 |
| Carolina Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
---
The Carolina Hurricanes host the Ottawa Senators at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday.
The Hurricanes are trying to right the ship, following a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday and have had four days to prepare for a hot Senators team.
Ottawa is on a two-game win streak that has resulted in eight goals scored against the Washington Capitals (3-2) and Montreal Canadiens (5-1).
Special teams will be the area to watch as Ottawa boasts the sixth-best power play in the NHL while the Hurricanes are struggling in the 25th spot with the man-advantage.
On the penalty kill, the Sens are fourth-best in the league currently while Carolina sits in 26th spot.
Dan Ellis will start in goal for the Hurricanes while the NHL's Player of the Month, goaltender Craig Anderson starts in between the pipes for the Sens.
---
1st Period
- Right after the faceoff, Drayson Bowman goes to the box for boarding - just 13 seconds in
- Senators get to work right away but Patrick Dwyer and Jordan Staal work to get it down the ice
- On the dump in from Dwyer, Andreas Nodl gets a shot on goal coming off he bench to help on the PK
- After a scramble in their zone, Carolina clears it down the ice and kills the penalty off successfully
- Strong shifts from the Hurricanes lower tiers as Nodl and Chad LaRose get some chances on Anderson
- Joe Corvo joins in with a few shot from the point as the Hurricanes make line changes and keep the puck in the Ottawa zone
- Alexander Semin rips a shot from the slot that Anderson deflects away
- As the puck circulates around the zone, Semin gets another chance but Anderson stays sharp, turning another one - Carolina outshooting Ottawa 6-4 at the 13:54 mark
- Ottawa's Mark Methot goes off for hooking and the Hurricanes get their first chance to show off their updated power play lines
- Jussi Jokinen skating with Eric Staal, Alexander Semin, Jiri Tlusty and Joni Pitkanen
- Carolina hasn't been able to generate many chances on Anderson with the extra man and both teams return to even-strength
- Carolina's had to keep their checking lines busy as Bowman-Jokinen-Dwyer and LaRose-Brent-Nodl are marking the Sens top lines - the chess match continues
- EStaal drops a pass for Semin at the top of the circle to Anderson's left and the Russian tees another shot up that Anderson turns away - Hurricanes still outshooting the Senators 10-4 with 8:28 to play
- Last minute of play has been pretty pedestrian - flowing, not too fast, not too slow - a couple of shots here and there as both teams seem to be pacing themselves
- Senators playing a trap forecheck with one in deep and four in the neutral zone - 2-2 formation and Carolina not allowed to penetrate with any momentum
- Off the forecheck, Ottawa's Jim O'Brien takes a shot on Ellis and the Hurricanes netminder makes the stop by coming out and challenging the shooter on the angle
- Hurricanes start a few sequences with the faceoff in the Sens end but Ottawa clears it each time
- Carolina finally gets on the board as Semin throws the puck towards the net from the high slot and EStaal tips it in over Anderson's shoulder with 4:15 left in the period - Carolina leads 1-0
- Defenseman Joe Corvo earns an assist on Staal's goal who's on four-game point streak now
- On another shift, Semin-EStaal-Tlusty get the puck into the zone and Semin tries to break through two defenders, but can't
- Patrick Dwyer picks the puck up behind the goal and tries a wraparound on Anderson, but the Ottawa goalie gets a pad on it.
- At the other end, Ellis is playing a solid, save/rebound game that his team is doing a good job of clearing rebounds on as the Hurricanes are outshooting the Senators 15-12 as the period ends
---
2nd Period:
- Ottawa comes out with a little more energy on the first shift but Methot takes a hooking penalty at 19:08, putting Carolina on the power play early on
- Skinner takes a shot from the faceoff circle to Anderson's right and he makes a glove save and tips it over his net
- At the other end, Ellis has to make a save from the Ottawa PK
- Semin looking really comfortable as he stickhandles the puck at the top of the Ottawa zone near the blue line
- Staal gets a clean shot on Anderson, but it hits Anderson's blocker side
- Both teams are back at even-strength and Wiercioch rips as shot that hits Ellis in the facemask and play continues
- Hurricanes still leading 1-0 with 15:08 to play as both teams have picked up the pace of play this period
- Carolina setting up its offense as all five players from below the goal line to the blue line are active with EStaal's line and Pitkanen and McBain quarterbacking moving the puck well
- Skinner, Jordan Staal and Zac Dalpe keep the pressure on with Corvo and Jay Harrison patrolling the blue line
- Great shift by EStaal's line and then JStaal makes a quick stop and turns out of the corner to Anderson's left and finds Skinner in front and his shot hits the crossbar - play stopped due to goal horn going off but referee wiping it out at the same time - play is whistled dead and a review shows no goal scored
- Ottawa gets its best sequence of the game together, but it gets cleared out
- The Sens Chris Neil gets clipped by McBain's stick as he tried to beat the Hurricanes defenseman - he's assessed a double-minor at 9:23 into the period
- Ottawa's PP unit is all over the Hurricanes zone with one post hit but no goals scored as the first PK changes
- The Senators can't get a shot through to Ellis as Pitkanen and Gleason block shots from the point as the first penalty expires - two more minutes to go on the PP for Ottawa
- Staal kills some time and carries the puck into the Ottawa zone and fires a shot to Anderson's blocker
- Dwyer and Brent finish a great shift on the PK and Dwyer even flips the puck towards Anderson
- JStaal and Drayson Bowman now on the PK and Ellis makes three saves on the Sens as the penalties to McBain end
- Bowman pokes the puck free at center ice and tries to get a shot on Anderson , but fans on it while his stick is lifted
- Ottawa has definitely woken up and is now outshooting Carolina 22-20 but Carolina still leading 1-0 with 5:57 remaining
- Sens defenseman Erik Karlsson called for elbowing on Dalpe and Carolina has another PP - looking to extend their lead
- Semin slides it across the slot to EStaal and his shot is stopped by Anderson - Ottawa clears the puck down the ice
- LaRose out with Skinner and JStaal on second PP unit for Carolina - haven't got a shot on net yet
- Skinner looks for McBain on the back-door pass but its tipped away as the extra-man opportunity ends
- Another good shift by Hurricanes fourth line as Nodl-Brent-LaRose keep the puck in the Ottawa zone
- EStaal's line on now and Tlusty looks for Semin who then tries to connect with Staal in the slot
- EStaal gets called for hooking Jakob Silfverberg with 2:45 remaining in the period
- Karlsson gets a shot on Ellis and he makes the save - Bowman sends the puck down the ice
- Dwyer and Brent playing on the PK now keeping Ottawa's PP on the defensive as they both break the puck out with a two-on-one - Brent's shot is stopped by Anderson
- Just over a minute to play and Tlusty and JStaal finish the remainder of the PK for Carolina
- At even-strength, Ellis makes a save on Peter Regin with the shot coming from the faceoff circle to his left with 19 seconds left
- Pat Dwyer carries out and tries to feed JStaal in the slot, but he can't get a stick on it as the period ends
- Ottawa outscoring Carolina - 25-24
---
3rd Period:
- Carolina's checking lines start the period the same way they ended it, pressuring Ottawa and keeping the puck in the Sens zone
- Ottawa works hard to gain the zone and get a shot on Ellis after EStaal and JStaal lines don't get any offense going
- Karlsson get successive shots, low to Ellis' left pad
- At the other end, Anderson has to deal with another Semin shot after he steals the puck in the slot area
- JStaal, Skinner, Dalpe work hard to keep puck in the Senators zone
- A few minutes later it's Skinner who gets a shot goal as his line hovers around the Ottawa net and Anderson makes the save - Carolina still leading 1-0 with 12:55 to play
- The Hurricanes checking lines continue to apply pressure and keep the puck in the Senators end and allows JStaal's line to skate with open ice
- Milan Michalek gets a chance to beat Ellis but can't get a hold of the puck after splitting the defense of Tim Gleason and Justin Faulk
- Another shot to his mask, and Ellis keeps the puck out of the net as Zack Smith's shot doesn't beat the Hurricanes' netminder with 9:35 remaining to play
- Bowman gets a shot on goal from a sharp angle as he, Jokinen and Dwyer keep the Ottawa defense busy
- Tlusty gains the zone on a pass from EStaal and Anderson makes the save
- Staal passes to Gleason who slides along the blueline to Faulk and Anderson has to make another save - Carolina outshooting Ottawa now 31-30 with 7:32 to play
- Kyle Turris rips a quick shot on Ellis and he makes he save - Ottawa really increasing the offensive pressure now on the Carolina defense
- At the other end, Jokinen zips a pass to the low slot and Dwyer spins around to take a shot on Anderson while Bowman is crosschecked by Smith in the crease area - Carolina PP coming up with 5:05 remaining
- Carolina starts with EStaal line on PP with Tlusty out there and Pitkanen and Fauk and then Jokinen and Corvo switch in for Tlusty and Pitkanen
- JStaal, Skinner and Jokinen out with Harrison and Gleason get a strides up and down the ice
- At even-strengh Ellis makes a big save on Mika Zibanejad and then Pitkanen breaks out with Jokinen on a 2-on-1 and and Anderson stops it
- Pitkanen picks it up in the neutral zone and backhands another lighter shot on Anderson to get a faceoff
- With 1:19 left, facroff is to Ellis' left and the Ottawa net is emptywith the extra atacker on
- Ottawa keeping the pressure on as JStaal, Jokinen and Dwyer are out on the ice for Carolina
- Ellis makes two saves before time runs out to preserve the shurout as the final horn sounds
---
No comments:
Post a Comment