Svechnikov, Reimer help Hurricanes rebound to beat Predators 4-2
Andrei Svechnikov is quickly racking up points this season for the Carolina Hurricanes, continuing to display his vast hockey potential.
Svechnikov scored for the third consecutive game and assisted on Sebastian Aho’s goal Monday as the Canes, behind goalie James Reimer, topped the Nashville Predators 4-2 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
“At crunch time, he doesn’t shy away,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of Svechnikov on his postgame media call. “He wants the puck. Obviously he was a difference maker tonight,”
Vincent Trocheck scored for the Canes (2-1-0), who rebounded from a 4-2 loss Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. Trocheck’s third-period goal gave the Canes a 2-1 lead as the crafty center first forced a turnover, then scored on a shot that beat goalie Pekka Rinne to the blocker side.
“He’s a competitor,” Brind’Amour said. “You know he’s going to compete every night. He’s going to make some mistakes like everybody and it’s all generally trying to do too much. He’s making some good plays for us.”
Reimer, in his first start of the season, had a busy night, moving and bouncing around the crease and stopping 31 of 33 shots to stymie the Predators (2-1-0), who beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in their first two games.
“He was great,” Brind’Amour said. “They had some good looks but he was just sharp.”
Filip Forsberg broke loose for a score in the second period, walking in alone, and Viktor Arvidsson scored quickly on a third-period power play after Warren Foegele was called for an offensive-zone penalty.
Svechnikov took a pass from Dougie Hamilton and blistered a wrister from the top of the left circle for a second-period power-play scores. The power forward had a goal and assist in Saturday’s loss, and an empty net goal in the 3-0 opening victory over Detroit.
“Every game is getting better,” Svechnikov said. “Even today I felt way better than the last game.”
Aho’s first goal of the season came on a well-executed two-on-one with Svechnikov. Rinne snuffed out a similar two-on-one by the two in the first period but Aho beat the Finnish goalie in the third for a 3-1 lead,
Nino Niederreiter scored a late empty-net goal to seal the win for Carolina. Svecnhikov, Trocheck and Aho each had a goal and assist -- Svechnkov has five points in the first three games.
The Canes again played without captain Jordan Staal, who missed a second game and remained on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list. Brind’Amour said forward Teuvo Teravainen “tweaked something” during the game and he was not sure if he would be available Tuesday when the two teams complete the back-to-back.
“Other guys had to step up into roles they normally don’t do,” Brind’Amour said. “From that standpoint I think it was a gutsy win.”
Svechnikov scores for Canes in second
Svechnikov has a power-play goal for the Canes and Filip Forsberg scored an even-strength goal for the Predators in the second periods as it was 1-1 after 40 minutes.
Svechnikov took a pass from Dougie Hamilton and blistered a shot at 16:05 of the second. Svechnikov has scored in all three Canes games, getting an empty-netter in the opener.
The Preds needed 46 seconds to tie it. With the Canes losing focus after scoring, Forsberg was able to take a stretch pass from Viktor Arvidsson and go in alone to beat Canes goalie James Reimer.
Defenseman Brett Pesce was slashed by former Canes forward Erik Haula of the Preds with 36 seconds left in the period, and the Canes went into the third on the power play.
Canes, Preds scoreless in first
The Canes and Predators traded off penalties, and good, clean shots were hard to find in a scoreless first period,
The Canes twice took penalties to put the Preds on the power play, only to have the Preds quickly commit a penalty and make it 4-on-4 play. Late in the first, Andrei Svechnikov’s tripping penalty again gave the Preds the man advantage, which Nashville will take into the second period.
The Canes had an early scoring chance on an early 2-on-1 that had Svechnikov set up Sebastian Aho for a shot, but goalie Pekka Rinne easily made the stop. Later in the period, Warren Foegele took the puck strong to the net but was stymied by Rinne. The Preds’ Filip Forsberg had a shot deflected and the puck hit the crossbar late in the period.
Canes goalie James Reimer in his first start of the season, faced 12 shots in the first. The Canes had seven shots
Canes plan: keep it simple
The Carolina Hurricanes were fighting some rust in the season opener but beat the Detroit Red Wings.
Two nights later, the Canes were “too cute” in the words of coach Rod Brind’Amour and lost to the Wings.
And the approach Monday, against the Nashville Predators?
“We have to get to our game and keep it a little more simple,” forward Ryan Dzingel said on the media call after Monday’s morning skate in Nashville. “Just play our game and simple, simple, simple.”
Seems simple enough but Brind’Amour put it another way.
“We’ve got to stick to what we do best and that gives us the best chance to win,” he said on the media call. “We’ve got come creative players and sometimes instead of getting into the game first and then be creative, they’re trying to be creative and think that it’s going to get us to our game. And it doesn’t work that way.
“It happens. To be successful, and people say it’s simple, but it’s really to play our game and then let the plays happen from there.”
Staal stays on COVID list
With captain Jordan Staal remaining on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, the Canes again had center Morgan Geekie in the lineup. Geekie was to center Dzingel and Brock McGinn. ...
Vincent Trocheck led the Canes with 10 shots in the first two games, two more than Teuvo Teravainen. Martin Necas had six shots and has been an offensive threat, buzzing around the net. Put him in the “soon-to-score” category. ...
The Predators beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in their first two games, winning 3-1 and 5-2. Seven of the Preds’ goals were at even strength as they went 0-6 on the power play.
While the Canes will play their first four games on the road, the Preds are home for the first four.
This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 7:33 PM.
