The news has been all about New York after the Rangers traded Artemi Panarin on Wednesday, so a new era began on Thursday when the Carolina Hurricanes came to town. While on opposite ends of things right now, the Canes hoped it wouldn't mean a sudden resurgence as they aim to extend their point streak to ten games.
Brandon Bussi earned his third straight start, marking the first time this season that he has played three consecutive games for the Hurricanes. He entered the contest with wins in his last six. With Igor Shesterkin still injured, Jonathan Quick took the net for the Rangers. Along with Shesterkin, the Rangers were still without Adam Fox on defense, coupled with Panarin's departure for Los Angeles.
The Hurricanes got off to a quick start in this one. Andrei Svechnikov hopped over the boards, corralled a bouncing puck, and beat Quick glove-side to break the ice before the first commercial break. The Rangers started to generate some offense during and after their second power play, but Bussi was there to squash it. The Canes finished the period well, holding their 1-0 lead after 20.
The only reason the Canes didn't extend their lead in the second was the brilliance of Quick. The group in front of him offered little resistance, forcing the netminder to be unreal. The Canes' power play looked especially lethal, barely missing when Shayne Gostisbehere hit the post on a one-timer. By the end of the frame, the Canes were outshooting the Rangers, 30-10, but the score was still 1-0.
Each side appeared ready for the break because they flew through the third period. The Canes kept getting chances. The Rangers got a few good looks. Neither goalie budged. It took Quick sitting on the bench to get the dagger. Nikolaj Ehlers and Jackson Blake put in work to create a turnover before Jordan Staal scored into the empty net. Quick was good, but Bussi was perfect in a 2-0 Canes win.
There was no moving the Bus tonight
Born and raised on Long Island, but growing up a Rangers fan, Brandon Bussi had a ton of friends and family at Madison Square Garden to watch his first start at the world's most famous arena. What they saw was simply perfection. The Rangers only recorded 16 shots, but some of them were solid tip chances. Bussi made it look effortless all night.
One thing that was very noticeable from Bussi tonight was his puck handling. It has been an Achilles' heel of his throughout the season, but he was especially crisp with the puck. There were no fumbles or mistakes that led to chances. There wasn't a ton of action at various points, but Bussi is always ready. He's up to 23 wins in 27 starts, and he gets to enjoy his break with another win.
As dominant an effort as you could've asked for
With this being the final game before the break, and the Rangers riding the emotions of what transpired with their leading scorer yesterday, the Canes could've phoned it in to get to the break. Instead, they put forth one of their best efforts to extend their point streak to ten games with an excellent win. They took the lead early and continued to put shots at the net.
There was no weak link in the chain. We've already talked about Bussi's brilliance. In their 43-shot performance, the defense contributed 19 of them. The Stankoven line was excellent tonight. Nikolaj Ehlers and Jackson Blake assisted on the empty-net goal. The man with that goal, Jordan Staal, is up to 15 goals thanks to a three-game goal streak and a five-game point streak.
It's a little crazy to think that the tone was set by the top line, and they might've been the Canes' least memorable trio after Andrei Svechnikov scored the opening goal. It's not that they were bad. It's that the other three lines were good. The only line that wasn't rewarded on the scoresheet was the fourth line, but they put in some hard-working shifts to keep the Rangers off the scoreboard.
Additional Thoughts
By extending the point streak to ten games tonight, this Hurricanes team became the 10th team in franchise history to reach a double-digit streak. It's easily their longest of the season, and they've picked up eight wins during this span. Their lead in the division remains at eight points with the Penguins also winning tonight in their final game before the break.
I'd be remiss if I didn't close by talking about Jonathan Quick's work tonight. In a season that has been nothing short of a disaster, Quick put in one of his best performances of the campaign. The Canes shot from just about every angle, and the one that beat him was a bullet. He got no run support. He did everything he could to get the Rangers something, and they didn't return the favor.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes won't play again for three weeks, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 26 at the Lenovo Center. They'll follow it up on that Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. However, Sebastian Aho and the Finns kick off the Olympics next Wednesday, while the Canadians, the Americans, and the Danes each play their first games next Thursday.