on the top unit, including Bradly Nadeau. It didn't help. Keeping Andrei Svechnikov on the top unit was a choice. The way Jackson Blake is playing, it probably would've made sense to promote him back to the top group. It's the one area of the Canes' game that has been consistently bad to start the season.
If we're throwing every possible solution out there, then why in the world isn't Alexander Nikishin getting any time on the power play? I get that he's still going through the transition phase from the KHL to the NHL and communication is a small issue, but this man has proven it in his young career that he can quarterback a unit. Nothing they are doing is working. How about we give him a look?
Brandon Bussi has created an interesting goalie situation
One thing that has been consistently good has been the performances of Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi. The late addition to the team got three looks during this trip, and he got better with each start. While he ate the loss in this game, it was not on him in the slightest bit. The Stars benefitted from two bounces off Canes players, and the third was a deflection on the power play.
This was a fantastic trip for Bussi, who has been embraced by this fan base after being claimed off waivers before the Opening Night roster was set. He finished the night with 31 stops, a new career-high, including a few dazzling ones throughout the game. It stinks that the group couldn't keep him perfect in three starts, but it was through no fault of his own.
Additional Thoughts
The Stars played like a desperate team, which they really were. After a 3-0-0 start, the Stars came into the night on a four-game losing streak. They threw their weight around and threw their bodies in front of shots, outblocking the Canes, 30-9. Dallas badly needed this win, and they got the bounces tonight to get it done.
The rookies had good nights tonight, too. Along with Bussi's performance in the net, Bradly Nadeau had a solid game, hitting the crossbar in the first period and playing good defense. Joel Nystrom played almost 18 minutes, while Nikishin played 22:29. The Canes had to do what they had to do to get through the trip. Now, they get to go home to Raleigh.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes finish October on home ice, playing their first home game in over two weeks on Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. They close the month against the New York Islanders, bringing top pick Matthew Schaefer to Raleigh for the first time in his young NHL career. Hopefully, the Canes will have a few injured players back in the lineup.