With 16 games going on around the NHL in one night, Canes fans tuned into their tvs hoping to witness an eventful end to a six-game road trip. Instead, Caniacs fans everywhere saw the Hurricanes get shutout for the first time this season.
The Carolina Hurricanes (3-4-0) traveled cross-country from Seattle to Tampa Bay, forcing their players to adapt to a quick time change before taking on a Lightning (3-2-2) team that is 3-0-1 at home so far this season. With this loss, the Canes finish their road trip 2-4 and have lost their last three games in a row.
In the first period, it appeared to be an even matchup between the two squads. Center Sebastian Aho was cleared to play and took the ice for the Canes, looking to improve on his one-goal season so far. However, just over 19 minutes into the period, Tampa Bay got on the board first.
The goal, scored by Tampa Bay center Brayden Point, came during a Lightning power play. Carolina — which was known for its penalty kill last season — has struggled to keep that reputation in check this season. The Canes let three power play goals slip past during a matchup against Colorado on Oct. 21, in addition to two against Seattle on Oct. 19.
A 1-0 lead is easy to come back from, but the Canes could not get the momentum on their side this game. The second period saw another point for the Lightning, this time off of a tip-in right in front of netminder Pyotr Kochetkov. Kochetkov stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced, finishing with a .870 save percentage by the end of 60 minutes of play.
Heading into the final period down 2-0 is not the end of the world, especially considering that the Canes finished the second period with 11 shots on goal compared to the Lightning’s six. Nonetheless, another goal by the Lightning — and none from Carolina — sealed the shutout and put the final score at 3-0.
Small errors will continue to hurt the Hurricanes as the season progresses, just as they did against Tampa Bay. While having a deep defensive roster might look nice on paper, it should be translating over to the icetime and the statistics. The Canes had a total of 37 penalty minutes by the end of the game, a dramatic difference compared to the Lightning’s 17. Stopping the power play goals starts by staying out of the penalty box and keeping all the men needed on the ice.
Next up, the Canes travel back to Raleigh to play two games in two days. The first game is set for Thursday, Oct. 26 with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. against the Seattle Kraken.
