During the final full month of the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes faced many highs and lows, but that can be said for just about every team every month. Truthfully, we rarely knew which side of the Canes would come out and on which nights. That being said, when the Canes were on their game, no team in the league could stop them, unless it was the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canes went 9-6-0 in March. On the surface, that doesn't feel all that great. However, that's fairly consistent for the team this year. It matches their win totals from November and January, during which they also played 15 games, and they didn't lose consecutive games at any point. That being said, their .600 points percentage was their worst for any month this season.
Despite a "down month", the Canes control their destiny in the Metropolitan Division. They own a sizeable lead over everyone else after reaching 100 points for the fourth time in five seasons. Their biggest hill left to climb is for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, which will likely come down to Carolina, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay. Let's look back fondly at the month that was for the Canes.
Stories of the Month
The deadline comes and goes: The big day at the beginning of the month was the trade deadline, and it came and went without much happening for the Canes, despite rumors of everyone being a potential target for them. The deadline passed with the team making just one move, sending a late-round pick to the Flyers for forward Nicolas Deslauriers.
Since his acquisition, Deslauriers has only played in one game. He entered the lineup on March 17 in Columbus, dropping the gloves against Mathieu Olivier in a 5-1 loss. Outside of his fight, Deslauriers was noticeable, laying six hits in 12:31. He hasn't played since, but that is about what we expected when the team acquired him.
Power play prowess: The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the best teams on the man advantage for the last few months, and they found the back of the net with regularity in March. In 15 games, the Canes scored on the power play in ten of them, including a pair of three-goal efforts against the Penguins and the Blue Jackets. They finished the month 15-for-42 (35.7 percent).
Both units got in on the fun, but it was the top unit that struck more often. Nikolaj Ehlers scored four times. Andrei Svechnikov was close behind with three. Logan Stankoven and Alexander Nikishin added two each. The Canes closed the month with a seven-game power-play goal streak, going 11-for-23 during that span, moving them into fifth in the league at 24.6 percent.
Fun against the Metro: The most important opponents you'll face are the ones within your division, especially since you face them the most in a given year. The Carolina Hurricanes have been outstanding against their Metro foes this season, and that trend continued in March. They went 5-1-0 against them this month, improving their record to 17-4-1 overall.
Most of that success comes from three wins over the Penguins in just about two weeks. They needed a shootout and overtime to beat them the first two times before squashing them to conclude the season series. The Canes split a pair of games in Columbus, while completing their season sweep of the Devils late in the month.
The new top defensive rookie: At some point, we might get tired of talking about how awesome Alexander Nikishin is, but I don't think that day will come any time soon. He has been a marvel to watch, and he made rookie history for the franchise twice this month with a few goals, putting him in a class of his own.
Scoring on the power play against the Penguins on March 10, Nikishin buried his ninth goal, making him the top goal-scoring rookie defenseman in team history. His next goal, the overtime winner against Toronto on March 20, made him the first to ever hit double digits. After seven points this month, Nikishin is one point away from tying Jamie McBain for the most in team history.
Best Game: The Canes and the Penguins go back and forth
In terms of anxiety-inducing games, you could put either extra-time showdown against the Penguins here. However, I'm partial to overtime finishes, so their second meeting of the month in Raleigh has my vote. For the top two in the Metro, this encounter was the very definition of back and forth. Neither side ever led by more than one goal.
The Canes led at four junctures in the game, but two goals in 23 seconds from the Penguins put them up 5-4 with 4:51 left. K'Andre Miller provided the tying goal two minutes later, and Sean Walker did the honors in overtime to complete a wild win. The teams combined for the most game-tying goals in one period in NHL history with four, but it was the Canes who emerged victorious, 6-5.
Best Moment: More Mom's Trip magic from Martinook after a sweet save
The Hurricanes owe everything to the support system that raised them, so I love when they bring their families along on the road with them. This year, the moms and women in their lives got to take the journey with them, going to Tampa. To show their appreciation, the Canes got a big win over the Lightning, thanks to two key plays in the third period.
Tied at two midway through, Nikita Kucherov had a golden chance stopped by Frederik Andersen, but he got the puck to Brandon Hagel. With the net empty, Hagel had plenty of room to shoot at, only for the boot of Sean Walker to rob him. Shortly after, Mom's Trip magician Jordan Martinook scored the game-winner from a sharp angle, surprising Andrei Vasilevskiy as the Canes won, 4-2.
Three Stars of the Month
Third Star: While it appears that Sebastian Aho will fall short of 30 goals again, he's on pace for another point-per-game season. In Tuesday's win, Aho notched his 50th assist of the campaign, putting him three away from his career high. In March, Aho recorded a team-high 13 helpers. His 16 points were tied for second. while his seven power-play points were tied for third.
Aho reached another point plateau this month, recording his 700th point on the overtime-winning goal by Sean Walker on March 18. He became the third player in franchise history to hit the mark, joining Ron Francis and Eric Staal. Aho is on the verge of his fourth 80-point season, needing five points over the final eight games to do so.
Second Star: By scoring his 30th goal into an empty net against the Devils, Seth Jarvis put himself amongst excellent company, reaching the mark for the third straight season. He's only the sixth player in franchise history to score 30 goals in three straight seasons, reaching it faster this season than he did in the previous two.
Jarvis was all over the scoresheet in March, tying Aho with 16 points. His four goals were tied for third on the team, while his eight power-play points were second. Jarvis also scored one of the team's four short-handed goals, with it coming on the same empty-net tally that earned him 30 goals. He had a six-game point streak snapped on Tuesday, though he was initially credited with an assist.
First Star: Above and beyond anyone on the roster this month was Nikolaj Ehlers. The offseason addition led the way with nine goals and 20 points in 15 games. He got the month rolling with a three-game goal streak, including his second hat trick of the season. At the end of March, Ehlers added another three-game streak. He closed the month with a three-point effort on Tuesday in Columbus.
Almost half of Ehlers' damage came on the power play, scoring a team-high four goals and nine points on the man advantage. During his most recent goal streak, Ehlers scored all three of his goals on the power play. Ehlers also had a knack for game-winning goals, scoring three to lead the team. He already has his first 40-assist season, and he's one point away from a career-high there, too.