The Win Streak Ends at 5 Games, But the Canes Pick Up a Point in a 2-1 Shootout Loss
By Ben Huffman
After scoring five goals in the third period to beat Washington just over 24 hours ago, the Hurricanes returned to PNC Arena to kick off a long homestand against the St. Louis Blues. It was an emotional game for a few players in D.C. as the Canes beat the Capitals 6-2 to push their win streak to five games.
Stefan Noesen returned to the lineup after missing the game against Washington. He took Tony DeAngelo's spot as the Canes went back to the traditional 12/6 look. This also meant Vasily Ponomarev would play in his first home game at PNC Arena. Antti Raanta got the start, last playing in the team's 5-3 win over Montreal on December 28. Jordan Binnington would be in the net for the Blues, who were playing without former Hurricane Justin Faulk.
If you were looking for a high-scoring barnburner, you were in the wrong place on Saturday night because this wasn't the game for you. All of the scoring during regulation came in the first period. St. Louis scored a little past the halfway point in the period to open it. Oskar Sundqvist's flip pass was terribly misjudged by Dmitry Orlov, allowing Nathan Walker to get in on a breakaway against Antti Raanta. Walker buried the shot through Raanta's pads to get the Blues on the board first.
When the Blues score first, they're usually pretty sturdy. St. Louis entered the game 16-1-0 when scoring the first goal. The Canes didn't allow them to celebrate for long. Pavel Buchnevich was called for tripping Seth Jarvis behind the Blues' net, unleashing the league's hottest power play. Jack Drury won the faceoff back to Teuvo Teravainen, who waited just long enough to improve his shooting angle as he snapped one past Jordan Binnington to tie it.
The second and third periods were a defensive clinic from both sides. While the Canes controlled most of the chances, Jordan Binnington was up to the task. The Blues bent but refused to break. One of the Canes' best flurries of the night came after killing their only penalty in the second period. Jordan Staal, who committed the infraction, came out of the box and nearly scored. Stefan Noesen forced the rebound high. I'm not sure exactly how long the Canes were in their offensive end, but nothing materialized for them. The closest the Canes came to winning it came when Dmitry Orlov rang the crossbar late in the third period.
On the other end of the ice, Antti Raanta looked like the goalie who had been nearly unbeatable at PNC Arena when his confidence was through the roof. He made a huge stop on Pavel Buchnevich before the Blues' power play. The Blues also had an affinity for wrap chances throughout the game, but Raanta held strong. In the dying minutes of the third period, Raanta held a wrap-around from Colton Parayko to ensure the game went into overtime.
In overtime, the action was fast and furious. The best opportunity for either team was from Brandon Saad at the front of the net. After Saad fanned on the initial chance, Antti Raanta kicked his pad out to keep the game going. The Canes had their share of chances, with Andrei Svechnikov and Brent Burns both coming up empty, sending the game to a shootout. After both teams' first three shooters were stopped, Sebastian Aho worked around a poke check by Jordan Binnington to bury a backhander. Needing to score to extend the game, Jake Neighbours beat Raanta between his pads to send it to the fifth round. Jordan Martinook missed wide on his backhand, allowing Brayden Schenn to win the game in the bottom of the fifth to take the second point.
While another shootout loss stings, this was a solid game for the Canes. It's a results-based business, and the goal is to get two points, but this was a great game in the second half of a back-to-back. Scoring five goals a game isn't sustainable, so it makes sense that the offense slowed down a little. That meant the defense needed to be sharp, and it was. Antti Raanta was phenomenal. I hate that the team couldn't give him a little more goal support. It did make me feel a lot better about the current state of the team's goaltending.
Along with saying goodbye to the win streak, we also said goodbye to the point streaks of Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, who both failed to find the scoresheet for the first time in six games. That doesn't mean they played a bad game. It was their linemate, Teuvo Teravainen, who found the back of the net, ensuring the power play stayed hot. They only got one chance to work against the Blues, but they made it count. The penalty kill also did its job, killing the Blues' only power play. The Staal line was the team's best at both ends. Seth Jarvis was flying all night. Jordan Staal used his size to bully whoever he was on the ice with. Along with Jordan Martinook, they had several great chances at the front of the net.
Similar to the break for Christmas, the Canes will have to wait for their next game. They won't be back in action until Thursday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks in the second game of the homestand. It's one of two games they'll play next week, along with a home tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.