The second stop on the Carolina Hurricanes' four-game road trip took them north of the border to meet the Vancouver Canucks. The Canes hoped to re-establish their winning ways against a team at the bottom of the standings after falling short against the Kraken on Monday night. Nikolaj Ehlers provided the lone blemish on Joey Daccord's otherwise perfect ledger.
After two straight games as the backup, Brandon Bussi was back in the net for the Hurricanes, going for his 25th win. His last start came in the first game after the break, a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay. Jesperi Kotkaniemi was back in the lineup, replacing Mark Jankowski. Kevin Lankinen took the start for the Canucks.
The Hurricanes came out scorching. Andrei Svechnikov scored early on the power play to get the group out to a quick start, and they kept throwing rubber at Lankinen. However, the Canucks snatched it back late. Marco Rossi got a bounce on Vancouver's power play off Jaccob Slavin's stick to tie it. Then, Filip Hronek scored 44 seconds later. All of a sudden, it was 2-1 Vancouver after 20.
All was forgotten when the second period began because the Canes got right back to it. Sean Walker scored for the first time since mid-November, breaking a 45-game goalless drought with a shot over Lankinen's glove to tie it once more. Less than two minutes later, Nikolaj Ehlers chipped a shot glove-side to give the Canes their lead back.
Sebastian Aho chased his fellow countryman with a beautiful goal that pushed the lead to two. He knocked Seth Jarvis's pass out of mid-air before skating in and burying it on the backhand. Ehlers welcomed Nikita Tolopilo to the game by clapping a shot off the post and in for his second of the period. The Canucks got one back during a 5-on-3 as Brock Boeser shrank the lead to two after 40.
The collars got a little tighter early in the third period when Nils Hoglander buried a one-timer to make it a one-goal game. It felt like the Canes were holding on for dear life. Even with the power play they earned with 2:13 left, they tried to give it away. Thanks to a block by Svechnikov, Ehlers was able to finish his hat trick into the empty net, securing a 6-4 win for the Canes to even their record on the trip.
The Hurricanes made it much tougher than they needed
We knew that the Canes were the better team heading into this game, and for the first 15 minutes of the opening period, they looked the part. The problem was that they only scored once against Kevin Lankinen, despite the decisive edge in play. Then, they absolutely crumbled to close the frame. Alexander Nikishin took a bad penalty, Vancouver got a bounce, and then they took the lead.
The start to the second period was just as good, only this time, they got the goals to go with it, chasing Lankinen after three goals and adding a fourth to push the lead to three. However, they again left the door cracked for the Canucks at the end of the period. Taking two penalties and giving the Canucks a 5-on-3 didn't help things, setting up a tense third period.
They were almost fortunate that the Canucks couldn't capitalize on more of the chances they gifted them over the final 20 minutes. The Canes had a few early looks, but they waited until the last second to put it away for good. It wasn't very pretty. At times, it was downright ugly, but the Canes will take the two points and move on.
Not a good night for Bussi, but he earns his 25th win
After another subpar start for Brandon Bussi, the push for a goalie trade will likely start to ratchet up a little. He hasn't looked great in his starts after the pause. Tonight, he felt extra shaky. It was almost reminiscent of that game in Toronto earlier in the season. Bussi was especially rough when trying to play the puck, which has continued to be a sore spot in his game.
Despite some soft goals and close calls, Bussi found a way to earn another win, extending his personal win streak to nine games, matching the franchise record that he shares with Cam Ward and his second such streak of the season. He's also the fastest goalie to 25 wins in league history. Wins are great, though I'd like a cleaner performance all-around.
Additional Thoughts
Nikolaj Ehlers was candid in the assessment of his game tonight, saying he thought he played a "terrible game". He scored a hat trick, his second of the season and the seventh of his career, so he must've done a thing or two (or three) correctly. He's on the verge of another 20-goal campaign and has five goals in four games since the Olympics.
The offense was clearly not the problem tonight, with the Canes scoring six times, including twice on the power play. Ehlers was one of five players with multi-point games, joined by a goal and an assist each from Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Sean Walker, as well as two helpers from Seth Jarvis. They outscored their defensive mishaps tonight.
Up Next: The next stop on the trip takes the Carolina Hurricanes to Alberta for a back-to-back. While the front office navigates deadline day, the team on the ice prepares for the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. 25 hours later, the Canes make their final stop in Calgary. The group returns to the Lenovo Center on Tuesday night for a quick homestand, starting with the Pittsburgh Penguins.