For the final time during the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes took their efforts to the West Coast. Having completed their run through California in October, this trip marked the final time that they'd play in the Pacific Time Zone, and my sleep schedule thanks them dearly for it. As a whole, the trip was a mixed bag, but I struggle to call it bad by any stretch.
Facing Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary on this journey, the Canes split their four games, losing in regulation to start and finish their trip while picking up wins in the middle. There's quite a bit to unpack from the trip, so I've broken it down into a few good things, a few bad things, and a few ugly things. It's not a perfect science, but I believe this captures the essence of what we saw last week.
The Good
The offense came to life in Canada: The trip began with a 2-1 loss in Seattle, during which the Canes struggled to find an answer for the brilliant performance of Joey Daccord. However, the team failed to allow this loss to snowball offensively. They responded with 16 goals over the next three games, including back-to-back six-goal efforts in Vancouver and Edmonton. Everyone got involved, too.
Nikolaj Ehlers had a team-high five goals, scoring a hat trick in Vancouver. He tied with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis for the most points with six. Sean Walker and K'Andre Miller had five points each on the back end. Andrei Svechnikov had four. Of the 20 skaters with an appearance, 14 of them found the scoresheet. It was great to see everyone coming together to give the group a chance each night.
The Canes keep the Oilers in check: The Canes' best effort of the trip came during the team's win in Edmonton on Friday night after the trade deadline. On paper, this was going to be the team's toughest game, and they aced it to ensure nothing worse than a .500 trip. Along with their timely offense, a big reason for its success was preventing Edmonton's stars from taking over.
While Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard each had a point in the game, the Canes kept them relatively quiet. It was unlike the game in Raleigh a few months ago, when McDavid and Draisaitl combined for six points. Jalen Chatfield and Jaccob Slavin deserve major props for this outcome, skating for over 25 minutes each.
The Bad
Shayne Gostisbehere exits in Edmonton: The extent of the injury doesn't appear to be bad in hindsight, but there was reason for concern when Shayne Gostisbehere exited the Edmonton game with a lower-body injury. Colton Dach's skate accidentally caught Gostisbehere in the leg. He briefly stayed in the game, and he scored a goal, but he exited before the second period began.
It's another in a line of frustrating injuries for the Canes' defenseman this season, who has already missed plenty of time with various ailments. Despite this, Gostisbehere is playing at nearly a point-per-game pace, sitting 15th in points among defensemen (43) despite placing seventh in points per game (0.97). Hopefully, he's good to go on Tuesday.
Brandon Bussi's puck handling: The most glaring issue for the Hurricanes came between the pipes. In four games, Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi combined for an .821 save percentage, allowing 14 goals on 78 shots. However, Andersen's 2.57 GAA is lightyears better than Bussi's 4.56. In some cases, Bussi has no one to blame but himself, giving up a few goals off his own miscues.
If it has been said once, it has been said a million times. Bussi is not very good at handling the puck. He had a few adventures in Vancouver that didn't end up costing him. I guess he was waiting until Calgary for that. Twice, he turned the puck over to the Flames, leading to a goal. We're to the point where Bussi needs to stay in the crease and avoid touching the puck in non-save situations.
The Ugly
The defensive effort in Vancouver: The game against the Canucks was a very weird one. The Hurricanes were the superior team in just about every aspect, on paper and on the ice. During both the first and second periods, they came out on fire. They weren't rewarded with much offense in the first, but they scored four times in the second to put themselves in a very good position.
While they started those periods well, they crumbled late in each. Their 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 deficit after 20 minutes, and their four-goal outburst was halted by a 5-on-3 goal in the final minute of the second. That momentum carried into the third when Vancouver brought it within one. Fortunately, the Canes didn't allow this multi-goal lead to disappear completely, holding on for the win.
The second period in Calgary: By Saturday's game in Calgary, the team appeared to be out of steam. They scored 44 seconds into the game, but that was the only real burst of energy we saw until their attempted comeback in the third period. What we saw in between was a team ready to get back on the plane to Raleigh.
The second period against the Flames was a disaster. Bussi's aforementioned miscue early in the second got Calgary on the board. Just over seven minutes into the period, the Hurricanes had taken two penalties and allowed two more goals. The lead ballooned to three in the third before they finally got it together a little. It wasn't the best way to end the trip, but you could tell they were gassed.