Canes Corner

Brandon Bussi made 28 saves as he carried the Canes to a 2-1 win over the Islanders in the final game of the regular season.  Called into action when the Hurricanes were informed that they could not activate Pyotr Kochetkov before the game, Bussi turned in one of his best performances of the season.  That is came the night after his best game of the post Olympic schedule should give the head coach something to think about as he decides on his Game 1 starting goalie for the series against Ottawa.  Nikolaj Ehlers scored the game's first goal and Mark Jankowski got the game winner late in the 3rd period.  The Canes finish with 53 wins, 113 points and the second best record in the NHL.

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The Canes only needed one point to clinch the home ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs and they got that in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers.  Bradly Nadeau and Nikolaj Ehlers scored in the 1st period.  Brandon Bussi made 21 saves and the Canes dragged the game into overtime.  Jackson Blake could have scored a half dozen times -- including ringing an overtime try off the left post -- but it wasn't his night.  K'Andre Miller also hit the post in overtime as the Hurricanes did everything but score after the first period ended.  Carolina now waits to see who will be the second wild card in the conference between Boston and Ottawa.  Also, Pyotr Kochetkov was activated from the injured list and should start the season finale in New York against the Islanders.

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The Hurricanes beat the Mammoth in Utah, 4-1, as Freddie Andersen made 26 saves and Jordan Staal scored his 20th goal of the season.  Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho also scored, as Andre's career high 31st goal got Carolina on the board first on the power play.  Aho's deflection of a Shayne Gostisbehere point shot pushed Carolina's lead to 3-1 with less than 5:00 to play in regulation.  Sean Walker scored into an empty net, but it was one of his best -- and feistiest -- games with the Hurricanes.  Carolina is now just 1 point away from clinching home ice throughout the eastern conference playoffs. 

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The Canes rested 7 regulars and still battered the Blackhawks, 7-2, at United Center.  Logan Stankoven and Mark Jankowski scored two goals apiece, Will Carrier had 3 assists, and Frederik Andersen made 23 saves in the win which lowers the Carolina magic number to 3 over the Buffalo Sabres. Stankoven also had an assist on the Taylor Hall goal.  K'Andre Miller and Sean Walker also found the back of the net in the win.  Carolina up to 108 points with 3 games left to play.

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The Canes beat the Bruins, 6-5, in overtime, wrapping up the Metropolitan Division title with 4 games left to play.  The Hurricanes have 106 points, a 4-point lead over Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Montreal in the race for the number one overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 4 games left to play.  It was anything but standard in the Canes' final regular season game at home.  Defensive breakdowns and some shaky goaltending allowed Boston to score 5 times -- three by former Hurricanes forward Morgan Geekie.  But, Boston had their own issues in goal as the Canes scored five times in less than 30 minutes on Jeremy Swayman and Boston pulled him in favor of Joonas Korpisalo who was great in relief.  That is until Jaccob Slavin's first goal of the season won the game for the Hurricanes in OT.  Andrei Svechnikov, K'Andre Miller, Logan Stankoven, Will Carrier and Taylor Hall also scored for Carolina in the win and Brandon Bussi won his 30th game of the season.  The Hurricanes have now won at least 50 games in 4 of the last 5 seasons and they are division champions for the 4th time in the last 6 years.

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The Hurricanes had a chance to wrap up the Metropolitan Division with just 1 point in the game at Ottawa.  Alas they lost 6-3.  They scored first through Logan Stankoven on the power play.  Andrei Svechnikov gave them momentum with a great individual effort goal at the end of the opening period in a 2-2 game.  But, that was it as puck management issues and mental mistakes cost them any chance at a win.  The only positive was Taylor Hall's 300th career goal.  

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The Canes twice fought back from a goal down, but then hung on for a 4-3 win over the Islanders.  The win pushes Carolina to 104 points and gives them a magic number of 1 to wrap up the Metropolitan Division.  That can happen Sunday in Ottawa.  Seth Jarvis scored his first 5-on-5 goal in 24 days as he scored Carolina's first and last goals.  He also set up Sebastian Aho for a go-ahead shorthanded marker in the 2nd period.  That was the Hurricanes' 12th shorty of the season, which leads the NHL.  Jackson Blake's 22nd goal of the year tied the game for the second time.  Brandon Bussi made 13 saves for his 29th win of the year.  

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The Canes raced out to a 3-0 lead after the first period and cruised home to a 5-1 win over Columbus.  The win put the Hurricanes into the playoffs for the 8th consecutive season.  Logan Stankoven scored twice.  Alexander Nikishin registered his first NHL shorthanded goal.  And Andrei Svechnikov's 3rd period  goal extended Carolina's streak to 8 straight with at least one power play goal.  Carolina is 12 for their 25 with the man advantage during the run.  The penalty kill went 3 for 3 and has now erased 19 of the last 20 enemy power plays.  Frederik Andersen made 9 saves in the win.

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The Canes scored 3 power play goals and Brandon Bussi made 23 saves as they beat the Blue Jackets in Columbus, 5-2.  The win pushes the Hurricanes to the 100 point mark for the 4th time in the last 5 seasons and lowers their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to 3.  In addition, Carolina has a magic number of 7 to win the Metropolitan Division for the first time in 3 years.  Shayne Gostisbehere, Logan Stankoven and Andrei Svechnikov each scored power play goals and Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and three assists as he set a career high with his 40th helper and tied his career best mark for points in a season with 64.  Among Bussi's 25 saves were several glorious pad saves on Marchenko and Sean Monahan.  

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For the second time in three games the Canes lost a game that they probably should have won.  But, in each, they could not adequately solve Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes and ended up on the losing end.  Last Tuesday in Montreal, the Hurricanes scored the first 2 goals and had more than 60% of the high danger scoring chances only to lose 5-2.  Sunday, at Lenovo Center, it was more egregious as the Hurricanes piled up 100 shot attempts and outchanced the Habs by nearly 3 to 1 only to come away with 1 goal.  Andre Svechnikov scored Carolina's only goal, his 26th -- on a 1st period power play -- that snapped a 5 game goal drought. Freddie Andersen didn't allow a bad goal, and made some very good saves, but has stopped just 29 of 36 shots in going 0-2-0 over his last two outings.

Brandon Bussi's best start since the Olympic break helped the Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the Devils.  Carolina fell behind 1-0 on a first period Timo Meier goal, but they roared back with 3 goals in the 2nd period as Nikolaj Ehlers, Jackson Blake and Jordan Staal each scored.  Ehlers rang up his 13th in 22 games against the Devils.  Blake's gave the Canes the lead they would never give up.  Staal's deflection of an Ehlers pass gave him 19 goals on the year, just one shy of his season high with Carolina.  Shayne Gostisbehere returned from a lower body injury and scored his 12th goal of the season and has 45 points in 46 games this season.  Bussi made 17 saves in winning his 27th game of the year and the win helps the Canes complete a 4-game season series sweep of the Devils.

The Hurricanes scored twice in the first 7 minutes, but couldn't build on the lead and ultimately fell to the Canadiens, 5-2, in Montreal.  Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Staal scored about 4 1/2 minutes apart in the 1st period as the Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead.  But Oliver Kapanen's high slot deflection bounced through Frederik Andersen to cut the lead in half and the Canadiens scored the next four goals for the win.  It was one of those games where you don't play as poorly as the score indicates, but a loss is a loss and the Hurricanes will have to sit on this until they play at home against the Devils on Saturday.

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Alexander Nikishin's first NHL overtime goal gave the Canes a 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs.  The Canes did not score a 5-on-5 goal in the win.  Jordan Staal scored on the power play -- deflecting home a Seth Jarvis shot; Eric Robinson converted a penalty shot; and, K'Andre Miller scored a shorthanded goal -- all in the 2nd period.  Brandon Bussi snapped a personal 3-game losing streak with 23 saves in the win.  The Canes lead the Penguins by 10 points in the division race.

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Sean Walker's overtime goal sent the Canes to a 6-5 win over the Penguins, pushing Carolina to an 8-point lead in the Metropolitan Division.  Walker's 7th goal of the season with about a half minute left in OT moved the Hurricanes to a 2-point lead over the Sabres in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. It was a nice, normal game through two periods, with Carolina ahead, 2-1.  But, the Penguins scored 4 times and actually had their first lead after Ben Kindle scored to make it 5-4 with just under 5 minutes to play.  K'Andre Miller's pass in front of a crowded net caromed off of Pittsburgh defenseman Parker Wotherspoon and past Stuart Skinner to tie the game and set up Walker's OT heroics.  

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The Hurricanes gave up a pair of power play goals in the 1st period and never really got going in a 5-1 loss to Columbus.  Andrei Svechnikov scored a 4-on-4 goal in the 2nd to cut the lead in half.  But, when Danton Heinen scored after his collision with Brandon Bussi behind the net left the Hurricanes goalie sprawled on the ice to make it 3-1 the Canes never recovered.  Should that collision have resulted in a Columbus penalty?  Would it have mattered anyway?  Nicolas Deslauriers made his debut as a Hurricane and got into a fight, so there's that.

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The Canes scored twice in the 3rd period and Frederik Andersen won his 3rd straight as Carolina beat Tampa Bay, 4-2.  Saturday night was the third and final game of the season series with the Bolts, and the victory gives the Hurricanes a 2-1-0 record against the Lightning and they also have a 6-point lead over them for home ice advantage should they meet at any time in the playoffs.  Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho each had a goal and an assist.  Jordan Martinook's 9th goal of the season snapped a 2-2 tie midway through the 3rd.  And Logan Stankoven scored into an empty net as the Canes maintained a 9-point lead in the Metro over the Penguins and Islanders who each won as well.

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The Hurricanes lost to St Louis, 3-1, at Lenovo Center on Thursday night.  Carolina wasted a dominant first period in which they could have scored 3 or 4 times but only saw Mark Jankowski find the back of the net.  Jordan Binnington made a dozen saves in the first period as the Canes piled up 8 Grade A scoring chances but it didn't translate to the scoreboard.  Brandon Bussi made 15 saves but has now lost consecutive starts for the first time in his career.  The loss means the Hurricanes remain 9 points ahead of the Penguins and Islanders in the Metro and 2 ahead of the Sabres for the Eastern Conference's overall top seed.  

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The Canes beat the Penguins, 5-4, in a shootout in a game that featured 10 total power plays, 71 shots on goal, 2 6-on-5 goals and a failed 2-on-none.  The Penguins leave town with their 15th overtime/shootout loss of the season and the Hurricanes opened up a 9-point lead in the Metropolitan Division.  Frederik Andersen is now 5-1-3 in his last 9 starts -- 3-1-0 since returning from the Olympic break.  

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Carolina closed out the 4-game road trip with a 5-4 loss in Calgary.  Brandon Bussi's 9-game losing streak -- actually, his second 9-game slide -- came to an end.  Bussi's puck management struggles continued as he gave the puck away for the 1st and 4th goals.  Seth Jarvis, Sean Walker, Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov each scored in the loss. 

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The trade deadline came and went without Carolina making the big splash so many wanted to see.  Then the Canes went out and drowned the Oilers with their defense.  Jaccob Slavin gave Connor McDavid 4 Nations Faceoff flashbacks, putting in a 25 1/2 minute masterclass of a defensive shift on the greatest player in the world.  McDavid had an assist on the opening goal, but he was very much held in check.  Slavin, paired with Jalen Chatfield handled him most of the time.  K'Andre Miller and Sean Walker were also great against him.  We'll talk about Nikolaj Ehlers and the fit with the Captains and dig into the trade deadline.  

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Nikolaj Ehlers registered his second hat trick of the season, while Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho each had a goal and an assist, as the Hurricanes beat the Canucks, 6-4.  Aho's 2nd period goal gave him 60 points on the season, making him just the 8th Finnish-born player in NHL history to have amassed 8 60-point seasons.  Jari Kurri, Teemu Selanne and Mikko Rantanen are the other 3.  Brandon Bussi allowed 4 goals on 22 shots, but he keeps winning.  The Bus has 25 wins in his first 29 starts and is on an 8-game winning streak.  However, he has a .829 SV% in his last 6 starts -- which all happen to be victories.

The Hurricanes saw their 5-game winning streak come to an end as they fell to the Seattle Kraken, 2-1.  The Kraken scored both of their goals in the 1st half of the second period as a couple of breakdowns led to grade A scoring chances.  Nikolaj Ehlers got the Canes on the board late in the 2nd period, pouncing on a loose puck and ringing the bell for the 16th time this season to make it a 1-goal game heading into the 3rd.  But, Carolina just couldn't generate enough from their 36 shots on goal and 83 (!!!) total shot attempts and the game fizzled out at the end.  Frederik Andersen started his second consecutive game for the first time since before Thanksgiving, but wasn't able to stack back-to-back strong performances in losing.  It snaps his personal 6-game point streak.

The Carolina Hurricanes took down the Detroit Red Wings, 5-2, as Taylor Hall and Shayne Gostisbehere each had a goal and two assists and Frederik Andersen made 27 saves.  It was the 5th straight win for the Canes -- which ties a season high.  Carolina is also on a 12-game point streak (10-0-2) and, as a result, moved ahead of Tampa Bay into the top spot in the East with 82 points.  Andersen is 3-0-3 in his last 6 starts, Jackson Blake added a goal and an assist and Sebastian Aho's power play goal gave him 5 goals in his last 6 games.

The Hurricanes got off to a flying start, lost a 3-goal lead, but buttoned up the 3rd period in a 5-4 win over the Lightning.  It starts the final 25 game stretch on a great note for Carolina, who maintains their 8-point lead over Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division.  The Logan Stankoven line was on fire in the first period, scoring twice and tying the Lightning in knots.  But, Carolina was a bit of a defensive mess -- and if we're being honest, a bit fortunate to not be trailing in the game -- and it wasn't until Sebastian Aho's 3rd period power play goal that they assumed control over the game.  Jaccob Slavin and K'Andre Miller were stellar in the 3rd period and Brandon Bussi saved his best for the 3rd as the Canes pull even with the Bolts on 80 points for the East's top seed.  It was Bussi's 24th win of the season.

The Canes and goaltender Brandon Bussi agree on a 3-year contract extension.  We discuss that, the roster work still to do before the trade deadline and the incredible Olympic hockey quarterfinals.  Oh, and I also spent about 15 minutes on the phone with The Bus himself.  Enjoy!