The Carolina Hurricanes returned to the Lenovo Center on Saturday night, kicking off a weekend back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils. The Canes saw their three-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday night in Montreal, losing 5-2 to the Habs, the team's opponent tomorrow night. The group sought to complete the season sweep of the Devils.
Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the lineup for the first time since exiting in Edmonton earlier in the month. He took Mike Reilly's spot next to Alexander Nikishin. Brandon Bussi was between the pipes, looking to build off a win in Toronto to start the recent road trip. Jacob Markstrom stood across from him for the Devils.
A decent start for the Hurricanes was derailed by a pair of penalties taken midway through the opening period. The Canes killed both penalties, but they failed to get much going before the Devils finally broke the ice. Nico Hischier sprung Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier on a 2-on-1. Mercer slid it to Meier for an easy goal, sending the visitors into the first break up by a goal.
All it took was the Canes getting a chance on the power play to swing things their way. Nikolaj Ehlers snapped it to the top corner to draw his group even with a wicked shot. From there, it was all hard work and good results for Carolina. Jackson Blake put the Canes ahead after some hard work along the boards. Then, the captain did the same, tipping Ehlers' pass to put the home team up 3-1 after 40.
The Canes felt very close to providing the dagger at multiple points, but it didn't come until late in the frame. Gostisbehere intercepted a pass at center ice, skated into the zone, and snapped it past Markstrom's glove. Seth Jarvis put it away for good with a short-handed goal into the empty net, though Evgenii Dadonov scored late to make the 5-2 win look a touch closer than it was.
The Stankoven line is coming to life once more
By themselves, the Stankoven line could've scored a half dozen times. They were all over the ice the entire game, combining for 11 of Carolina's 34 shots. Logan Stankoven looks a little snake-bitten. He led the way with six shots but was the only one of the trio who didn't find the scoresheet. It's not that he didn't play well. He just couldn't find the perfect combination.
Taylor Hall had another great game against his former team, putting up a pair of assists. The first came on the power play. He drew the penalty and carried the puck into the zone before Nikolaj Ehlers snapped it home. The second was a primary helper to his linemate, Jackson Blake, whose patience was a virtue as he skated into the slot and scored.
Bussi put together his best start since the break
A lot gets made of the Hurricanes' goaltending situation when it goes through a rough patch. I think it has been blown out of proportion, but there is no denying that Brandon Bussi hasn't looked good over the last month. All of that seemed to change today. This was, without question, the best that Bussi has looked in a long time.
Like always, it was about quality over quantity, and there was plenty of quality for the Devils in this game. Their big guns got between the dots with some dangerous chances. Jack Hughes was held off the scoresheet despite some high-quality looks. Nico Hischier could've scored a few, too. He played with patience and didn't look like a fish out of water outside of the crease. It was outstanding to see.
Additional Thoughts
Ehlers' goal on the power play allowed a few streaks to keep going. His goal marked the fifth-straight game with a goal on the man advantage, while Ehlers extended his personal goal streak to three games. It wasn't the only goal on special teams for the Canes. Seth Jarvis scored a short-handed empty-net goal, helping him hit the 30-goal mark for the third season in a row.
Getting Shayne Gostisbehere back into the lineup was massive, and he played a great game. He made the play that kick-started Blake's goal by gapping up at the blue line. Then, he provided the big goal to put the game out of reach with a beautiful snipe. He would've had one earlier in the game if not for the iron. Gostisbehere was very noticeable after three weeks on the shelf.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes are right back at it on home ice tomorrow night, welcoming the Montreal Canadiens to town for the second half of a back-to-back for both teams. March comes to a close on Tuesday night when the Canes head back to Columbus to begin a home-and-home with the Blue Jackets. The return trip comes on Thursday when the two meet again in Raleigh.