The road trip got off to a rocky start as the Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. Two big spurts allowed Detroit to get out to a 4-1 lead in the second period, and the Canes couldn't recover. On Saturday night, they had to get back on the right track as they push to earn home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Frederik Andersen and his scorching hot streak took the crease for the Canes during the second half of their back-to-back. Andersen entered on a seven-start win streak, allowing two or fewer goals in each start. Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield swapped spots after Orlov was scratched on Friday. Jeremy Swayman was in the net for the Bruins, who were trying to snap a ten-game losing streak.
Neither team capitalized on early power plays as the period seemed destined to head into intermission scoreless. That's until Morgan Geekie continued to torment the team that drafted him. It was a soft goal for Andersen to allow as Geekie's shot beat him from above the dots without any traffic. Regardless, Boston had the lead with 1:11 left.
Like in Detroit, when it rains, it pours. With mere seconds left, Elias Lindholm added to the former Hurricane train by scoring at the top of the crease. David Pastrnak, who finished with assists on both goals in the period, played it to the front of the net, where Lindholm was the first to react. He knocked it between Andersen's pads, ending the period with Boston ahead by two goals.
Life didn't get any easier for the Canes in the second period. Along with dealing with Swayman finally figuring out how to stop the puck, the Canes didn't have an answer for Pastrnak, who added to Boston's lead midway through the period. Sebastian Aho was hooked on the play, but it went undetected as Pastrnak waited for Andersen to drift too far before turning and firing it home.
It clearly wasn't for a lack of chances because the Canes had shot after shot against Boston's netminder. Swayman was playing out of his mind in the middle frame. His best save of the night came on Taylor Hall. The net was wide-open with Swayman on his stomach as Hall went to the backhand. Hall failed to get it around his glove as Swayman robbed him, preserving Boston's 3-0 lead after 40.
Pastrnak could do no wrong on Saturday night. He added to his incredible game by adding another sport to his arsenal. Jaccob Slavin got his stick on Geekie's aerial pass, but Pastrnak batted it out of mid-air to score his second goal of the night and put the game away for good. To add the icing on the cake, Pastrnak completed the natural hat trick on a late 3-on-2 to reach 40 goals for the season.
There's only one player who will remember this game for the rest of his life. That player is Justin Robidas. In the final minute, Robidas knocked down a puck and snapped it past Swayman to break the shutout and record his first NHL goal. It was a great moment in an otherwise horrendous night for the Canes. Boston didn't look like a last-place team in a dominant 5-1 victory over the Canes.
This was domination by one line that we've rarely seen against the Canes this season. Even more impressive is that it was against Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns, who were on the ice for all five Boston goals. David Pastrnak was on another planet, bringing Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm with him as they combined for 13 points, with Geekie and Pastrnak recording five points each.
It was also a rare off-night for Frederik Andersen. The first goal from Geekie got the snowball rolling, and, while I struggle to put the entire game on him, he didn't do himself many favors the rest of the way. He came up with a nice stop or two, albeit with the game well out of reach. Andersen is still my Game 1 starter, and one bad game isn't going to change that right now.
I'm almost a little sad that Justin Robidas opted to score his first NHL goal in this game. It was an awesome moment, and it broke the shutout, but now we'll have to remember this terrible game when recounting his moment. In all seriousness, it was a great effort from him, and it's fitting that Chicago teammate Scott Morrow earned the primary assist.
The big news after the game concerned Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The center didn't play during the third period after tweaking something. He's another in a line of Hurricanes who are dealing with an injury at the worst possible time of the year. Hopefully, it's nothing serious and we'll have a positive update at some point on Sunday or Monday.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes' next stop on their four-game road trip takes them to Buffalo on Tuesday night. They'll finish their trip against the Washington Capitals on Thursday, trying to beat the Capitals for the second time in eight days. The Canes return home next weekend to play their final two home games of the campaign against New York and Toronto in a back-to-back.