In-Game Notes: Carolina Hurricanes vs Nashville Predators

 Hurricanes’ Allen scores winner in 4-3 victory over Predators

 

The Carolina Hurricanes managed to put together a gritty 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday night.One day after the NHL trade deadline had passed with the Hurricanes not...

In-Game notes, video, photos:

One day after the NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, an inactive and active player in the sweepstakes meet as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Nashville Predators at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday night.

The Hurricanes stood pat on Trade Deadline Day while the Predators made some significant moves as they picked up Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal and Paul Gaustad from Buffalo.

Kostitsyn will be in the lineup at the RBC Center on Tuesday night, but Gaustad will not as a scratch.

Puck drops in 5 minutes.

1st period:

 

Opening faceoff - Carolina vs Nashville - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC

• Bowman-Sutter-Nodl start for Carolins and get a good shift in
• Tlusty-Staal-Samson get another shift in as play moves back and forth
• Emergency call-up Zach Boychuk starts on a line with Jeff Skinner and Jussi Jokinen
• Just 2:42 in Nashville's Craig Smith scores on a goalmouth scramble after Matt Halischuk shoveled a pass through the crease in front of Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward
• Nashville leads 1-0 with 14:31 to play
• Predators outscoring Carolina 4-1 but the Hurricanes are making a surge
• Nashville goaltender Anders Lindback being kept busy by Tlusty-Staal-Samson who pepper him with shots to tie up both teams' shot attempts at 4-4 with 12 minutes to play
• Fourth line work by Derek Joslin-Tim Brent-Anthony Stewart work another shot on goal
• Predators' Jack Hillen takes a penalty at 10:44 and the Hurricanes have their first PP of the game
• Hurricanes try to work a pass to Justin Faulk on the PP - he's been dangerous on the off-wing lately there
• Hurricanes have had to regroup in gaining the zone a few times on the PP as Nashville has dumped the puck down the ice numerous times
• Carolina goes 0-1 on the PP so far tonight - Predators still lead 1-0 with 8:27 to go
• Shots tied at 6-6- for both teams as Nashville starts to establish some offensive pressure in the Carolina zone
• Big bodies on the Predators defense keeping the Hurricanes forwards busy
• Samson manages to tip a shot that Lindback has to be sure to contain for a faceoff to his right with 5:47 left in the period
• Boychuk getting some regular ice time and manages to get a shot on during his shift with Skinner and Jokinen

Boychuk-Skinner-Jokinen set up in neutral zone - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting

• Hurricanes now have outshot the Predators 9-7 but still trail 1-0 and trying to crack Lindback
• Ward is still being kept busy as he makes a save that deflects the puck into the stand with 3:21 remaining
• Next shift has Skinner letting a big shot on Lindback that gets turned away as Bowman-Sutter-Nodl come on to continue to apply the offensive pressure in the Nashville zone
• Just over minute to play as Tlusty-Staal-Samson force the Predators to ice the puck
• Faceoff to Lindback's left with 1:23 to go
• Predators clear the puck and head into the Carolina zone but Faulk is there to clear it up ice
• Nashville's David Legwand takes a high-sticking penalty on Faulk and the Hurricanes are on the PP at 19:00 - second opportunity for the Hurricanes this period
• Staal tries to feed Faulk but he fans on the shot
• McBain has two different attempts to beat the keeper but can't finish either - he passes it to Staal who bobbles it as the period ends
• At the end of the first period, Nashville still leads 1-0 but not to lack of effort on the Hurricanes' part as they outshoot the Predators 13-8

2nd period:

•  Hurricanes start the period on the PP still - try to set something up with Faulk at the point but the Predators clear it out
• Nashville takes another penalty and will extend Carolina's man-advantage to two men
• Colin Wilson takes a penalty and off the ensuing faceoff McBain tees one up but Lindback comes up with a big pad save
• With another set-up McBain lets another shot go but this time Lindback grabs the puck with his trapper
• Another line for the Hurricanes get a try on on the PP as Samson-Skinner-Brent have a go at it and get  a few shots on
• Nashville however did get an odd-man rush down but with no consequence to Carolina
• PP established again in the Nashville zone as Tlusty-Samson-Boychuk out there as the penalty expires
• Both teams at even-strength as Predators still lead 1-0 with 16:24 to go
• As play continues on from end to end, Hurricanes continue to pressure Nashville
• With the fourth line of Joslin-Brent-Stewart on, Stewart drops a pass to McBain who finally scores his 7th of the season on a shot from the point that finds space between Lindback's pads
• Tie game 1-1 with 13:43 remaining in the period
• Approaching the eight-minute mark, the Hurricanes continue to keep the pressure on the Predators' Lindback with another shot on goal as Carolina outshooting the Predators 8-0 in the period so far
• With under 10 minutes to play the score is still tied 1-1 and Nashville can't seem to establish any offensive rhythm to keep the puck in the Hurricanes zone
• After some grinding in the Hurricanes zone, Nashville's Jordin Tootoo and Colin Wilson turning the puck over behind the net
• As McBain turns to head up-ice, Wilson picks the puck away from him and gets a shot on Ward and is unchallenged on the rebound
• Wilson scores unassisted on the backhand shot that beats Ward over his left shoulder - Nashville leads 2-1 with 7:29 to play
• Penalty call on Nashvilles Andrei Kostitsyn puts Carolina on the PP again
• It takes Staal only a matter of seconds to connect on the man-advantage with assists going to Skinner and Jokinen - Staal cleans up on Skinner's wrap attempt that didn't quite make it through Lindback's pads
• Tie game 2-2 with 6:56 left in the period as Staal tallies his 19th goal of the season
• Some shaky defensive play as Jay Harrison fans on a clearing attempt near the Carolina blue line, but he manages to move it ahead
• Predators trying to take advantage of the few opportunities they have set up in the Carolina zone but to no avail as the Hurricanes turn the play up-ice

 

Second period action - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC

• Samson breaks in-between Shea Weber and Ryan Suter to try to get an open look on Lindback before being hooked by Weber
• Hurricanes are on the PP once more and it doesn't take long as Time Brent from Skinner and Jokinen comes up with arms raised on the crease scramble that resulted in the puck entering the net
• Play is 'under review' - it is ruled a goal - Carolina leads 3-2 with 2:36 to go in the period
• After the ensuing faceoff, Nashville established puck control in the Carolina zone and get a few chances to tie it
• Hurricanes' Bryan Allen takes a slashing penalty with 39 seconds left in the period
• Nashville tries to score on their first PP of the game but can't as time winds down as the second intermission begins
• After two periods of play, Carolina now leads 3-2 and are outshooting Nashvile 26-13 for the game so far

3rd period:

• The Predators put on the pressure and manage to get two shots off on Ward during the remainder of their PP but can't convert on anything
• As Allen comes out of the box after serving his penalty, Eric Staal clears the puck out of the Carolina zone and both he and the puck meet at center ice
• Allen storms in on Lindback and scores his first goal of the season to put Carolina ahead 4-2at 1:28 into the period
• Nashville gets the puck back into the Hurricanes end and score once again on a scrambled play in front of Ward's crease as Gabriel Bourque got two cracks at putting the puck in the net less than a minute later at 2:18
• With a 4-3 lead, Carolina's Sutter has a two-on-one rush with Samson but they can't convert on the feed to each other on the crease - 15:40 to play in the period
• Nashville starting to take more direct shots at Ward as he has to be sharper on point shots coming at him while the defense is still allowing shots from the middle to low slot area - big save by Ward on a pinching Ryan Suter with 14:09 left 
• Suter gains the zone for Nashville and sets one up to Weber who unleashes his 100+ MPH shot that Ward gathers into his pads - Hurricanes still leading 4-3 with 13:27 to play
• Carolina coach Kirk Muller puts out the line of Joslin-Sutter-Stewart to take some physical pressure off his top lines and they get the job done for 45 seconds
• Muller continues to juggle lines as Tlusty-Staal_Nodl come out to take a shift
• Even with the regular line change Nashville is still managing to get shots on net and keeping Ward busy
• The Predators Patric Hornqvist takes his team's 25th shot of the game at Ward while lunging at him afterward
• Following the crease scuffle, play resumes and shortly after Nashville's Mike Fisher takes a hooking penalty to give the Hurricanes another PP at 8:50
• With the PP Stewart and Boychuk get some ice time with Tlusty and manage to get a shot on Lindback from the point
• Hurricanes don't score on that man-advantage but burn valuable minutes in the Nashville zone as they still lead 4-3 with under eight minutes to play in the period
• Carolina getting more aggressive on the forecheck but Nashville still getting the puck into the Hurricanes zone with shots on Ward from the point
• Carolina returns the favor as Sutter fires a high one towards Lindback at the other end
• Sergei Kostitsyn gains he zone and tries to stick handle through the defense before letting go a weak backhand shot on Ward - Hurricanes still leading 4-3 and outshooting Nashville 32-27 with 5:47 to play
• Nashville continuing to move the puck around better this period but can't manage to keep from icing the puck and getting resultant faceoffs in their end
• Carolina working hard to clear the puck down ice quickly and often with 4:21 remaining
• Hurricanes' defensive play in front of Ward is still shaky as stick checks narrowly break up potential game-tying set-ups by Nashville
•  Good old dump n' chase hockey is Carolina's style right now in holding onto the lead - 4-3 with 2;13 to play
• Puck in Nashville zone now as Staal-Tlusty-Nodl play chase
• Nashville gets a big point shot away on Ward as he has to make a big save to keep the lead at the 1:22 mark
• Predators with the extra skater on the ice as faceoff is deep in Carolina zone
• Hurricanes manage to clear it down once and after the following ensuing faceoff
• Lindback is back in the net as the faceoff moves to neutral ice and then he heads to the bench
• Carolina pressuring the puck as Staal feeds it to Brent in the neural zone - he misses the empty net
• Hurricanes holding on and win 4-3 - outshooting Nashville 33-29
• Carolina wins it 4-3 on Allen's breakaway goal

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