The Carolina Hurricanes played one of their better games on Thursday (Nov. 30) versus the New York Islanders. By all accounts, they dominated throughout the game, outshooting the Islanders 43-16 and keeping them to single digits through every period of play. In the second period alone, there was less than five minutes to go in the frame when they got a shot on goal.
However, the Islanders capitalized on those limited shots and won the game in overtime, 5-4. The Hurricanes had to dig deep to force overtime and secure a point, and it begs the question – what went right and what went wrong? Here’s a look at this wild night in “Raleighwood.”
Hurricanes Dominate, But Islanders Capitalize
The Hurricanes were so dominant in this game that the Islanders only had three shots in the second period. Unfortunately, they scored two goals on those three shots. In the end, the power play let the Hurricanes down, once again. The penalty kill did their job going 3-for-4 on the night. However, the power play was 0-for-3 and allowed a shorthanded goal to Simon Holmstrom to tie the game for the Islanders. Pyotr Kochetkov had a night where he needed to make key saves especially since the shot totals for the Islanders were under 18 for the game.
Jekyll and Hyde Situation in Carolina’s Crease
The goaltending has been brilliant on some nights, like on Tuesday, Nov. 28, versus the Philadelphia Flyers, but then have nights like they did versus the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, Nov. 24 losing 8-2. There seems to be a disconnect, and it’s not on one individual or position. The defense has improved over the last few games, but they are still struggling.
The Hurricanes have a team .867 save percentage – the worst in the NHL (the Edmonton Oilers are next at .874 SV%). Last night, Kochetkov had a .688 SV% after stopping 11 of 16 shots from the Islanders. Against the Flyers on Tuesday, he had a .966 SV% after stopping 28 of 29 shots. The Hurricanes seem to build off of games where they seem to have figured it out, but then cannot string more than two or even three games together for an extended winning streak.
Related: Hurricanes Goaltending is at a Crease Roads This Season
When asked about Kochetkov, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said, “He knows he got to have a couple saves. That’s the difference. You can’t go through a game without giving some Grade-A opportunities. So, he just has to get a few of those, and he will, he has, like the other night. We just got to get that consistency in that position, and I think we will be in good shape.”
The Hurricanes need consistency in the net. They are like Jekyll and Hyde – holding a team to under 20 shots a night is phenomenal. However, the opposing team shouldn’t have scored five goals.
By no means is all of this on the goalies, but they do need to make the saves and right now they are not. It’s been an ongoing problem this season where they have great games but as mentioned before, the save percentage is not good. The defense has been better over the last few games, but they need to help the goalies out more. Nonetheless, the goalies need to make the saves the team is used to seeing them make in previous seasons.
The Hurricanes won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in 2021-22, in part, due to the stellar play from Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Andersen is out due to blood clots, and there is no timetable for his return. Raanta has a winning record and has an otherworldly record at PNC Arena. However, his SV% is .854 after playing 10 games, and all three Hurricanes’ goalies are under .900 this season.
Hurricanes Dug Deep to Force Overtime
Despite the unfortunate shots-to-goals ratio, the Hurricanes did not fold when it got tough. They stayed in it and fought for the point. Captain Jordan Staal scored a big goal to give his team a 2-1 lead a little over two minutes into the second period. Jack Drury seems to have found his scoring touch as he tallied his second goal in the last two weeks. He tied the game 3-3 just 39 seconds into the third period.
Related: Hurricanes Prospect Jack Drury Is Generating Lots of Buzz
The moment that really defined how there is no quit in these Hurricanes was when they scored a very late third-period goal to force overtime. The Islanders had a 4-3 lead after scoring 6:41 into the period on a power play goal from Kyle Palmieri. The Hurricanes had chance after chance to get the tying goal but Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov stood tall all night, and he deserves credit for playing a solid game.
Sebastian Aho — the Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho — was in the right place to get a loose puck in front of Varlamov and sneak it through the five-hole to tie the game 4-4 with 2.5 seconds left on the clock (the scoreboard actually read :00.7 seconds left.) Ultimately, they earned a point but lost in overtime on a Mathew Barzal goal.
When I asked Brind’Amour about his team forcing overtime, he said, “That’s what I’m taking out of it. It’s easy to fold like a tent on a lot of occasions with how the game was going. It most certainly wasn’t going our way. We had a chance to win it with [Brady Skjei] making a great end-to-end play. They made a big save, and they came the other way. That’s hockey, so, but I have to give the guys a lot of credit. It’s one of those tough games where you’re doing everything right and nothing. You’re getting zero reward out of it. They stuck with it. That’s the positive.”
The way they forced overtime — and how Brind’Amour gave the guy credit — shows that while they lost the game he loved the way the Hurricanes played. It was just not their night, especially in the NHL where there are some games that teams should have won but do not.
Looking At the Hurricanes’ December
After 22 games this season, the Hurricanes are now 13-8-1 with 27 points. They are one point ahead of the Washington Capitals, who have only played 20 games. The Hurricanes are six points back of the Metro Division-leading New York Rangers ,who have 33 points. Their next game is on Saturday, Dec. 2 versus the Buffalo Sabres at home at PNC Arena. It’s back to a normal 7 p.m. Eastern on Bally Sports South.
As we turn to December, the team has six home games compared to eight games on the road. Next week, they will start a Western Canadian road trip which ends with the Ottawa Senators and the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 12 and Dec. 14. The Hurricanes still sit in the top three of the Metro Division.
