The 2023-24 regular season has finally started for the Carolina Hurricanes. On Wednesday, Oct. 11 the Hurricanes hosted the Ottawa Senators at PNC Arena to kick off the new season. Coming into the game it was not clear if the Hurricanes would go with 12 forwards and six defensemen or the rare 11-7 setup. In the end, Carolina played with seven defensemen on opening night with Brendan Lemieux as the healthy scratch. After the team was announced and the puck was dropped, the game between the Hurricanes and the Senators was what someone would describe as a show for the ages. Carolina won the game 5-3, but how did they get there?
Scoring a Plenty for Carolina
Carolina ended up having scoring all over the lineup on Wednesday. The Hurricanes had five different goal scorers in the game. After a slow start in the first period, where they finished the period down 1-0 after an early Senators goal, the team seemed to be finding their groove going into the intermission. It did not take long for them to get on the scoresheet as Michael Bunting scored the first goal of the season for the Hurricanes.
What made the goal even more special was that it was on the powerplay, which Carolina wanted to work on in the offseason. Bunting grabbed a rebound after being in the right place, at the right time to tie the game early in the second period. They took the lead late in the period after a goal by Teuvo Teravainen after just getting the puck past an outstretched Jonas Korpisalo. Coming into the last year of his current deal, a fast start is what Teravainen needed in a contract season.
After Carolina went into the second intermission up 2-1 on Ottawa, there was a feeling that the momentum was in favor of the Hurricanes. That was evident as the Hurricanes captain, Jordan Staal, only needed 20 seconds to double the lead in the third period. Carolina was pressuring in the Senators zone and got the puck to Staal who was able to use some silky moves to backhand the puck past Korpisalo to make it 3-1.
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However, that lead disappeared five minutes later after the Senators scored two goals in 35 seconds. Parker Kelly cut the Hurricanes lead to one after getting a shorthanded goal. Not long after, Tim Stutzle tied the game up 35 seconds later. The puck bounced off of a linesman and the Senators capitalized on Frederik Andersen still trying to get sorted after the Kelly goal.
After the Stutzle goal, there was a tense feeling in the arena as the Hurricanes 3-1 lead vanished in a blink of an eye. However, Carolina bounced back into the lead off of a slapshot by Brady Skeji that went off the post. The man who had a career-high in goals last season with 18 continued right where he left off. Skjei along with Brent Burns led the defense in goals with 18, which as a unit set the franchise record with 59, so it was a sight to see the defense continue their scoring ways.
It seemed like after the Skeji goal everyone on the Hurricanes wanted to get in on the scoring. Almost four minutes later, they were on the penalty kill after a phantom high-sticking penalty that was called on Brett Pesce. Down near the Senators’ goal line, Jaccob Slavin was able to grab the loose puck and fire it on the net. The puck managed to sneak past Korpisalo on a beautiful snipe to double the Hurricanes lead once again to 5-3. The Slavin goal was a nifty shorthanded goal to counter the one that Ottawa scored earlier that period. In the end that proved enough as the Hurricanes won the game 5-3.
Hurricanes Penalty Kill Stays Clutch
Over the last couple of seasons, it was well-known that Carolina has the best penalty kill in the whole league. The penalty kill unit would genuinely be first or within the top three in the NHL. On opening night, the Hurricanes showed once again why they were the best as they finished the game a perfect five-for-five on the night.
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It goes to show that special teams, especially the penalty kill, will be one of the main X factors for the Hurricanes every single season. If they can keep this up, there is no reason why those units can’t be number one in the league this season. Once the powerplay can get going like the penalty kill, at least top ten in the league, the Hurricanes will be a deadly force this 2023-24 season.
What is Next for Carolina?
Overall, what a rollercoaster of the night for the Hurricanes and their fans. Between shorthanded goals and highlight-reel saves, this game was the epitome of hockey truly being back. The Hurricanes will now go on the road for a six-game, two-week road trip on the West Coast and Tampa Bay before coming back home on Oct. 26 versus the Seattle Kraken. The North Carolina State Fair happens this time of year so that is why the team will play one game at home to start the season and then hit the road for a couple of weeks.
The next game is against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 21.
