The Carolina Hurricanes began a seven-game homestand with a Thanksgiving Eve tilt against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. The Canes were hoping to leave last weekend in the past after a dreadful effort against the Sabres on Sunday. Shayne Gostisbehere scored the only goal in a one-sided 4-1 loss in Buffalo.
Justin Robidas made his season debut, stepping into the lineup for Jordan Staal (illness). K'Andre Miller finally got his chance to face his former team after missing the meeting in New York earlier in the month. Frederik Andersen was in the net again after a good effort on Sunday, despite no help from the group in front of him. Igor Shesterkin stood across from him for the Rangers.
The Rangers scored the only goal of the opening period, striking late in the frame. Noah Laba snapped one through a screen that Andersen never saw, beating him to the blocker side to get New York on the board. The Canes had a few good chances, but nothing went for them as they entered the first break down a goal.
The Canes played a much better middle stanza, tying it early on the power play. After winning the draw, they needed little time to strike as Shayne Gostisbehere scored his second in as many games with the man advantage. All of their momentum died at the end of the frame. Artemi Panarin buried a one-timer with 1:04 left in the period to reclaim the lead heading into the intermission.
The momentum kept swinging in New York's favor when Vincent Trocheck scored 45 seconds into the third period. Gostisbehere tried to pull his group back into the fight, jumping into the play at the right time to set up Seth Jarvis for a filthy snipe off the back bar to pull within one. It wouldn't be enough tonight. Will Cuylle scored into the empty net to secure a 4-2 road win for the Rangers.
Wasted chances bit the Canes tonight
The second period was easily the Hurricanes' best 20-minute stretch tonight. Ironically, it was also the period with the closest shot margin. The power play made quick work of the Rangers' kill on their first chance of the period, yet they had two more opportunities to do something in the middle frame and failed to do anything with it. The second unit looked especially rough all night.
Then, down by two at different points in the third period, K'Andre Miller and Andrei Svechnikov each catch the iron. The Canes benefited from the metal once or twice, too, but they really needed one of those to hit the net. The Canes felt like the better team for most of the night. The difference was that New York finished its chances, and the Hurricanes didn't.
The duality of Shayne Gostisbehere's game
This morning, I said that Shayne Gostisbehere would be in the Norris conversation if he hadn't gotten hurt. That is how impactful he has been when he's in the lineup for the Hurricanes. Offensively, he has been phenomenal. Only Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes average more points per game than him, and he added two more points tonight, including another power-play goal.
The other side of the coin says that Gostisbehere has been on the ice for seven goals against in the last two games. Tonight, he lost his man on the Rangers' opening goal, and he was a split second late getting to Artemi Panarin before he scored his one-timer. I'm not trying to imply that either loss is his fault. I'm merely pointing out that his impact on one end of the ice is being diluted on the other end.
Additional Thoughts
The riot squad will be out for blood when assessing Frederik Andersen's night. He was the second-best goalie again, allowing three goals on 17 shots. We've gone from this being an issue to it becoming a pattern, which means hard questions need to be asked. We all know what Andersen is capable of when he's on his game. Unfortunately, we haven't seen him at his best in a while.
The Canes' top line, all things considered, had an okay night. Seth Jarvis scored his 12th goal of the season. Sebastian Aho had two helpers, bringing him back to a point-per-game. Andrei Svechnikov didn't find the scoresheet, but he had four shots and five hits, the latter of which is a season high. Gostisbehere and Nikolaj Ehlers (1A) were the only other players to find the scoresheet tonight.
It's evident that this group sorely misses Jordan Staal. The Canes' checking line, which was centered by Justin Robidas, was their least-utilized line. It makes you wonder why the head coach swapped centers after Mark Jankowski was between Jordan Martinook and William Carrier at the morning skate.
Up Next: After taking Thursday to give thanks, the Carolina Hurricanes will be right back at it on Black Friday. For the second time in a week, the Hurricanes and the Jets will collide. The Canes prevailed in Winnipeg last Friday night, setting up a big game in Raleigh. The group finishes the month against the Calgary Flames on Sunday before a decent break slows the homestand.