After a four-game road trip, including three games in California, the Carolina Hurricanes returned home to the Lenovo Center Tuesday night (March 25). They played host to the Nashville Predators in the last game of the regular season series. It was a special night as Brady Skjei returned to Raleigh for the first time since signing with the Predators in the offseason. Furthermore, Mark Jankowski played his former team for the first time since March 7. There were storylines within the storylines as the Hurricanes started their four-game homestand. After the final horn, the Predators won 3-1 in Raleigh.
Game Recap
The Hurricanes threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at Jusse Saros in the first period, but he stood tall for the Predators. He managed to stop all 11 shots the home team threw at him. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, former Cane Michael Bunting was able to cash in with six seconds left on the Predators’ power play to make it a 1-0 game. Pyotr Kochetkov thought he had the puck, but it slowly went behind him and into the crease, where Bunting was able to tap it in. It’s not something you want to see from the NHL’s top penalty kill unit. After one period, the Predators led 1-0 even though the Hurricanes outshot them 11-7.
Related: Taylor Hall’s Hat Trick Helps Hurricanes Take 5-2 Win Over Ducks
The second period saw the Hurricanes get on the board with a power-play goal from Taylor Hall, his third man-advantage goal since the Philadelphia Flyers game on March 15. It was his seventh with the team and 16th goal of the season for the 2018 MVP. What made the goal more special was that Seth Jarvis notched his 200th NHL point with the primary assist. What a milestone moment for the Winnipeg native. However, the Predators added another one when Luke Evangelista made it a 2-0 game before the Hall goal. After two periods, the Hurricanes outshot the Predators 27-9 (including 16-2 in the second period).
The third period saw Evangelista score his second of the game. Saros stood tall all game for the Predators as he had an answer to every Hurricanes shot. The Hurricanes threw whatever they could at the netminder, but they could not figure him out. Shots were 6-5 Nashville in the final period. In the end, the Predators swept the season series with the Hurricanes with a 3-1 win.
Almost to the End of March
The Hurricanes (43-24-4) continue their four-game homestand with a game on Friday, March 28, against the Montreal Canadiens (33-27-9). Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern as the Hurricanes look to build on their home record with less than 11 games left in the regular season. Regarding the Predators (27-36-8), their next game is on Thursday, March 27 at home against the St. Louis Blues (37-28-7) as they look to secure divisional points.
