After a perfect four-game homestand, the Carolina Hurricanes took their show on the road to begin a quick journey out west. The Canes scored 52 seconds into the game on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, setting the tone for a 5-1 victory to extend their win streak to eight. The first stop on their trip brought them to Denver to face a Colorado Avalanche squad trying to find their stride.
A snowstorm forced the Hurricanes to make the same-day trip to Colorado on Saturday morning. They brought the same roster that has been hot to begin the season, with the lone change being Spencer Martin making his season debut in the net. Alexandar Georgiev, who was also excellent on Thursday despite taking the loss in a 1-0 decision to the Winnipeg Jets, was between the pipes for Colorado.
If the same-day travel was an issue, it wasn't present for the Hurricanes in the first period. The Canes dominated the early stages, breaking the ice just before the midway point in the frame. Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook showcased the Canes' suffocating forecheck, eventually allowing Martinook to find Jack Drury in front of the net for his second goal of the season.
The Avalanche didn't manage their first shot until more than ten minutes into the game, but Martin would be under siege during the second half. His best stop came after the puck took a bad bounce off the boards. Joel Kiviranta had Martin dead to rights until the Canes' netminder swung his head around and made a sprawling stop. Carolina escaped the period with a 1-0 lead, though the Avalanche were threatening.
The Hurricanes looked to be in business early in the second period. After a successful penalty kill, Martinook was repaid for his assist by being on the receiving end of a Seth Jarvis assist as Martinook extended his goal streak to three games. Unfortunately, soon after the goal, the game turned on its head for the Canes.
The Hurricanes' power play conceded its first short-handed goal of the season after Cale Makar intercepted a telegraphed Shayne Gostisbehere pass and clapped it past Martin. Just under two minutes later, Sam Malinski netted a rebound after Martin flubbed Nathan MacKinnon's initial chance. The Canes managed to regain the lead on the power play after Jarvis found Martin Necas at the backdoor for a tap-in, helping Necas extend his point streak to nine games.
The remainder of the middle frame belonged to the Avalanche. MacKinnon showcased his incredible skill by working the puck around Sean Walker and looking off Gostisbehere before snapping the tying goal past Martin. Less than a minute later, Artturi Lehkonen, who had just missed a wide-open net seconds before, redirected Mikko Rantanen's shot to give Colorado their first lead. Rantanen closed the period with a world-class snipe on the power play to help the Avalanche build a 5-3 lead moving into the third period.
Rod Brind'Amour rearranged his lines for the third period, uniting his three hottest forwards for the final 20 minutes. The payoff was almost immediate. Sebastian Aho and Necas combined to set up Martinook for his second goal of the game, bringing the Hurricanes within a goal with most of the period remaining. The magic wasn't in the Denver air for the good guys. Rantanen sealed the win for Colorado into the empty net, earning him his second goal and MacKinnon his fourth point in a 6-4 win for the Avalanche.
All win streaks come to an end. This was the night the Canes' streak was destined to end. It was already a weird situation with the team waiting until the day off to fly across the country. However, that isn't the reason for the loss. The team defense wasn't sharp in the second period, and while you can get away with that against a team like the Flyers at home, the Avalanche made the Canes pay for their sloppiness.
Spencer Martin will catch an unnecessary amount of flack for this loss. Martin was given little help during the second period, and I only put Malinski's goal on him. Better rebound control likely prevents Malinski from walking in to tie the game at two. Otherwise, Martin allowed a short-handed breakaway to the best defenseman in the league, two unreal snipes from natural goal-scorers, and a redirection. The five-goal period overshadows the incredible stops he made to keep the Canes in the game.
While the defense struggled at times, the offense remained sharp. After being offensively anemic through ten games, Jordan Martinook has scored four times in three games. Martin Necas added another multi-point night. Andrei Svechnikov has points in eight straight after assisting on the power-play goal. Seth Jarvis had two primary helpers. Sebastian Aho added another point. Four goals would usually be enough for the Canes to pick up a win, but that wasn't the case on Saturday night.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will trek to Sin City for their first meeting of the season with the Vegas Golden Knights. Captain Mark Stone's health will be something to watch before the two teams clash on Monday night. The trip will end with the Canes' first-ever trip to Utah to face the Hockey Club on Wednesday.