Devils at Hurricanes – The Recap

 

We’re back for another season of Carolina Hurricanes hockey.  After an offseason where we identified talent that we believe can get us over the proverbial hump, we now get to see the product in action.  Before we go into a recap of the game, I do want to highlight the pieces of business that took place to get us to where we are:

What’s New:

• The signing of Nikolaj Ehlers is no small consolation in the ‘Mitch Marner’ bonanza – this dude has been someone on my radar since last offseason, and I believe he is going to fit like a glove.
• Our trade for Lefty Defenseman K’Andre Miller was another big swing – and we inked him for the max term – he has a great chance to be a Brady Skjei 2.0 for us.  Looking forward to big things from him.

What’s New-ish:

• Alexander Nikishin will get his first full season in a Canes sweater – expectations are high for him, although I reserve any judgement for at least until the midway point.  Frankly, he is a rookie and needs time to grow in the system.

What’s the Same:

• Welcome back Eric Robinson, Taylor Hall, Freddie Andersen!  Good to have all three back in the fold.  Additionally, we got Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven inked to longer term deals – and their futures look bright. 

A couple of side notes before I go into the game – first, we took time to consider our options with Michael McLeod and Carter Hart.  The fans think they got a win by the organization deciding not to pursue them, as many fans were up in arms about these two.  Frankly, if they were available and they could help, I think we should have had a conversation at least.  Further – this wasn’t a “fan win” because of some silly petition – I believe that Dr. Tulsky got the feel that Logan Stankoven can be the right shot center we need (which means no need for McLeod) and that we were comfortable with what we had in net with Freddie, Kochetkov and (now) Bussi.  Fans – be thankful that we are in on everything.

Second – I believe that our movement of players isn’t over yet.  We have a contender today, but I think we could have a juggernaut with a couple of moves and the gelling of the talent.  The gelling of the talent will take priority early on while Dr. Tulsky figures out what needs to be added.  I have a couple names earmarked as the season progresses that I think we should take a swing on – we have the cap space to do it.

Now, onto the ice – I have a lot of excitement as we head into this first game of eighty-two in the regular season.  Our line combinations will look like this to get us started:

Our Forward Lines:

• Ehlers-Aho-Jarvis 
• Svechnikov-Stankoven-Blake
• Carrier-Staal-Martinook 
• Robinson-Kotkaniemi-Hall 

Our Defensive Pairs:

• Slavin-Walker 
• Miller-Chatfield 
• Nikishin-Gostisbehere

And off we go...

• I’m keeping an eye on that 2^nd line – they jumped on the ice as the third line over the boards and Stankoven won a faceoff early to keep a puck in zone.
• Markstrom has been sharp early – we have had a couple good looks early from all 3 scoring lines and Markstrom has been up to the task.
• Hall redirect from Gostisbehere on a bomb from the point and the good guys are on the board.  New Jersey won a draw but we are on it in the corner – Gostisbehere eventually slammed a bomb from the point and Hall redirected it through the five hole to make it 1-0 us.  Nikishin with the secondary assist.
• Ehlers and Aho look like they have been playing together their entire careers – they look great in the offensive zone.
• The 4^th line – wow – they look like they have some great chemistry.  I think if we needed to mix it up, Blake and Hall could swap spots.  Just some real good puck movement between those three and I can’t think of a team that has a more skilled 4^th line – overqualified.
• My goodness – Miller is a giant out there.  His reach is something else.  He’s also had some good offensive flair early too – it is nice to have him paired with Chatfield since Chatty can atone for any of the early lapses defensively. 
• New Jersey started to buzz a little, but Freddie Andersen looked solid in the limited work he’s seen.  Very steady in net.
• After one, we looked sharp.  The new arrivals have been noticeable, and Stankoven has done well at the center position – winning 62.5% of his draws.  Slavin has done Slavin things, Aho and Ehlers look good together and that 4^th line…sheesh.  We look like we are wearing them down early – we’ll see how we look in the 2^nd (with long change) and the 3^rd.  After one, it’s 1-0 good guys.
• Get to see a power play after 22 minutes of play time – New Jersey is called for too many men on the ice.  Rod starts with the 2^nd unit, which was an interesting selection.  K’Andre Miller and Sean Walker were on along with Jackson Blake, Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall.  And 31 seconds into the power play, Miller is called for a high stick.  So much for that – we go 4-on-4.  After a couple looks both ways, it remained 1-0 after the penalties.
• One thing I have noticed – it has been Nikishin that has been the defenseman back, not Gostisbehere – he is developing good habits early this season, defense first, the offensive opportunities will come.
• Slash on Cotter for New Jersey – and we get a chance to go on the power play.  We should see the 1^st unit for this one.  Drawn by K’Andre Miller. 
• Great puck movement by the top unit – some good looks from group – Bucci (who we had on our podcast two weeks ago – go check it out!) said it on the broadcast, that unit might cook – with the way we were moving the puck and making the strong penalty killers of the Devils work, I can see this unit doing work.  The Devils kill it off.
• Dougie Hamilton tied it at 1 – the bump up shift right off the kill.  Hamilton through the slot on a backhander – good play by Bratt to feed it, Hamilton finishes.  We are back to even.
• And K’Andre Miller pots one to make it 2-1 – we lose a face-off, but we get possession on a forecheck by Carrier, it leaks out to Miller who buried it from straight away. 
• Cody Glass ties it at 2 after a 2-on-1 break down – we turned it over, Svechnikov one touched it into the zone instead of going deep, they gained possession and created the 2-on-1.   I know it is game one of eighty-two, but I have to wonder what Svechnikov was thinking at that moment.  Why be cute? 
• The story has been told by John Buccigross this second period, but it bears repeating – we are losing face-offs at a high rate – we can’t have that.  And we go to the box – Jordan Staal gets called for cross-checking.  He seemed frustrated and visibly off tonight.  Off to the kill we go.
• We had a great 2-on-1 chance with Aho and Jarvis that clanged right off the iron.  Martinook got a breakaway and Markstrom gloved it.   We kill off the power play – a couple good short handed looks for us.  Clearly some things stay the same in Raleigh…
• A real good flurry of activity in the offensive zone – good forecheck by Aho and starts a peppering of shots at Markstrom.
• All knotted up at 2 after 2 periods – the Devils did a good job of winning face-offs and worked well off their penalty kill.  It’s been a good game, no real complaints on my end.  This is the type of game you’d expect to see with two of the heavyweights in the Metro.  Markstrom has been good for them. 
• We’ve hit 3 posts HARD tonight – a lot of good opportunities, just hitting some iron. 
• Stankoven gets hooked, draws the penalty, and we go to another power play with about 14 minutes left in the 3^rd. 
• The puck movement looks good.  This first unit looks great – awesome job moving the puck and moving around the zone.  The Devils end up killing it, but I have to think this power play is going to be much improved from last season.
• We get to go to the power play again, as they slash us – this goes to the idea that mentally you start to lapse when you are getting tired.  We talked about this with Peter Harrold on our show the other day.  The Devils are tired.  Mental mistakes for them.  Let’s see if we can capitalize. 
• K’Andre Miller hat trick watch?  Buried one on the power play – had a ton of space up top and Blake and Aho get the assist.  Aho’s 1^st unit mates went off on a change, but he decided to double shift it, ended up getting involved in the puck movement, retrieved by Blake, fed to Aho and then to Miller who was wide open up top.  The puck was tipped by Markstrom, but ended up fluttering over his glove and in.  3-2 good guys.
• Bump up shift and Hall looked like he just buried one, but THAT ONE clanged off iron too.   That 4^th line is going to be dangerous after a power play.
• Jesper Bratt ties it at 3 – the pass intended for Hughes went right between his legs coming through the slot and Bratt was on the wing to bury it past Freddie.  Square at 3.
• Another post – Jarvis this time – heavy metal night in Raleigh apparently – still 3-3.  So much iron that they made a montage of the metal clangs.  Thanks ESPN.
• Jarvis with the goal!!!  Great rotation and movement.  Nikishin does a good job to keep the puck in and keep it in the zone, feeds Ehlers to Gostibehere and then to Aho - Jarvis parked right to the left of Markstrom and got the Aho feed to bury it – 2:43 left in this one.  4-3 good guys.
• Jarvy with the empty netter – 5-3 Canes, and that should wrap this one up.  Jarvis was a thief at the blue line and it goes unassisted.
• Robinson from Hall made it 6-3 – I think if there was a dude who deserved a goal tonight, it was Eric Robinson.  He was really good all around, really did a lot of good things on that 4^th line. 

If I had to give out stars tonight, it would be K’Andre Miller with the first star, probably Aho with a 2^nd star and Jarvis with the 3^rd star.  Seth Jarvis, as Tripp Tracy would say, built a game – he wasn’t as noticeable in the first two periods, but really came on in the 3^rd period.  There were a couple others that could have gotten stars – Jaccob Slavin and Taylor Hall looked great as well. 

I mentioned before I have a couple of guys that I have earmarked to really turn this thing into a potential juggernaut.  Right shot D is one area - I wasn't particularly impressed with Sean Walker tonight and he looked like he was overcast for the top pair duties.  I am not saying he shouldn't be offered that opportunity, but he looked like he struggled some against top lines.

Alexander Nikishin - I thought looked very good out there – playing 3^rd pair minutes against teams bottom 6, he is going to feast.  The thing that I think I liked the most was that he stayed responsible defensively and made simple plays to get the puck out of the zone.  Keep it simple my guy. 

On the flip side, Jackson Blake wasn’t awful, but he wasn’t great either – this leads me to a point I made earlier in the blog – if there is a guy that could totally yo-yo on a couple lines for us, it is Jackson Blake – and I think after a couple games, it would be wise to consider placing him with Kotkaniemi and Robinson (and move Taylor Hall up to play with Svechnikov and Stankoven).  I love Jackson Blake - I am one of his top glazers out there.  But I also live in the real world too.

Final note – as fans we do have to keep in mind that it is just the first game – there are going to be some lapses and some rust from some of these guys as they get back into game mode.  I am encouraged by the performance in game one

Next up:  A date at home with the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at 7:00 P.M.

 

 

Hurricanes vs. Capitals – The Recap

The Carolina Hurricanes came into the night riding the high of a two-game win streak – beating the Islanders and Canadians in recent outings.  This evening will be a great litmus test game, playing the Capitals, who have looked good all season.  The reality is this game tonight puts us one step closer to the playoffs.  It reminds me of when my son would play Little League baseball – the regular season was fine, but I was so much more excited to get to All-Stars – the NHL Playoffs is like Little League All-Stars in terms of my excitement level.  You play all season so you can compete for the Cup.  Assuming we can come out of this game with one point, we would clinch our spot.

Tonight, the goal is in front of us – let’s clinch against another playoff contender and impose our will on them doing it.  Ideally, I would like to see the boys dominate in similar fashion to what we did in Game 3 of the 2019 playoffs – the first year of our run – where we dominated in shots, possession, and the scoreboard.  Let’s dominate.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• Freddie Andersen got the draw in net, as is the norm with the two netminders.  Over the last several games, Freddie has distanced himself as the clear “better goalie”, for better or worse.  While I would like to see Kochetkov get his time in net, it may very well be another Andersen net come playoffs.  No Jordan Staal again tonight – Kotkaniemi centers Staal’s normal line.  Rod says it is precautionary – I hope he can get a few games in prior to the playoffs. 
• We started with a couple good chances for the 4^th line – Robinson-Jankowski-Jost have some jump.  Overall, the boys have generated good traffic in the zone and have really done a good job holding onto the puck in the zone.  I liked what I saw early in this one. 
• Jaccob Slavin – he’s ready for playoff hockey.  He was a big frame down low, standing up a Capital in his own end to thwart a chance.  He was great throughout this game, but particularly good early on.
• Sean Walker buried one and we are off and running.  It started with us getting to the forecheck – Ghost pinches to keep the puck in the zone, he passed over to Sean Walker who waits for the traffic in front – Jankowski, Jost and Robinson all skating past Logan Thompson and Walker buried it.   No surprise that the 4^th line was out doing the stuff you won’t see in the box score but is vital to what is needed.  We’ve looked great early.  1-0 good guys.
• There was no quit in this 4^th line – they drew a penalty at the halfway point of the 1^st for interference.  This line looked great.  Walker and Ghost did too.  
• We started the power play with some solid net-front from the boys, good entry and clean faceoff wins.  Eventually, Aho feeds Gostisbehere, who waits with a delayed shot, Blake gets the rebound (Taylor Hall was in front of the net to create some chaos) and he beat Thompson low – Good entry for the Canes, great faceoff win by Hall in the neutral zone (Aho got booted), Jarvis with a good entry.  Everyone played their part.  2-0 good guys.    
• We drew another penalty for delay of game a few minutes later in the 1^st.  We had gotten the puck deep and Jesperi Kotkaniemi forced the issue – on to the power play again.  We get a clean draw win – Jarvis absolutely crushes a shot through Logan Thompson top shelf, blocker side - fifteen seconds into the power play.  Good puck movement, great location.  Ghost and Aho get the assists, but this is a true five-man unit.  3-0 good guys.
• We had to kill a couple penalties in the 1^st as well – both instances, we looked like the better team and had the better looks – once by Jarvis, another by Jankowski.  Logan Thompson had a great save after getting undressed by Jank.  Both kills were successful.
• To date, this has been as good of a period I have seen from the Canes – just absolutely dominant in every phase.  The Caps may have had maybe one high danger chance.   The Aho line has been buzzing – a couple great shifts in this first period.  Steady in the defensive zone as well.  All units were flying. 
• The Caps put Charlie Lindgren in net to start the 2^nd period.  Apparently, Logan Thompson left with an upper body injury.
• Freddie Andersen, when he’s been called upon, he’s been excellent.  He’s stayed calm and collected in net.  Good time of year to be that way – and I think he is firmly being looked at as 1A in net come mid-April.
• Stankoven with a great goal on the bump up shift from the power play – so awesome – excellent pass from Roslovic, Stankoven wins a race to the front of the net, beating Ovechkin.  Stankoven has been all over it tonight with multiple chances and this one ends up true; it is 4-0 good guys. 
• We have to go to the kill again.  Taylor Hall with another penalty – this one is a penalty.   And then we have to go onto a 5-on-3 – Burns called with a hold.  Yikes – that didn’t appear to be a penalty, but here we go.  Ovechkin scores pretty quickly to make it 4-1.  Just a lethal shot.  I don’t know what Freddie can do there – he is trying to do work to across the crease and Ovi sent it against the grain - what a goal.
• The second period was not nearly as dominant as the first period – Freddie Andersen made his presence known, having some key saves.  We did score a goal – Logan Stankoven notching a tally.  The Caps have had a push, but Andersen has been up to the task aside from the 5-on-3 marker that they scored.  Tough break there at the end of the period – still in full control, though.  We had our chances with a couple of additional power plays, but nothing noteworthy except it kind of looked like we reverted back to our old ways.  The second period was a bit sloppy in most aspects – the power play was no exception.  It was just sloppy in the 2^nd. 
• Jarvis drew another penalty – onto another power play.  It was a weak start – we lost a draw and had some trouble entering the zone.  Eventually, Jarvis won a draw, and Jackson Blake retrieved the puck – from there, he made a sick forehand/backhand move and then buried it top shelf.  What.  A.  Move.  5-1 Hurricanes.
• The faceoff circle was a pleasant surprise – all of the centermen have done a good job at the dot.  To gain possession, you must win draws – we did that.
• With a little under ten minutes to go, I had started to get the finishing touches done on this blog, when some chaos ensued.  The Blake-Aho-Jarvis combination had really gotten under the skin of the top line of the Capitals.  Tom Wilson, in particular, was actively challenging Aho because Aho was able to avoid a hit and Wilson took the wrong end of it.  Tom Wilson has had a great year – but to challenge a dude because he was able to sidestep your weak attempt - just comical.  We eventually go to another power play. 
• Stankoven has been so steady for us – good backchecking, pick pocketing in the neutral zone, being an absolute menace in the attacking end.  Great work by Stank tonight (and the rest of that line this evening).  Martinook has done well setting up chances and Kotkaniemi has done a great job in the faceoff circle.  One final note on Logan Stankoven – he jumped in to shove Tom Wilson, who was trying to mix it up in the middle of a scrum around the net. Stank got a few shots in on Wilson during that late power play after Wilson had words for Aho.  Stank ended up with a two-minute roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.  I love Logan Stankoven. 
• Mark Jankowski and Tyson Jost also saw the showers early for misconduct penalties too.  Washington, as you would expect, were starting to get overly physical and Jank and Jost weren’t having it.  That makes a full forward line from each team to the dressing room early.  Not fifteen seconds later, Jalen Chatfield gets mixed up with Connor McMichael and they both get sent to the dressing room as well after Chatty ragdolls McMichael.  Some speculate Chatfield (known NHL agitator – sarcasm intended) might get a suspension for that take down.  I think it is awesome we stood up to the ridiculousness of the Capitals.  You love to see it!   If Chatty does get suspended, play Morrow. 

After that final goal, it kind of felt like the Capitals were kind of playing this one out – they were out played for stretches of this game – particularly in the dominant 1^st.  We just kept playing and peppering shots.  Frustration boiled and tempers flared up for them. 

At the end of the 2^nd, it was shared that Andrii Svechnikov wasn’t on the bench – clearly dealing with something – my hope is that he can be OK as we head into the playoffs.  That said, his absence could solve a problem about who we should play when Carrier comes back. 

If I had to give three stars this game, it would be 1^st – Jackson Blake – two goals, they were important.  2^nd – Logan Stankoven – a goal and a fight with Tom Wilson will get you the 2^nd star minimum in my book.  3^rd – Freddie Andersen – he was awesome between the pipes.  We clinch our 7^th consecutive playoff spot.

Next up:   We head to Detroit on Friday to take on the Red Wings.

Hurricanes vs. Islanders – The Recap

Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes welcomed the New York Islanders to the Lenovo Center for a Metropolitan Division tilt.  This would be the last game of the season against the Islanders – and with the Islanders just a couple points back of playoff positioning, I could only suspect that they (much like the Canadians two nights prior) would be hungry for a win, playing a little desperate. 

Most fans talking had the belief that this one would be a playoff clincher should we get a win over the Islanders – that, in fact, was not true.  We would still awaiting some unfinished business from the Blue Jackets after the game – if THEY lose another game and we win this one, then we would seal our playoff fate. 

Jordan Staal would be out of the line up tonight, so we would have to do work without the captain on the ice.  Tyson Jost would draw in on the 4^th line and Jesperi Kotkaniemi would draw into the Staal spot.  Jack Roslovic would center Hall and Svechnikov.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• Pyotr Kochetkov played between the pipes during the game and had some decent saves during the game, but I could tell he was still fighting it some.  If tonight was some sort of dress rehearsal for some playoff starts, this likely wasn’t going to be the game that sealed that up for him.  He will have a couple more chances, but this one wasn’t his best outing.  I noted during the game that we’ll need to outscore them if we were to win.  That's never a good endorsement for the netminder.
• Kochetkov, however, didn’t really have the defensive support that the Hurricanes have provided over the last several games.  It was a sloppy game by the defense (except Jaccob Slavin – that dude is always doing the right thing).  Several turnovers by the defense trying to do too much east-to-west instead of direct north-south hockey.  It created a lot of transition chances for the Islanders.
• I have been raving about the 4^th line ever since the trade deadline deal to bring Mark Jankowski over – and tonight, he got the party started.  It all started with Jankowski retrieving a puck behind his own net and feeding it up to Jost, who one tapped it to Eric Robinson with speed.  Robinson was able to get it down the boards and stopped to create some space and await – wait for it – Mark Jankowski – with pace down the ice.  Robinson whipped the puck to Jankowski, and he buried it upstairs – 1-0 good guys.
• Not fifteen seconds later, Logan Stankoven made it 2-0 – Joran Martinook and Jesperi Kotkaniemi worked on the forecheck to get to the puck.  Martinook also did some great things on so many shifts behind the net, and in this instance, he found Stankoven in his office with a backhand to him at the near post.  This line played for about thirteen minutes and looked, overall, decent.  The Martinook/Stankoven combo looked good, generated some chances, kept the pressure up and played solid defensively.  
• The line combination of Svechnikov-Roslovic-Hall had me concerned early defensively.  While they were able to keep the puck in the attacking zone some, it just seemed as though any time Roslovic and his linemates were out there, they were hemmed up in their own end. 
• The Islanders played desperately, as I suspected, from the middle of the 1^st period until the middle of the 2^nd period, accounting for three tallies during that time.  The lowlights (from our perspective):
• Pierre Engvall got the Islanders on the board with speed that generated a 2-on-1.  Gostisbehere took out the passing lane, so Kochetkov needed to be positioned to stop the shot – instead, it goes 5-hole.  Sean Walker got caught in front of the puck off of a face-off – Still 2-1 us.
• Andrii Svechnikov got called for not one but two penalties in the 1^st period, one of which directly leading to a goal.  Kyle Palmeri buried it on a rebound we gave up.  This one wasn’t entirely on Kochetkov – he did need better rebound control, but we needed to seal up Palmeri.  2-2.
• Early in the 2^nd, Orlov had a giveaway at his blue line that leads to – you guessed it – a 2-on-1 breakaway.  Stop me if you heard this one – the defender took out the passing lane and Pierre Engvall buried it (this time top shelf, blocker side).  And just like that, it is 3-2 bad guys.
• At around this point, I noted that the Blake-Aho-Jarvis line needed to take over.  They were good out there, defending well and maintain possession a good bit during their shifts.  Blake drew the first power play of the game for us doing some heavy lifting down low.  But I was ready for this line to pounce – it seemed like this was the time of game when it happens.   And they didn’t disappoint because their next shift, they had a couple good looks and created some relentless pressure in the attacking end, maintaining possession throughout. It’s like they have a switch they can flip. 
• Special teams played a role in this one – the Canes started out on the power play early (Blaker drawing it).  Overall, the power play looked pretty good – I thought three of the four power plays generated several solid looks, we moved the puck around nicely and were moving our feet to get to different spots on the ice to create some angles towards the net.  Additionally, the net front presence was good most of the night but was noticeable on the power play – Jarvis, Blake, Kotkaniemi (who took one to the face early) and Stankoven all did some heavy lifting down low.  It’s nice to see it all come together some.  Finally – the entry into the zone – that has looked a thousand times better than it had just 10 games ago. 
• The one power play that didn’t really look that great was the one we scored the goal on.  Interestingly enough, we were out of sorts for about a minute to start that power play but ultimately was able to gain entry into the zone and set up – Blake retrieved a puck and sent it to Jarvis, who fed it to Aho and he buried the one timer.  I honestly liked the other three power plays better than this one, but this one is the one that counted.  Tied at 3.
• We had to kill off a couple penalties – five on the night.  One of which went in (outlined above), but we made up for it with 4 other kills and one shorthanded goal that gave us the lead again.  It started with Jaccob Slavin – because of course it does – who steals the puck and sent it up ice to Aho, who started in the opposing zone and eventually sent it up ice to Jarvis on a breakaway and he wound up burying it top shelf blocker side.  What a great shorthanded goal – but even better kill the rest of the way.  Did I mention it was a double minor that we had to kill off.  Kochetkov did have a few solid saves in that stretch.  One additional thing to note – Mark Jankowski played the lion's share of the kill where Jordan Staal would have played.  Such a good addition to the group.  After the kill, it is 4-3 good guys.
• A few things to note in the third period:
• Rod had moved Hall and Jost – making the Robinson-Jankowski-Hall line the defacto 2^nd line and the Svech-Roslovic-Jost the defacto 4^th line.  Robinson and Jankowski played well – Svechnikov wasn’t great – he took two penalties in the 1^st and didn’t really contribute in a way that a power forward should (bring some energy and some physicality dude).
• Anders Lee buried one and we were knotted at 4.  Brent Burns was the issue here – he has played well for several games in a row, but this one left more to be desired.  He did fine on the penalty kill and was OK over all – I need a bit more of the steady play that I have seen over the last few weeks.  A couple turnovers and a couple instances where he was beat.  Just overall underwhelming.
• Dimitri Orlov buried one to make it 5-4 good guys.  But make no mistake, Orlov was no good tonight.  He had plenty of issues defensively (noted above).
• The Islanders had a solid push for stretches, but we were able to hem them in and do what needed to be done.

After around the midway point in this one, it was clear that Blake-Aho-Jarvis needed to be on the ice more.  They were fantastic.  They played some hard, solid minutes of dominating hockey in our offensive end, one such opportunity generated clanged right off the far post by Aho and another one that was saved by their goaltender.  Blake was working hard in the middle of the ice out front.  So much to the good.  Eventually this line sealed things up – and it was a spectacular goal by Seth Jarvis that starts with him keeping a puck in at the offensive zone blue line and got it to Aho.  Jarvis then makes a dash to the net after his feed and Aho puts it right on the tape – a brilliant pass.  6-4 good guys, and that would be our final.

I'd prefer if we had played a little more soundly in net and defensively - the reality is, if we play like that in the playoffs, we're probably cooked.  I don’t really know what to do about the Svechnikov and Kotkaniemi conundrum.  KK has played well in stretches and we have seen Svechnikov do it over the years.  The fact remains, if they can’t get it done when it matters, then what is the point of having them.  I have been a firm Kotkaniemi defender – but his play has been bordering on lazy really ever since his "demotion" against the Predators (up to that point I thought had a pretty solid game).  I am not sure what to do in the short term, but in the long term, it might be worth finding a trade partner for him (and for Svechnikov – for better or worse). 

If I had to dole out 3 stars, it would be:  1^st – Jarvis – his goals were great, but his forecheck and defensive game were outstanding.  2^nd – Aho – he’s starting to find his groove at the right time – that’s 5 points in two games against two teams that are fighting for playoff position.  3^rd- Jaccob Slavin – he was awesome (as he is every night). 

Next up:  The Washington Capitals come to town on April 2.

Hurricanes vs. Canadians – The Recap

The Canes come into tonight having taken their last game on the chin, losing 3-1 to the Nashville Predators, their last game against a team in the Western Conference.  Tonight, the Montreal Canadians would come into town, sitting in Wild Card 2 position – they would be playing with a level of desperation.  They want to make it into the playoffs after coming into the year, in my eyes, as a bit of a long shot.  Make no mistake, though – this team is good.

As for the game tonight – I believe that the Hurricanes need to play with the same fire and intensity they played with the last game against the Predators.  They had plenty of chances and great possession time – keep with that theme and I think it could be a notch in the W column.  Montreal was also going to be hungry, so the idea would be to play a playoff-type game.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• Before the game, there was news that Andrii Svechnikov would be back, contributing where Tyson Jost was.  He drew in.  The rest of the lines remained the same, and Freddie Andersen was in net.
• And the first shot of the game, Josh Anderson early with the snipe - Gallagher wins a board battle, with two Canadians there along with a couple Hurricanes, Josh Anderson was right in the spot in the center of the ice, the puck was fed out to him from Gallagher and he buried it with a one timer.  Eighteen seconds in – Montreal up 1-0 (and I am hopeful this isn’t a sign of things to come).
• Not thirty seconds later, we are tied at 1 – Sebastian Aho wins a faceoff and then gets to the front of the net on the far side.   Jackson Blake was there as well on the near side – Blake taps a Jaccob Slavin offering, which bounces off a stick (Guhle) and skate (Suzuki) from the Montreal Canadians and Blake gets off the goalless streak train.   This game is knotted up at 1.
• We had to kill off two penalties tonight and we were able to do just that.  I have grown accustomed to the penalty kill just doing the job night in and night out, but I really appreciated these kills – both in the first period.  This game was back and forth early on in the first – a goal off either of these penalties were probably going to be a problem for us.
• The Sebastain Aho line (with Jackson Blake and Seth Jarvis) looked real good early on and continued building the momentum through the game.  This is a true top line – all three of them were hounds on the puck.  Jackson Blake and his stick handling with the puck is next level.  They are also so good at recovering when the puck is lost in their own end and getting to the forecheck.  They were all over it tonight, generating some amazing pressure every time they were on the ice (I’ll have more on this line later – they were just so good).
• There appeared to be some early blending of the lines, but they stayed consistent throughout the game.  Svechnikov will likely draw up at some point in the near future, but I liked the way he played with Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski.  I caught them on the bench together talking, getting on the same page – you love to see it!
• The first period was a good first period for us – we limited their chances and had solid possession time.  Montreal had their chances, but overall, I think we played solid defensively and have slowly started to get to our game.
• Our 4^th line is overqualified at this point, given the return of Svechnikov.  I want to highlight Eric Robinson and what he does on the boards.  He works so hard to win battles.  These battles won led to chances, which he, in turn, made himself available for.  He had a couple good decent looks on several good shifts.  
• We went on the power play three times tonight – we had a 5-on-3 for a stretch in our first power play, which generated some decent looks, but nothing to show for it.  Our second power play was just an extension of the first power play.  The third power play is where we hit paydirt.  It really all starts before the power play with Sebastian Aho being an absolute forechecking animal to steal a puck in the offensive zone and fed Stankoven who found a streaking Jordan Martinook – who was tripped before he could fire a laser.  The power play started with a clean face-off win by Aho, and a nice set play with Gostisbehere at the start.  That play doesn’t work, but as the puck was being sent around the boards, Seth Jarvis goes to retrieve, finds Jackson Blake down low – he finds Taylor Hall, who delivers some top cheese, banging home a goal.  The puck movement and the movement of the players – you’re starting to see more of it.  Further, Sebastian Aho is doing much better in the face-off circle in these power play draws.  We had the puck in the zone the entire time – 2-1 good guys!
• I want to highlight the combination of Blake-Aho-Jarvis again, because their dominance when they are on the ice can’t be overlooked.  Defensively, they are only in the zone every so often – but when they are, they are relentless on the defensive end.  Aho, in this game alone, prevented a would-be goal on the goal line and all three were mucking things up (as they often do) in the neutral zone, slowing transition (and in some instances stealing the puck outright).  Jackson Blake has been stellar at getting to the front of the net to create chances, and Aho and Jarvis’s chemistry was noticeable on a goal they scored together.  It started with a great feed in the defensive end by Gostisbehere who found Jackson Blake rushing out of the zone – Blake fed the puck to Seth Jarvis, but in the process had lured over a defender from the Canadians.  This led to a 2-on-1 breakaway for Aho and Jarvis, Jarvis delivering excellent sauce to Aho who buried it.  Sebastian Aho, during that middle stretch of the 2^nd period, completely took over.  3-1 us.
• Logan Stankoven has been all over it over the last several games – he is a mini-Blake, mini-Jarvis in my eyes.  He hounds the puck and isn’t afraid to get to the front of the net.  I love the way he is playing – my hope is that he gets rewarded soon.
• Dimitri Orlov had, what I considered, his best game since the turn of the calendar.  He had one giveaway that he probably would have wanted back (Andersen made a great save to keep it 3-1) and he was shaking his head in frustration on the bench afterwards.  But overall, he had some good physicality, played sound defensively and had some chances at the net.  If this is baseline Orlov for the rest of the season, I’ll take it. 
• I’ll comment additionally on the entire defensive unit of Slavin, Burns, Chatfield, Orlov, Walker and Gostisbehere – each of them contributed in various ways this game but never got away from the defensive side of the puck.  They were also very physical (Walker, Burns and Orlov in particular), which was also awesome to see with the playoffs about three weeks out.
• Frederik Andersen looked solid after the first goal allowed.  He had some good saves in the 3^rd period when the game was still in doubt.  He also had an awesome stop right before the end of the 2^nd period that kept it 3-1 as well.  It was good to see him shake off that early one.  If Kochetkov doesn't figure something out soon, we may be back to seeing playoff Freddie again, for better or worse.

The game felt like a playoff game – and the Hurricanes came out on top.  I didn’t talk much about Svechnikov’s return, but he had a solid game playing with various combinations of lines throughout but sticking with the Robinson-Jankowski line through most of it.  It seemed right.  He did get an empty netter as this thing was wrapping up, sealing a 4-1 win for the Canes. 

We played with a good sense of urgency against a team who needed the win and were desperate.  Overall, I thought we dominated the game for much of the back half of the 1^st.  The clear tilt of the ice was in the 2^nd period, where we had loads of pressure – culminated with two goals that were a direct influence of Sebastian Aho (generating the pressure defensively to get to a power play and the third goal from the sauce from Jarvy).  If I am delivering stars, I’d give the slight edge to Sebastian Aho, because of how he took over that 2^nd period – he was the best player during that stretch, and it wasn’t particularly close.  The second star would be Jackson Blake – a 3-point effort will do that (I was thrilled he got the first star, but honestly, it would have been fair to give him the second star).  It was great to see him get off the schneid.  And Freddie Andersen would be my third star - he was good when he had to be and kept the Canadians off the scoresheet after that initial snipe.   Great effort by the boys and a solid win in the ledger.  Continue to stack points.

Next up:  The Islanders come to Lenovo Center on March 30. 

Hurricanes vs. Predators – The Recap

Fresh off their win in Anaheim, the Hurricanes got a chance to start a new win streak – the Hurricanes welcomed the Nashville Predators to Raleigh.  While it’s a home game for the Hurricanes, this would be an extension of the road trip, as the Hurricanes are coming across the country from California and playing just two days later. 

This would be the homecoming game of sorts for Brady Skjei, who spent a few seasons with the Hurricanes.  A lot has been said about his return, and about Mark Jankowski playing his former team – all that said, I do think this connection point may be overstated a touch.  I enjoyed Skjei playing in a Hurricanes uniform, but he wasn’t a cornerstone.  He was well liked by the team, so I do get the excitement of him being back in the building.

Tonight, the job is simple – continue to stack points.  Play a Hurricanes hockey game – that is, get to the forecheck, keep hounding the puck, generate traffic out front and defend well in the zone.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• All line combinations stayed the same – Pyotr Kochetkov was in net.  Goes with the saying “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”.  I support this decision.
• Over the course of the night, all lines had decent chances, but you could tell early on that Juuse Saros was going to be a Rubix Cube in net tonight for the Predators.  He made a couple dynamite saves early on, and that play continued through the night.
• Early on, we had to go to the penalty kill – Dimitri Orlov was whistled for high sticking, so we head to the kill.  And throughout the kill, we looked good – in fact, it wasn’t until :30 left in the first kill that the Predators were able to set up.  From there, they ended up scoring – it was a shot by Brady Skjei that was a little wide of net, but Kochetkov came out to make a play on it.  The puck slowed off his skate and landed directly behind him – where Michael Bunting picked up the loose change and cashed it in.  The other two kills – textbook.  One mistake involving two former Hurricanes get this one started, though – 1-0 Predators.
• I had a few notes on just how well the Roslovic-Kotkaniemi-Hall combination played together tonight.  They had a great bump up shift and later in the 1^st had a great chance in front that Saros was dead to rights on, but the puck rolled just a little on Roslovic.  I was impressed by three things –
• The passing of the three as a unit – these three seem to know where each other are at all times.
• The body positioning of all three (Hall in particular, but the others do it well too) to maintain puck possession.
• The net front these three give at any given time – they are always in motion in the offensive zone and it’s usually one retrieving and the other two awaiting a pass – one in the slot and one on the doorstep.
• Stankoven-Staal-Martinook also had strong shifts this game – with Stankoven and Martinook doing a lot of pick pocketing and backchecking to get possession of the puck.  Stankoven is such a menace out there, but he also had a couple excellent opportunities to score from his office, either just missing or getting saved by Saros – again, he was good in net for them.
• Our fourth line of Jost-Jankowski-Robinson looked solid in the time they were out to play – generating chances throughout.  With the score 1-0, Tyson Jost had one that clanged right off the post that would have tied it – sadly, this lead to a breakout chance for the Predators, who were able to enter the zone with some speed during a partial line change and buried one.  Evangelista had an awesome move once he got out front to wait out Kochetkov and then sneak it in behind him.  It could have been 1-1, instead it is 2-0 bad guys.
• We had three power plays on the night, and we were able to cash in on one – it started great, where Jackson Blake was able to turn a face-off loss into a win, the puck went back to Gostisbehere for a real good chance.  Blake was good all night on the power play, but didn’t factor in on the goal – Gostisbehere, noticing Hall coming with speed down the boards, feeds Jarvis (who has the IQ to pull this off) and does a tap pass to Hall who drives to the front of the net and waits out Juuse Saros and buries the puck.  It was a great move by Taylor Hall.  I’d love to have him here for a while, but I have some questions about roster construction if we do – that’s another blog for another day, though.  The other power plays weren’t very good, but the goal on the first one makes it a one goal game.  Hurricanes down 2-1.
• The parts of the line of Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake were very good –together, they generated a ton of chances.  They were dominating zone time and puck possession, which really started in the 2^nd period, although they had some decent looks in the 1^st.  Jackson Blake was, once again, amazing tonight – he just couldn’t settle down the puck enough at times to get shots off.  But he was doing Jackson Blake things the bulk of the night – being a back pick menace, a stalwart in the neutral zone, and a great distributor to his teammates as well.  Seth Jarvis was also very good defensively when called upon and had a couple nice looks that he couldn’t cash in on.  This line was its typical self but failed to cash in on opportunities presented – again, Saros was great (noticing a theme yet?).
• More on the 4^th line – this line is going to be even better once Svechnikov comes back because Jost will be out and someone from a higher line will come down.  I can almost feel a little bit of a call for a Stanky/Janky line – both those dudes like to park it in front, but both can also distribute to a net front.  I saw Jankowski do it several times, just missing on some great feeds out front. 
• I want to pause for a minute in this blog and throw about ten minutes of advertisements because my hands are having "Technical Difficulties".  If you don’t understand what I speak of, you probably weren’t watching the game in the 2^nd period – with about two minutes left, FanDuel Sports Network – the ONLY place any of us in Raleigh can watch the game – has Technical Difficulties – so we are unable to see one of our power plays (probably for the best – from the people watching it live that I was talking to a little bit, that power play stunk).  I will be happy when FanDuel Sports Network is no longer in my life.  I put up with it because I love the Hurricanes, but the minute the Hurricanes find a new partner is the minute I stop paying into any programming that includes this disaster of a “Sports Network” – Mike, Tripp and Shane are all paid by the team (I think Hannah might be as well, but not sure) – they would come with.  It was awful as Bally’s; it’s just the same pig with a different dress.  Shut this down, please.  Rant over.
• The elephant in the room that can’t be ignored – tonight wasn’t Pyotr Kochetkov’s best outing.  He gave up three goals on sixteen shots.  The power play goal they scored – inexcusable.  He doesn’t even have to make that save there – the puck was sailing past the net.  He essentially came out to make a play on it, only to put it right in the spot needed for Bunting to cash in.  The second goal of the night was one where I have grown accustomed to seeing Pyotr poke check that puck, but he kind of just fell face first when Evangelista made his move and eventually buried it.
• Pyotr eventually gave up a third goal, where it was essentially a 5-on-3 – I wasn’t aware that the Lenovo Center allowed spectators on the ice, but that is precisely what Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield were on the goal – the second of the night for Evangelista.  I am not exactly sure what happened with Chatfield – he is typically on a man.  It is entirely possible he lost his man, expecting Taylor Hall to win a board battle.  As for Jesperi Kotkaniemi – he was out there kind of just skating around, looking all sorts of out of place.  In a vacuum, it was very weird to see and you could easily call for his benching/demotion.  But then, if you rewind the game for about six minutes of play time, you’ll notice that Rod decided to bump Jankowski up with Hall and Roslovic and KK moved down to play with Robinson and Jost.  I am not trying to make excuses for KK – but I did think he played well overall – for him to get the shaft so that Jankowski, a 4^th line center, could get more minutes – I thought that was just a bad idea.  And I still think it is a bad idea.  Fans are excited about Jankowski, calling him better than Mikko Rantanen – it’s absurd.  Jankowski plays against 4^th line players typically and is a higher end player on that sort of line.  To have him play up against 2^nd liners was not his best use, and further, it could have created some confusion with Kotkaniemi on how he slots in, which isn’t ideal just eleven games away from the playoffs.  I know Jesperi is a professional athlete, and he needs to just play where he is asked.  He didn’t deserve to be bumped down so that Jankowski could get more opportunities.  Figure that out another time.

We pulled Kochetkov for the last 3:30 of the game but couldn’t generate a goal.  Sadly, this one would go down as an 'L' in the win/loss ledger.  I thought for most of this game, we were the far better team, generating chance after chance from all four lines.  But Juuse Saros was better than Pyotr Kochetkov, and that was the difference. 

I know there is a desire to get Jankowski out there a little more – and against his former team, that seems like a fun time to do it.  But that didn’t seem like the right time to bring out the blender, down 2-1 in a game we were dominating for large stretches.  I guess this is why I am not a coach.  We aren’t going to win them all but generating any points this time of year is a big deal.  Unfortunately, tonight wasn’t that night.

Next up:  A home date with the Montreal Canadians.

Hurricanes at Ducks – The Recap

Before I jump into this game and its recap, I do want to mention there is a glaring omission – the recap to the 7-2 demolition of the Hurricanes by the Los Angeles Kings.  I was unable to watch that game real time and couldn’t re-watch prior to the Ducks game.  Sometimes, when friends are in town, that will take priority.  

My thoughts on that game overall – we were probably due for a game like that.  I don’t want to over think it – clearly the Kings were ready to play and, with multiple players out of the lineup, it was going to be an uphill climb for us anyway.  It is interesting that the two times we played the Kings, we were dealing with illness within the team.  

Anyway, this blog will be recapping the game against the Ducks.  And going into that game, the message was simple – flush that last game and move on.  We can’t expect to win every game – ideally, we are stacking points until the playoffs, but we are going to give up a game or two.  It’s going to happen.  Stick with the recipe valuing puck possession and zone time and leave Anaheim with a win.

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• Whatever the illness was in the locker room, it seemed to be short lived because all our lines were back to “normal”.  The defensive pairings also stayed the same.   Freddie Andersen took care of the goalie duties – it was his turn in the rotation.
• I thought the Martinook-Staal-Stankoven (our starting combination in each of the periods – minus the 3^rd because we were on the kill) were solid.  There were some good chances in the 1^st period with this grouping.  Stankoven had several real good shifts in a row, including one where he had an awesome opportunity out front that Dostal essentially stole from him.  All three were very solid defensively throughout the night but also hounds on the puck in the offensive zone and generated solid net front throughout.  Stankoven is a major pest out there – and I love seeing it.
• The Blake-Aho-Jarvis line was also good – generating several chances throughout the game and hounding the puck in the neutral zone as well and solid puck movement when we were attacking.  This line drew a penalty as well, which was good to see.
• The Ducks played a pretty physical game with us – it seemed like they were the aggressors far more than we were when it came to big hits.  To our credit, Aho did rack someone in the boards pretty good (cleanly), so it wasn’t all Ducks in the big hit department.  That is going to be the name of the game come playoffs – physicality is going to play a role.
• We had to kill off six penalties during this one – it taxed us a bit, as one can imagine.  But we ended up killing all of them off.  A few things about the 20% of time we were down a man tonight:
• Eric Robinson and Mark Jankowski are going to be relied upon to kill penalties from time to time.  They were both out there during a double minor.  Continue looking for Rod to send them over the boards these last few games to give them some additional time when we go to the kill.
• Sebastian Aho had three breakaway chances in the game – all three seemingly on the penalty kill.  He was a complete dawg on the kill throughout the game.
• We can say what we want about Brent Burns – but since the Four Nations event, he’s been solid.  Good work with his stick to break up several plays during the evening, but also to log the tough, grinding minutes of a penalty kill.
• Staal and Martinook are typically relied upon to do the lion's share of a kill – tonight was no exception.  My concern – the grind of the season on their legs may start to take a toll on them.  Ideally, we give them a little breather, especially if we have three groupings of forwards that we are comfortable with out there killing for us.
• Our best penalty killer – Freddie Andersen – was dynamite most of the way.  On the kill – he was dang near perfect.  He moved very well in the crease, had good hands and made great blocker saves as well.  Awesome work by him.
• We wrapped up the first period tied at zero, and it felt about 50/50, although the Hurricanes did have stretches where we dominated puck possession and zone time.  Maybe it was more of a 65/35 split in our favor.  The Ducks had something for us, but we did well overall.
• At the start of the 2^nd, we got right back to zone time and the puck possession piece that have been critical in our recent play. 
• I started to notice the Roslovic-Kotkaniemi-Hall line a lot more at the start of the second period, buzzing around and creating chances.  I think this line is the straw that stirs the drink (well, the KK/Hall combo – who knows where Roslovic will end up once Svech is back).  Hall and Kotkaniemi have built quite the rapport since they have teamed up on a line – both distribute to each other as if they have played together for years.  As this combo goes, we go with them.
• We opened the scoring with our 4^th line – these guys have been working great together.  Jankowski won the draw and went straight to the net front.  Gostisbehere retrieved the puck sent over by Eric Robinson, who was working hard to win a battle.  Ghost shipped it to Jost who sent the puck towards the net, where Jankowski was waiting behind the goal line with his long reach to redirect the puck with the backhand into the net.  1-0 Hurricanes. 
• A few minutes elapsed and the Ducks got a breakaway – we had been going up and down the ice for a couple minutes by this point.  Alex Killorn brought the puck down the ice with some pace.  Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker were in position to break up a potential pass, but Killorn shot 5-hole and he knotted the game at one a piece.  Andersen didn’t seem to anticipate that the puck was going to be shot.  Tough one to let in there – that one could have been saved.  1-1.
• A word about Shayne Gostisbehere.  Everyone knows that he is an “offensive defenseman”.  He works most effectively in the offensive zone, handling pucks and creating chances.  That said, he was in good position on the goal that tied it and he had some other solid defensive plays that broke things up for the Ducks.  Of course, he also blasted a puck that ricocheted off the back boards and onto Jordan Martinook’s stick for a great looking, hardworking goal by Marty.  But it starts with the blast and entry from Ghost.  2-1 good guys.
• We went to the power play three times tonight, netting one goal – all three of the power plays looked solid, with good puck movement, good pace and ultimately good opportunities.  The goal we scored (our 3^rd power play of the night) was set up by Jackson Blake getting some space out front, where his shot was kicked out and Taylor Hall found the rebound and buried it.  The top unit has been building something over the last couple games – it’s nice to see one finally hit the back of the net.  3-1 good guys. 
• The first star of the game in my eyes was Freddie Andersen – he let a goal in late for the Ducks to make it 3-2 (it was a rebound chance that was stuffed in by Zegras), but overall, he was really good.  He had quality saves all evening and really put the game away when we extended the lead to 3-1.  While we played well through two periods, the boys did not look as good in the 3^rd period, giving away numerous opportunities to a surging Ducks group.  Freddie was up to the task every time.
• The game wraps up on a great goal by Taylor Hall not 45 seconds later in the 3^rd period (after we had given up the goal for them to make it 3-2).  Taylor gets another tally on an empty netter and (checks the numbers) secures the hat trick, his first as a Carolina Hurricane.  I can’t fault the powers that be for giving Hall the first star, given he did seal the victory with his three-goal output – I am just of the opinion that Andersen played like a man possessed and willed us to victory.

With the Kings game behind us and a win under our belt, we wrapped up our road trip with a 3-1-0 record, gaining a 6 of a possible 8 points.  Keep stacking the points boys.

Next up: A home date against the Nashville Predators.

Hurricanes at Sharks – The Recap

Sharknado Night!!  The Carolina Hurricanes were riding high heading into the night, winners of seven straight and looking to add to that total against, what I believe to be, an up-and-coming San Jose Sharks team.  We had beaten them earlier in the season in our building and I know the results have not borne it out so far this season, but this is a good young team with a lot of talent, headlined by none other than Macklin Celebrini.  We can’t take this game lightly.

Tonight was all about consistency in my eyes.  A road trip out west could mess with some of the body clocks, but otherwise, we should stick to what is working – winning 50/50 battles, forechecking, and playing sound defense.  

Below are my thoughts on the game:

• Word was that Dimitri Orlov would be back in to draw a start this game, and that is what happened.  While Scott Morrow has played well in his last few games, if the plan is to play Orlov in the playoffs, we need to see what he has and to ensure he is game ready.  As a sidebar to this – it was reported that Alexander Nikishin would be able to head to the US early and start his process of signing his entry level contract (ELC).  While I am excited to see him play, I firmly believe he won’t be playing come playoff time – his motivation for coming over is to get year one of his ELC burnt so he can be one year closer to the big pay day everyone is expecting.  So, calm down everyone – we’ll see him next year.
• The forward lines stayed the same, with Aho’s line taking the draws to start the periods (except the 2^nd, which we were on a penalty kill).
• Frederik Andersen was in net, as expected.  It was his turn in the rotation.  Early on, he looked to be dialed in, turning away a few shots.
• All four lines seemed to generate solid offensive zone chances, and it appeared we were valuing puck possession.  By the middle of the 2^nd period, we were dominating possession in the offensive zone – and it continued throughout the night.  While the Sharks did get their chances, as in the Philly game, they seemed to be few and far between after the 1^st period.
• With all that said, the 1^st period did seem even.  We looked as though we were trying to get our legs under us and get into the flow of the game.  We had a few mistakes during the latter half of the 1^st period that didn’t really hurt us, but we also had some solid zone time with possession, stacking good shifts on top of each other – overall, I’d say it was a bit of a mixed bag.
• The power play was, again, not great – the first power play of the night we gave up a couple odd man rushes the other way.  And the second odd man rush, they made us pay.  Our 2^nd power play unit was on the ice, with William Eklund rushing towards the goal with a teammate on a 2-on-1 and Brent Burns defending.  Burns dropped to the ice to take away the pass but in the process tripped Eklund, all while Eklund made a motion to shoot the puck to the net.  Eklund wipes out, ended up wiping out Freddie and the puck slid through with the net popping off.  The goal counted, as it should have, and it was 1-0 bad guys.  This is what the power play has become for us – we’re on the edge of our seats to just get through it, to go back to 5-on-5.  Not great.  The 2^nd power play (which we had in the 3^rd period) was a lot cleaner – good puck movement and zone time, but no results. 
• I want to take some time to focus on the “top line” – the Blake-Aho-Jarvis combination.  It is no secret that I have wanted this group of forwards together since Four Nations.  It took a bit, but we got there.  The rationale behind this is simple – it is a very comparable line to what Guentzel-Aho-Jarvis gave us last season.  Blake has a long way to go before he is Guentzel, but he plays such a complementary role to what Jarvis and Aho can do, it’s a natural fit.  And they were dominant yet again last night, not just on the scoreboard, but overall.  Some of the highlights of their game as a unit:
• Aho drew a penalty after some stellar zone time early in the 1^st period (this is what put us on the first power play of the evening).  During that shift, a shift that felt like a minute in their end, Blake had a couple solid chances that just missed to open the scoring.
• Aho had a couple good moments physically – he is the bigger frame on that line, so I guess it might be something that we need to come to expect a little.  Not saying he should be or will become an enforcer, but he probably will play a little bit more of a physical game.
• After the penalty kill at the beginning of the 2^nd, this line had another good shift that Jarvis just missed on a chance out front.
• The work in the neutral zone led to a couple chances for the boys on this line – they truly are pests out there. 
• Jarvis finally breaks through with a goal from the high slot – the puck was kept in the zone by Jackson Blake, who sent it deep.  Aho tried to feed it out from below the goal line, but it hit the bottom of the net and was touched up by a Shark, who lost it to Jarvis – Jarvis wasted no time and buried it – tied at 1.
• Speaking of the neutral zone, Jarvis was being a menace when he ended up stealing a puck and feeding Blake for a forehand, backhand beauty – sadly, he was a tick offsides because Jarvis had to hold the puck just a tick longer than he would have liked, so the goal was disallowed.  Either way, great pressure again by the boys on this line.
• Aho buried a one-timer from Jackson Blake – they both were working defenders off them cycling (Aho high, Blake low) – Aho found a clean space up top on the ice and parked, where Blake fed him and Aho fired away.  2-1 good guys.
• Final thing I’ll say about this combination – the defensive work they do in the defensive end can’t go understated either.  They don’t spend a lot of time there because of the way they work to ensure offensive zone time and the havoc they create in the neutral zone, but when they are in the defensive end, it isn’t for long – they handle their business.  Anyone saying to break THIS line up when Svechnikov comes back to insert Svech on this “top line” is clinically insane.
• It seemed like every time I looked up and saw the Kotkaniemi line out there (with Hall and Roslovic), they seemed to be stacking good shift after good shift – playing with pace in the offensive end, generating chances and working hard to get to spots.  This line was rewarded with a + in the plus/minus column, where Taylor Hall worked hard below the goal line to retrieve and then get out of the area with possession.  He found Sean Walker set up top in a one timing position to bang it home.  Great net front traffic by Kotkaniemi as well.   This all was after a penalty kill – this line always is the bump up after a kill.  Great complementary work by this line and great snipe by Walker!
• Knowing that Jack Roslovic can play up with Kotkaniemi and Hall (and it is probably more natural for him) is a bonus for us.  I suspect that Andrii Svechnikov will slot back on this line once he is back.  And if that doesn’t work, we know that Svech can play with the dads and Stankoven (or Roslovic) can move up.  He has looked decent with those two over the last few games.
• I felt as though it took about 30 minutes of game time to actually get to our game.  Once Seth Jarvis broke the seal, it didn’t feel as much of an ‘if’ we were going to win, more like a ‘how much’ we were going to win by.  While the Sharks generated chances and had good pushes in stretches, we were dominant in puck possession, zone time, shots on goal and defensively mucking it up wherever they had possession.
• Some 4^th line love – they didn’t play a ton (maybe 8 minutes and change for Jankowski and Jost), but they looked good when they were out there.  I get it – you can’t expose them too much on the road – but I think this line was still noticeable in a positive way in the chances that they got.
• Our penalty kill was solid again.  Just steady work by the boys on those kills.  That includes Eric Robinson, who is now essentially our 5^th penalty killer.  And he looks good doing it – he has a bit of an offensive flair to go along with Aho.  Solid work by those two. 
• We had to kill off a massive 6-on-4 late in this one (with about 3:30 to go).  The group of Slavin, Martinook, Burns and Staal killed the whole thing and then stayed on for another 45 seconds or so due to icings that we had no choice but to commit with the empty net there.  Mammoth effort by all four, but Jaccob Slavin had some exquisite stick plays – this man is a defensive unicorn.
• Freddie Andersen was great in net again – it seems more and more like him and Kochetkov are in a friendly competition to see who can have the better performance.  Freddie couldn’t do anything about the goal that was given up – this one could have been a shutout if not for a trip on William Eklund.  Saved 24 out of 25 shots – he was the difference in this game.  When it was still 1-0 them, he made save after save to keep it a one goal game.   He should have been the 1^st star.  Excellent work!

3-1 would be the final.  Early on, as mentioned, it really felt as though we were struggling to get to our game – it wasn’t crisp.  We generated some chances and had good zone time, but it seemed as though we weren’t quite in the fight until Jarvy blasted his goal to tie it. 

That makes it eight straight for this team – and five straight since the deadline. 

Next up:  A date in Los Angeles to take on the Kings.