The Carolina Hurricanes got back on track with a much better effort on Saturday night to open the weekend back-to-back. Jackson Blake (2G, 1A) and Nikolaj Ehlers (1G, 2A) each recorded three points, and Brandon Bussi earned his sixth straight win as the Canes dominated the Nashville Predators, 6-3.
The team's power play set the tone during the first period, recording its first multi-goal effort of the season. Taylor Hall and Ehlers struck just under two minutes apart before the halfway point of the opening frame. The group got a little relaxed during the third period, allowing three goals. Nevertheless, it was far better than their no-show on Thursday.
On the Other Side: San Jose Sharks
Last meeting: The Canes kicked off their six-game State Fair trip in San Jose in October. After keeping the game close for the first half of regulation, the Canes scored twice at the end of the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Two more goals in the third helped them pull away for good, solidifying a 5-1 victory to begin the trip and earning Bussi a win in his NHL debut.
After a rough start, the Sharks started to catch fire. Losing six straight to start the season, San Jose went 11-5-1 over their next 17 games, allowing them to hover around the playoff line. It signaled a potential acceleration of their timeline to competitiveness, though there is plenty of mountain for them to climb before they're in the thick of it.
Macklin Celebrini has taken massive strides during his sophomore campaign. He's in the Top 5 in league scoring with 40 points, including 26 assists, making him one of the biggest draws in the league. He's now under serious consideration to make the Team Canada roster. At the very least, he'll be among the toughest decisions for the Olympic decision makers for Canada.
Over the last two weeks, the Sharks have returned to Earth a bit. They've lost four of six, including the opener on their five-game road trip in Dallas on Friday night. They are right at .500 this season in a division that is for the taking. The Sharks' offense can strike quickly, but their defense has struggled to keep up, sitting among the worst in goals allowed behind Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic.
Sharks to Watch
Macklin Celebrini: When the Hurricanes visited The Shark Tank in October, they did a good job of neutralizing Celebrini. Keeping him off the scoresheet has been a hard thing to do, so this was no small feat for the Canes. Celebrini has gone scoreless in his last two games. Coincidentally, the Sharks have only scored one goal in each of those games.
Dmitry Orlov: His time with the Hurricanes had its highs and lows, but Orlov has found a good home in San Jose. Signing a deal this offseason, the veteran defender is fifth on the team in scoring. All 16 of his points have been assists, trailing on Celebrini in that respect. Orlov had a three-game assist streak snapped on Friday against the Stars.
Hurricanes to Watch
Logan Stankoven: Snapping a six-game pointless drought on Saturday, it was good to see Stankoven contributing again. His secondary assist on the opening power-play goal was a big deal. The rest of his linemates had bigger nights, so I'm curious if that will help get Stankoven rolling again like he was earlier in the season.
Starting Goalie: With Bussi playing against the Predators, we'll likely have to wait until the boss speaks to the media before knowing for sure who gets the net. If Kochetkov is healthy enough to play, I think he should get the start. Otherwise, we'll get Andersen again. Patience is wearing thin amongst the Caniacs, so he'll be on a short leash.