The Carolina Hurricanes completed a brutal back-to-back on Tuesday night. After escaping Chicago with a 4-3 overtime win on Monday, the Canes took the journey to Texas to face the Dallas Stars and complete their tough trip. With a long flight and a quick turnaround, it would be interesting to see which version of the Canes we got on Tuesday.
With Frederik Andersen's return on Monday, Pyotr Kochetkov took the net on Tuesday for the Canes. The rest of the lineup remained the same from the win in Chicago. The Stars sent out their star goalie Jake Oettinger. He allowed five goals when the Stars visited Raleigh before Thanksgiving. Roope Hintz returned to the lineup after missing the last week.
If you showed up late to Tuesday's game, you didn't miss much. Neither defense gave up a lot of opportunities to their opponent's offense. Both Oettinger and Kochetkov benefitted from the iron at points during the opening frame. Dmitry Orlov had Oettinger dead to rights but was bested by the blocker-side post. At the end of the period, Kochetkov was bailed out after Logan Stankoven threw a rebound off the post. The low-event period ended with a scoreless stalemate.
The Stars' chances started to get a little more dangerous in the second period. Kochetkov remained sharp, coming up with an attacking save on Jamie Benn early in the period, a strong short-handed stop on Colin Blackwell, and an even bigger glove save on Jason Robertson from nearly the same spot as Benn.
It was going to take the perfect play for either team to score a goal. Late in the second period, the Hurricanes found their magic. Eric Robinson didn't get a point on the play, but his pressure on Nils Lundkvist forced a turnover to Martin Necas. The Canes' leading scorer found Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the opposite dot and Kotkaniemi snapped it perfectly over Oettinger's shoulder to break the deadlock with less than three minutes left. It was as textbook a Canes goal as you'll find, sending them into the third period up by a goal.
Once again, the Stars refused to go away, hemming the Canes in their zone early in the third period. Eventually, it earned them a power play that Carolina killed, but the momentum helped them finally solve Kochetkov. Wyatt Johnston forced Kochetkov to overcommit, moving him off his post and opening a passing lane to the front of the net. Thomas Harley was parked in the crease to receive the pass and tie the game just past the halfway point.
Before the Dallas announcer could announce their goal, the Canes responded. Oettinger stopped Sean Walker's chance as he walked in from the point. However, the rebound banked off Kotkaniemi and found the back of the net 24 seconds later to restore the Canes' one-goal lead. The defense was under attack for the remainder of the night, but they didn't blink. With great stick plays and diving stops to prevent chances, Carolina milked the rest of the clock to earn a huge 2-1 road win.
While it didn't have the same chippiness as other games against top-shelf opponents, this had a quiet playoff feel to it. The Hurricanes and the Stars are teams on the fast track to the playoffs in April. On Tuesday, they showcased why. The chances were few and far between, but some of them were high quality. Monday and Tuesday were very different games for the Canes, yet they ended the same way.
Has Jesperi Kotkaniemi started to wake up? Along with a goal in Chicago, Kotkaniemi has scored three times in two games in various ways. On Tuesday, he showed off his incredible shot on his first goal and was in the right place at the right time on the game-winner. His linemates deserve a lot of credit, too. Eric Robinson didn't have a point but was just as big a part of the opening goal. Martin Necas assisted on both goals as his points have begun to accumulate again.
At the root of the win is Pyotr Kochetkov. Some of it was luck, getting the aforementioned early post and another from Mavrik Bourque late in the game. However, Kochetkov was on the spot all night. He made all of his tough stops in the first two periods before settling in and stopping 11 of 12 shots in the third to help the team preserve their win. Andersen's return will push Kochetkov to be at his best. It'll be up to him whether he meets the challenge. In Dallas, he met it and then some.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will return to home ice on Thursday night, completing their season series with the Columbus Blue Jackets. They'll immediately return to the road, heading to Long Island to face the Islanders on Saturday night, kicking off two straight in The Empire State.