The Carolina Hurricanes have a tendency to underplay some of their weaker opponents, and tonight was no exception. Following a five-game winning streak, the Canes fell to the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Saturday, Feb. 25.
The Hurricanes (39-11-8), who have all but clinched a spot in the playoffs, settled for an embarrassing loss against the Ducks (19-34-7) despite outshooting them 53-15. Goaltender Frederik Andersen recorded his fourth loss of the season, posting a measly .800 save percentage from the crease.
“Play that game 10 times, you’re gonna win nine of them,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “When you get beat bad, it’s easier to move on… Pretty much everybody had a chance. It was a bunch of great opportunities, we just didn’t put it in.”
In a sleepy game from start to finish, Carolina was never able to put Anaheim in its place. The “jazz line” — centers Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho, alongside right wing Andrei Svechnikov — didn’t put out a single point, capping the Hurricanes’ win streak at five games.
Goals from center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and right wing Jesper Fast in the third frame kept the Canes alive, but even a last-ditch, 6-on-4 attempt after Aho drew a penalty couldn’t save Carolina from itself. The Hurricanes failed to capitalize on any of the four power plays they were handed, much to the the chagrin of an amped-up crowd expecting an easy win over the Ducks.
“We had our chances, and we played hard all night long,” said defenseman Jaccob Slavin. “It was just one of those games that bounces sometimes don’t go your way, and so you take the positives from it and move on.”
Anaheim goaltender John Gibson’s contributions can’t be overlooked — the 29-year-old saved 51 of 53 shots, effectively halting Carolina’s progress on the road to the playoffs. Additionally, Anaheim centers Ryan Strome and Trevor Zegras tallied two assists apiece across the team’s first two goals, giving the Ducks a much-needed edge heading into the final 15 minutes.
“Anybody can beat anybody in the NHL,” Brind’Amour said. “I don’t know that we got ‘beat’ tonight, I felt like it was just — it was the way it went, but they got great players over there. On their goals, they were all high-end plays.”
Carolina will be on the road for its next two games, starting with the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, March 1. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m.
