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The Carolina Hurricanes split their back-to-back set on the road to start the week, beating the Washington Capitals on Monday, before falling in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday.
The Hurricanes got off to a strong start against the Capitals on Monday, with Derek Stepan burying a puck in close to give the Hurricanes an early lead. Then a little later, Martin Necas took a pass from Vincent Trocheck off a rebound to score, putting Carolina up 2-0 after 20 minutes. Tom Wilson got Washington on the board in the second period but three goals in seven minutes from Sebastian Aho, Brett Pesce and a second goal for Martin Necas extended Carolina’s lead to 5-1. Brady Skjei added one more in the third period, on route to a 6-1 Hurricanes win.
Carolina struck first once again against the Lightning yesterday, with Nino Niederreiter burying a nice pass from Jordan Staal. Alex Killorn evened the game early in the second period on a power play though, kicking off a back-and-forth frame. Seth Jarvis scored off a nice tip to put Carolina back on top but Victor Hedman responded only about a minute later, picking a corner from a good location. However, Sebastian Aho tipped in a nice shot in close a little later, putting the Hurricanes back up by one before the end of the second frame. Carolina was outshot 12-5 in the third period though and Brayden Point tied the game once more, burying a rebound to send the contest to overtime. In the extra frame, Jordan Staal was called for a hold and the Lightning took advantage, with Steven Stamkos scoring the overtime winner.
It was a really positive performance against the Capitals, with the Hurricanes limiting chances throughout the game (especially in the first and third periods) and once again, converting on their chances.
However, the second half of the back-to-back wasn’t quite as strong. The Hurricanes really didn’t get much going other than in the second period and while the holding call in overtime was pretty brutal, the reality is Carolina was probably lucky to through regulation.
Overall though, three out of four points during a back-to-back on the road against some strong competition isn’t bad. It’s a good outcome for the Hurricanes and keeps them quite a ways ahead at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
In other news, the Hurricanes have also signed Noel Gunler to an entry-level contract.
Inked 🖊ï¸
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 30, 2022
The #Canes have signed Noel Gunler to a 3-year, Entry-Level Contract!https://t.co/uk33uZQIUh
The contract kicks in next season and will carry a $862,500 cap hit. Gunler will join the AHL’s Chicago Wolves for the remainder of the season.
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QuizMaker OTHER ARTICLES FROM MARCH
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