Follow me on Twitter:
@BenShelley_20
Follow HockeyBuzz Hurricanes on Twitter:
@HB_Canes
The Carolina Hurricanes wrapped up their four-game homestand with a shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday, falling 4-0.
After a relatively slow first period, Jordan Martinook took the first penalty of the game early in the second frame. While the Hurricanes did kill it off, just after the power play ended, Mikhail Sergachev found Steven Stamkos at the side of the net and Stamkos slid the puck through Pyotr Kochetkov, putting the Lightning on the board. Then after the Hurricanes couldn’t get anything going on a power play of their own a little later, Brayden Point banked a puck off Kochetkov’s skate and in from behind the goal line, making it a two-goal game. Things then got chippy with a couple of scrums to end the frame, beginning after Sebastian Aho fell into Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Carolina did come out strong in the third period to try to climb back into the game, building a bit of momentum. Midway through the period though, Brayden Point went down the other way and roofed a great shot over Kochetkov, pretty much putting the game out of reach. The Hurricanes pulled Kochetkov early to try to tie it later, but Alex Killorn iced the game with an empty netter.
With the loss, the Hurricanes end their homestand with a disappointing 1-2-1 record. They failed to really put together any complete games and despite a really high quality of competition, it’s a disappointing stretch.
It still wasn’t necessarily a poor effort though, outshooting the Lightning by a pretty large 31-21 margin. At the same time, the shots may be slightly misleading as the actual number of quality chances exchanged seemed to be much closer.
In more injury news: Stefan Noesen was hurt and did not return, following a hit on Nick Paul. The good news is he was back on the ice for practice today, which is a huge positive. Losing Noesen as well, who’s been an excellent addition for the Hurricanes this year, would’ve been yet another really devastating injury for the team.
Following the loss, Pyotr Kochetkov was also reassigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. With Antti Raanta returning, this likely solves the question as to whether Kochetkov could possibly work his way into the starter's crease for the postseason.
The Hurricanes don’t have much momentum right now, having gone 4-5-1 over their last 10 games. This was a great opportunity to prove they can still really compete against top teams despite the injuries up front but the results didn’t necessarily inspire a ton of confidence.
They’ll be back in action tomorrow, when they face the Detroit Red Wings.
Poll Maker
OTHER ARTICLES FROM MARCH
Can the Hurricanes overcome Andrei Svechnikov’s season-ending injury?
Hurricanes overcoming adversity to stay atop Metropolitan Division
Hurricanes getting mixed results during difficult homestand 
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»