After an exciting start to their back-to-back, the Carolina Hurricanes returned on Friday trying to string together a second straight win. Jordan Staal picked up a hat trick to lead the Canes to a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. With the Vancouver Canucks next on the schedule, they tried to do something they hadn't done since mid-December.
The Hurricanes sent the same 18 skaters from last night's win into the fight with the Canucks. The lone change was in the net as Dustin Tokarski made his fifth start. He has been excellent in Raleigh, winning all three starts at the Lenovo Center. Thatcher Demko started for the Canucks, and Elias Pettersson made his return to the lineup after missing every game since Christmas for Vancouver.
The start on Friday was arguably the team's best since the Florida game last week. Apart from one Tokarski adventure outside of the net, the Canes gave the Canucks next to nothing. However, they didn't generate a ton of offense, either. It would be a recurring theme for both sides for the remainder of the night.
When the Canes have needed a goal recently, they call on the Staal line for a boost. Tonight, the captain answered the call once more. Dmitry Orlov unleashed a shot from the blue line that was blocked. Unfortunately for Vancouver, the puck landed on the captain's stick. For the fifth straight period, going back to Tampa Bay, Jordan Staal was there to clean up the rebound, opening the scoring late in the first. The Canes killed a penalty to end the period with their lead intact.
Early in the second period, the Staal line struck again. This time, it was Andrei Svechnikov's turn to extend his point streak. After spinning away from Carson Soucy along the boards, Svechnikov powered his way to the front of the net and picked the corner against Demko to extend the lead. Staal added the only assist, giving him another multi-point night. This would be the final goal of the night, boding well for the home team.
With Svechnikov's goal coming 97 seconds into the second period, the Canes' defense dug in for the next 38+ minutes to keep the Canucks off the board. They held Vancouver to four shots in the second period and put their bodies on the line to make life a little easier for Tokarski. The physical play also ramped up during the second period between the two teams.
The defensive clinic continued into the third period. Vancouver was awarded a pair of power plays, with Jalen Chatfield called each time for tripping Pettersson. The first attempt featured a good chance or two, but the second was two minutes of suffocating penalty killing from the Hurricanes. Demko made it to the bench with two minutes left, though it was far too late. Seth Jarvis was thwarted on his empty-net attempt in the final seconds to keep it a 2-0 shutout victory for the Canes.
Tonight's victory concluded a stretch of five games in seven days for the Hurricanes. While a 3-2-0 record might not jump off the page, it looks much better when considering the first game was the embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Wild. With wins on Thursday and Friday, the Canes picked up consecutive wins for the first time in almost a month, doing so with polar opposite efforts.
Friday night was about as low-event a game as the Hurricanes have played this season. Usually, we're talking about teams stepping in front of the Canes' shots. Tonight, it was the Canes who put their bodies on the line, blocking 27 shots. Sean Walker had five, Dmitry Orlov had three, and Jordan Martinook had a pair at the end of the game that sent him to the locker room. Dustin Tokarski only faced 14 shots, allowing him to earn his third career shutout.
Jordan Staal's incredible week continued with his third straight multi-point effort, factoring on both of Carolina's goals. He has five goals and seven points in the lead-up to Sunday's big event, putting up numbers his brother did during his time with the Canes. Along with Staal's big week, Andrei Svechnikov has been right with him. Svechnikov scored for the second time in three games and extended his point streak to four. He's officially back to being the power forward the team drafted him to be.
Up Next: The final game of the Carolina Hurricanes' busy week comes at home on Sunday as the group aims to complete a perfect homestand. The team will retire Eric Staal's number before battling the Anaheim Ducks, who will be in action on Saturday in Philadelphia. Next week, the schedule is much lighter, featuring just two games. They'll be in Buffalo on Wednesday before returning to Raleigh to welcome the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.