Two hot teams collided in Raleigh on Saturday night, as the Carolina Hurricanes looked to end their homestand perfectly. The Canes used a strong second half on Thursday to beat the Ducks, 5-2, helping Frederik Andersen end his drought without a win. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken entered the night with points in ten straight games.
Jaccob Slavin returned to the lineup for the first time since December 19, playing in just his sixth contest of the season. Brandon Bussi was back in the crease for the Canes, looking for his 16th victory. Joey Daccord was on the other side for the Kraken. Seattle played without its two leading goal scorers, captain Jordan Eberle and Chandler Stephenson.
The opening period was uneven for the Canes. It started well, with Logan Stankoven scoring again. K'Andre Miller intercepted a pass, and Stankoven put it in the corner to break the ice. The Kraken tied it late. Matty Beniers exploited Slavin's rust, making a great move around the defender to beat Bussi. The period finished tied at one, with a good kill by the Canes keeping it even.
Neither side broke through for a second goal in the middle frame, keeping us in a 1-1 stalemate through 40. The Kraken broke the tie on a self-inflicted mistake from Bussi. His puck-handling abilities failed him as Ryan Winterton knocked down his attempted pass and found Berkly Catton in the slot to give Seattle its first lead of the night.
Never out of the fight, the Hurricanes turned to the Staal line for a boost. Just past the halfway point in the frame, Jordan Staal made a slick pass to Jordan Martinook in front of the net, potting the tying goal. Then, a weird play resulted in the game-winner. Staal and Slavin played catch before Slavin's shot hit William Carrier's skate as he was being pushed into Daccord, giving the Canes a 3-2 win.
It was a messy game for the home team
This won't be a game that we tell future generations about because it certainly wasn't the prettiest. The Hurricanes worked their tails off late in the game to come back from their one-goal deficit, but they put themselves in that spot. Seattle played like a team with a ton of confidence, and they didn't seem phased by this Canes team.
Their start was really good, earning them the early lead on Logan Stankoven's tenth goal of the season. After that, while they generated chances, none of them were particularly dangerous. Daccord allowed the Kraken to get to their game and take the lead early in the third. It would take something big to turn it around, and they leaned on their recent returnees.
The Staal line and Slavin provide the big moments in the third
The laundry list of big moments that Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook have provided when they are together could fill an entire book. It wasn't long ago that Martinook scored a game-tying goal in an eventual win, doing the same thing against the Rangers a few weeks ago. Tonight, it was a beautiful pass from behind the net by the captain that got Martinook the goal.
Seth Jarvis also deserves a lot of credit for the tying goal, earning the secondary assist by sending the puck along the boards for Staal. On the winning goal, Jarvis knocked the puck down in the neutral zone and brought it into the offensive zone. It looked like Slavin's 300th point was a goal, but his chip shot hit William Carrier's toe, so he'll settle for an assist, while Staal earned his second helper.
Additional Thoughts
This was one of the rare nights when the team had to pick up Brandon Bussi. While he earned his 16th win, Bussi wasn't tasked much, and he wasn't at his sharpest. He had the bad turnover on Seattle's go-ahead tally, which served as his most notable moment. Still, a win is a win. Not all of them are going to be pretty.
Little did we know that his goal in New Jersey was going to be a big moment for Logan Stankoven. He scored in all four victories this week, bringing him into double digits for the campaign. Stankoven has scored in different ways during this goal streak, which is the longest for a Canes player this season. K'Andre Miller deserves a ton of credit as well, picking off the pass that allowed him to score.
Paired with regulation losses by Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, it turned into a big day for the Canes to close their week. The Islanders spoiled it with an overtime win. Heading into last Sunday's game in Newark, their lead in the division was just one point. After tonight, the Hurricanes' lead in the Metro is four. They've earned a few different types of wins this week, but they have all counted the same.
Up Next: After a break from back-to-backs, the Carolina Hurricanes face a pair of them in the coming week. They begin the week with a quick road trip, visiting Detroit and St. Louis on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Then, they host the Florida Panthers for the final battle of the season on Friday before another trip to New Jersey on Saturday.