The Carolina Hurricanes officially kicked off their six-game road trip on Friday, Oct. 18, with a dominant 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a total team effort that saw the special teams thrive and some players stay red hot while also setting career milestones. On a night to catch momentum before going out west, the Hurricanes flexed their muscle and gave fans hope for what this team could do for the 2024-25 season.
Stay Red Hot, Blake & Gostisbehere
Going into the 2024-25 season, few probably thought that this duo would be red hot to start the first three games. If you asked anyone, some would say Sebastian Aho or Andrei Svechnikov would be putting pucks in the net early, however, that is not the case. The players whose teammates call “Blaker” or “Ghost” have been en fuego for the Hurricanes with back-to-back games scoring goals. Jackson Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere are the only players on the roster with two goals with a few having only one. While they don’t lead the team in points (Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi do, with three), that is still something to feel good about.
Related: Hurricanes Notebook: Blake Scores First NHL Goal, Six-Game Road Trip, & More
Blake, getting assisted by a great pass from Eric Robinson, was able to net his second of the season by slamming home a quick one-timer from the right corner of the goal that found its way on the far side of Penguins’ netminder Joel Blomqvist to tie the game 1-1 in a quick response. Early on in the season, it is clear that head coach Rod Brind’Amour and the coaching staff are putting faith in the teams’ “fourth line” because of the production that line has put up already. There was some concern about how a line with Blake, Robinson, and Jack Drury would fair with a rookie and a newcomer but so far it’s been rolled out quite a bit. This is beneficial for the Hurricanes who can roll out four lines every game and not put so much pressure on the top six to do everything. Being able to have depth-scoring will go a long way, especially in an 82-game season where the expectations are not as high as last season with the roster turnover.
Gostisbehere has been playing like he never left before the 2023-24 season where he went to the Detroit Red Wings. He’s already notched two goals and has been stellar on the defensive side of the ice by breaking up plays. Furthermore, the way he plays alongside defensive partner Sean Walker has been an underrated facet of the Hurricanes so far this season. The new blueline duo, making an average annual value (AAV) of $6.8 million combined, have been playing like they’ve been together for multiple seasons. When watching the games so far, there is clear communication between the two even when in the offensive zone.
There were times during the Penguins game when Walker would pinch down to the red line by the goal and Ghost would stay high in case the puck broke out and vice versa. The way these two have already shown what they can do three games in and with an AAV of $3.6 million (Walker) and $3.2 million (Gotsisbehere) it gives the team and fans a sense of relief that the “Ghost Walker” pairing will be really fun to watch for the next three seasons at least.
Milestone Moment for Kotkaniemi
In a season that is make-or-break for Finnish forward Kotkaniemi, a start like the one he is on now is a great confidence boost for the 24-year-old. Entering year three of an eight-year, $4.82 million AAV deal comes with a lot of pressure, especially when being tasked as the second-line center on a team where there is a clamoring from the fanbase for a legit 2C. Kotkaniemi through three games is tied for the team lead in points with Necas at three, all assists. He has hit the post a couple of times already and has had some quality chances but unfortunately, netminders have had other plans.
Despite being snakebitten on goals, he has been playing some great defensive hockey and using the body to keep opponents off the puck. On Gostisbehere’s first goal versus the New Jersey Devils, Kotkaniemi muscled his way to get the puck off the boards and find Necas behind the net who eventually found the defenseman who ended up scoring the goal.
Related: Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi Is in Make-or-Break Mode for 2024-25
During the game versus the Penguins, Kotkanimei kept up his physical play by throwing the body for some huge hits and board battles. He ended up assisting on the Blake and Jack Roslovic goals. The two assists were milestone-setters as he now has 100 assists for his NHL career. Moments like this can be a boost for a guy’s confidence and one has to hope that this could push “KK” this season with five more games to go in the Hurricanes’ six-game road trip. Just the way he has been playing so far this season gives hope that he has found his reset button and just plays how he knows he can play.
Congrats on the milestone moment, Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Special Teams Were Special
One quick note from the Penguins game is that the Hurricanes’ special teams came into the game needing a boost after being 0-for-5 on the power play and 7-for-10 on the penalty kill going into the matchup. The power-play was hot as they were able to notch not one, but two man-advantage markers to go 2-for-4 in the game. Also, the penalty kill unit did its jobs versus the Penguins. Carolina ended up going for a perfect 5-for-5 in the game shutting down Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and company en route to a huge 4-1 win over a division rival. That is the stuff that fires teams up just one game into a 12-day road trip.
Going Through the Arch
The Hurricanes finish up the second half of a back-to-back versus the Western Conference’s St. Louis Blues in St. Louis, MO on Saturday, Oct. 19. The game is set for a 7 p.m. Eastern puck drop. The game will be aired on Bally Sports South with Mike Manicaclo and Tripp Tracy being on the call. Furthermore, the radio side of the game will be on 99.9 The Fan for those who aren’t able to watch the game. Can the Canes win once again to have a three-game winning streak before going out west to Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest?
