As the clock counts down to Finland, the Carolina Hurricanes still had some work to get done state-side. The Canes hit the road for the first of two games away from Raleigh this week, visiting Nashville on Tuesday night for their annual trip to Broadway. The Predators, celebrating Hockey Fights Cancer night, got their first crack at the defending champs.
Once again, the Hurricanes kept their lineup the same, which makes perfect sense with the team on a four-game winning streak. This meant another start with historic implications for Kochetkov, who looked to win his record-tying 11th win to begin the season. Across from him stood Juuse Saros, a netminder who has played some massive games against the Canes throughout his career.
Early on, it felt like we were in for one of those "Saros steals the win"-type of games. The Nashville netminder was stupendous throughout the first period. His team responded by breaking the ice a little past the halfway point in the frame. Filip Forsberg found Nick Perbix, and the defenseman snapped it past Kochetkov, giving the Predators a 1-0 lead at the first break.
Forsberg was clearly feeling it because he made another all-world pass early in the second period, setting up Roman Josi to double the Predators' lead. Not to be outdone, Jackson Blake finally dragged his group into the fight. After his first chance was denied, Blake lifted a backhand over Saros' shoulder midway through the frame, cutting the deficit back to one, where it stood after 40 minutes.
The proverbial nail in the coffin came early in the third. Adam Edstrom redirected Josi's shot past Kochetkov, restoring Nashville's two-goal lead. The way Saros was playing, the lead felt pretty safe. The Canes struggled to sustain much in the offensive end. Eventually, Ross Colton put the puck into the empty net, bringing all of the good streaks to an end as the Canes fell, 4-1, to the Predators.
The start of the third put the Canes into a tough spot
The night for the Canes could be perfectly captured in how they began the third period. Down a goal, they couldn't seem to get out of their own way. They failed to clear their zone several times over the first few minutes, the Stankoven line especially. It led to long shifts in the defensive zone, and it eventually led to Nashville scoring their third goal of the night.
Nikolaj Ehlers mentioned during his intermission interview that the puck seemed to be bouncing a lot, and that was the case all night. That's not to say that the ice conditions were bad. They just weren't ideal, especially for a team trying to complete a comeback. Most of the praise belongs to the Predators, though, whose pressure all night gave the Hurricanes fits.
Of course, the team doesn't have to worry about a bad start to the third if they had played a little better during the first two periods. Both Nashville goals during the first 40 minutes were the result of defensive breakdowns, allowing a Predators defenseman the space to jump down from their spot. It was just one of those rare nights for the Canes.
Kochetkov's run come to an end, through little fault of his own
We will always remember this run that Pyotr Kochetkov went on to begin the season. His bid for an eleventh consecutive win was squashed tonight, and it wasn't because he played a bad game. If anything, Kochetkov was the Canes' best player tonight. He did everything he could to keep the group within shouting distance. The goals just weren't there.
The only thing he could've done on the first two goals was to prevent Filip Forsberg from making incredible passes to his defensemen, and that's not his job. Otherwise, neither shot was being stopped. The third goal was a redirection between the dots, and those are nearly impossible to pick up. For each goal he allowed, Kochetkov made two or three big stops to keep things in check.
Kochetkov will have to settle for a second-place tie for the longest winning streak in NHL history to begin a season. That's certainly not something to be ashamed of. Kochetkov didn't get the help he needed tonight, which prevented him from tying the record. There's no reason for him to hang his head. It was an awesome run. Maybe removing the pressure to stay perfect can be used in his favor.
It might be time to switch some things up offensively
We saw a little bit of it tonight, but it might be time for the lines to go in the blender. Each line had good moments during the first two periods, anchored by Jackson Blake scoring the team's only goal in the second period. However, not enough was generated in the third period to consider them dangerous. That's when we saw our first change in a long time.
Seth Jarvis, who was held off the scoresheet for just the second time since his return, was moved next to Sebastian Aho midway through the third period, taking Andrei Svechnikov's spot. I would like to see this become permanent. I really think William Carrier needs to return to his spot in the bottom six, reuniting Svechnikov, Aho, and Jarvis up top.
It also sounds like Taylor Hall is close, potentially leaving the door open for his return on Thursday against the Islanders. If that's the case, I'm curious whether the coaching staff will put him back on the second line, which has been the team's most dangerous in its current iteration, or put him on the third line with Jankowski and Martinook. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
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