For the second time in 12 days, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vancouver Canucks collided. The venue changed for this contest after the Canes rode a Logan Stankoven hat trick to victory in Raleigh. With their win streak snapped on Sunday in Calgary, the group shuffled some things around, though the expectations remained crystal clear, even with their injury issues.
Pyotr Kochetkov was asked to get the group back in the win column, trying to maintain his perfect record to start the season. Juuso Valimaki made his Canes debut after spending the last few games in the press box. It was his first NHL game in almost 21 months. The Canucks countered with Leevi Merilainen, who has been excellent for the embattled Canucks this season.
The Canes' second line came to play. Logan Stankoven sniped one top corner early to get it started. Linus Karlsson got it back for Vancouver, but the second line responded less than two minutes later. Jackson Blake found Nikolaj Ehlers with a wide-open net to restore the lead. Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored on the power play with just over one second left to tie it heading into the second
The fourth line joined the action in the second period. Nicolas Deslauriers picked a corner in tight after Jesperi Kotkaniemi fought to keep the puck in, getting the veteran his first goal as a Hurricane. However, the Canes failed to keep their lead a third time. Max Sasson came out of the penalty box and finished a transition chance, sending the sides into the third period tied at three.
The third period was all Carolina. Deslauriers picked up his second of the night to put the Canes back in front after a nice pass from below the goal line by Bradly Nadeau. Ehlers got free for a breakaway midway through the frame to finally give the Canes a multi-goal lead, and they wouldn't let it go. Stankoven finished the job into the empty net, getting the Canes back on track with a 6-3 win.
The power play was nearly detrimental to the Canes tonight
Remember when we thought the Canes' power play couldn't be stopped? I'd like to return to those times because it was awful in Vancouver. 12 days ago, the Canes went 3-for-3 against the Canucks in Raleigh. Tonight, they looked so out of sync that it could've easily led to their downfall, under the right circumstances. They're very lucky that it didn't.
The team's first three chances all came in the second period. The first one was fine, but they didn't get a shot on goal. The second was pretty rough, and it led to Vancouver tying the game at three just 19 seconds after the penalty ended. The third nearly allowed the Canucks to get the lead. Fortunately, Pyotr Kochetkov stoned Drew O'Connor's breakaway chance to keep things level.
They had a chance to put the game away in the third period after Jackson Blake drew a high-sticking double-minor. It's a pretty good thing that they were already up by two goals at this point because it could've been a major damper. Vancouver came into the night with the worst kill in the league at 58.1 percent. The Canes made them look way better than that on Tuesday.
Nicolas Deslauriers is a goal-scorer, and it's time everyone took note
The fourth line has been firing on all cylinders for the past few games. The group welcomed Bradly Nadeau as part of a slight shuffle to the forward lines, and they kept on scoring. Jesperi Kotkaniemi saw his goal streak end at two games, but he kept his point streak rolling by winning the puck along the boards and finding the team's newest sniper.
During his very short tenure with the Hurricanes, Nicolas Deslauriers has already become a favorite in the locker room. Tonight, he finally got the puck in the back of the net. He made Leevi Merilainen come off the post a little before elevating it like a natural scorer. It was his first goal since April 2025 and his first with the Canes after acquiring him in March.
He liked scoring so much that he came out in the third period and did it again. Bradly Nadeau made a great spinning pass from below the goal line, and Deslauriers was there to put it into the net. The goal served as the game-winner, and he seemed pretty excited about it. This was the type of performance from the fourth line that we don't get often, but we always appreciate it when it happens.
The second line continued to carve up the Canucks
Along with the aforementioned shuffle came the reuniting of Nikolaj Ehlers with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. They helped get the Canes on the board early, with Stankoven giving his 400 friends and family in attendance a show on the opener, which also earned Juuso Valimaki a point in his team debut. The trio came together again on the second goal, with Ehlers finishing this one.
It was all about Ehlers' speed on the dagger. The Canucks cleanly won the draw, but it was too hot for the defense to handle. Ehlers flew around the corner, picked up the loose puck, and slid it five-hole to extend the lead. He unselfishly gave up his hat trick by telling Stankoven to shoot the puck into the empty net, allowing him to get his second of the night as well.
All three players on the line finished with three points. Ehlers and Stankoven had two goals and an assist each, while Blake assisted on three of the line's four goals, giving him ten assists this season. On a night that the Canes threw 44 shots at the net, this line combined for 14. They took over this game for the Canes, getting them back in the win column.
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