It wasn’t as epic as Duke’s comeback, but the Canes also rallied to a win
On a night when Duke came back from a 23-point deficit to beat Louisville, the Carolina Hurricanes had a rally of their own. Observations from the Canes’ 4-1 win Tuesday over the Ottawa Senators:
-- While the comeback wasn’t quite Duke-ian, the Canes’ four-goal third period kept most of the good vibes from the 3-0 start to the road trip from being wiped away. Playoff-caliber teams find a way to win those kinds of games and end road trips that way.
-- Does Teuvo Teravainen need to shoot more? Yes, Teuvo Teravainen needs to shoot more. That release is nasty.
-- Going home suits Calvin de Haan well. The man from Carp, Ont., played one of his best games of the season. He’s one smooth defenseman and he was active Tuesday in all three zones. De Haan drawing a tripping penalty against the Sens’ Thomas Chabot in the third was the turning point in the game.
-- The trade debate needs to end with Micheal Ferland. The Canes need to keep him, let him play out the season, then do their best to re-sign him before July 1. If the two sides are wide apart on salary, which they may be, they’ll have time to close the gap. Ferland is such a good fit.
-- In his at-the-bench interview before the game, Canes TV analyst Tripp Tracy reminded Justin Williams that he scored the winning goal on a power play at Ottawa in January, telling Williams to go do it again. Williams, who seemed amused, smiled and said “Yes, sir” and then did it again with his power-play goal for a 2-1 lead. Call it the power of suggestion ...
-- A power-play goal? Yes, a power-play goal. Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said power-play woes early against New Jersey “sucked the life” out of the team Sunday in the 3-2 loss to the Devils. Williams’ goal breathed more of it into the Canes after Ferland tied the score seconds into the third.
-- Still like the look of that line with Sebastian Aho centering Teravainen and Ferland. Brind’Amour went back to it early in the third, with instant results, then switched back to Aho with Williams and Nino Niederreiter. Nice juggling act by the coach.
-- Did the Canes really get Nino for Victor Rask, straight up?
-- Did the Canes really get goalie Curtis McElhinney off waivers?
-- Always enjoy hearing Justin Williams talk about Brind’Amour, the coach. Williams has said if often about his former Canes teammate -- Brind’Amour was a player, he understands what players are going through, what players need to hear. What has not been said by the captain: “Unlike the previous coach ...”
This story was originally published February 13, 2019 at 9:35 AM.
