It’s a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup as Hurricanes host Colorado Avalanche at PNC Arena
Teuvo Teravainen had two goals in barely two minutes in the third period, spurring a Carolina Hurricanes comeback, but it wasn’t enough against the Colorado Avalanche that night.
Samuel Girard’s goal with 2:37 left in regulation gave the Avs a 3-2 victory. The Canes skated off the ice at PNC Arena after the tough loss two points out of a wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference, facing a six-game road trip.
That was Feb. 28, 2020, and it would be the last game played at PNC Arena in 2020 as the looming threat of COVID-19 quickly mushroomed into a coronavirus pandemic. The NHL announced in March 2020 that it would “pause” the regular season. No one could imagine what was ahead.
More than two years later, the Avalanche is back in Raleigh for the first time — and for a big game. The Avs will come into PNC Arena on Thursday with the best points percentage in the NHL (.750) to face a Canes team that’s second (.741).
“It’s a team that’s just loaded,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday. “They’ve got all the firepower in the world.”
True enough. The Avs (41-12-5) have a load of talent and no discernible weak spots. They also have one of the most dynamic young stars in the league in defenseman Cale Makar.
“When he first came in, from his first shift, you could tell he was going to be a very special player,” Canes defenseman Ian Cole said Wednesday.
Cole should know. He was there for it. He played for the Avalanche for two full seasons and was paired a few games with Makar. He sat next to him in the locker room.
“He’s the type of player that he’s so athletic and such an amazing skater that he could make mistakes, turn around and catch pretty much anyone in the league,” Cole said. “He can turn those mistakes into good defensive plays or even turn those back the other way and go create offense, which is very unique.”
Makar is creating a lot of offense. He has 21 goals and 65 points in 54 games. To put it another way, the Calgary native would be the leading scorer for the Canes — center Sebastian Aho has 58 points in 53 games.
Makar, 23, will come into Thursday’s game with 13-game point streak, scoring his 21st goal and adding an assist Tuesday in the Avs’ 5-3 road loss at New Jersey. Makar has assists in all 13 games, breaking a franchise record set by Joe Sakic in 1991-92.
“He’s got all the tools and he’s a great thinker,” Cole said before comparing Makar to Michael Jordan. “He has a very unique mindset that is almost ‘Jordanesque’ but maybe not that big of a (jerk).”
“His entire life is focused on winning,” Cole added. “It’s about winning hockey games and being the best player he can be.”
Avs center Nathan MacKinnon is that competitive, too, Cole said. Add in such players as Gabe Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and Nazem Kadri and it’s a team that’s the class of the Western Conference and should challenge for the Stanley Cup again this season.
The Avs trail only the Florida Panthers in goals per game (3.91) this season. The Canes, in contrast, lead the NHL in fewest goals allowed per game (2.39) while averaging 3.39 goals. Carolina’s special teams could be the difference Thursday — the Canes top the league in penalty-killing (88.9 percent) and are second on the power play (25.9).
The Canes (39-12-5), after taking Tuesday off, have three games in the next four days. They returned to PNC Arena for a 45-minute practice session Wednesday that ended with some extra skating.
There figures to be a lot of skating Thursday night as two of the fastest teams in the NHL go at it.
“There are certain games on the calendar that add a little juice,” Brind’Amour said. “What brings out the best most times in a game is that you understand as a player that if you don’t play your best, you can be embarrassed. You don’t want that. When you play a team like this, there is no margin for error.”
Of note
Brind’Amour said defenseman Tony DeAngelo skated Wednesday for the first time since his upper-body injury but was still “a ways away” from returning. DeAngelo has missed the past six games.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Colorado Avalanche
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh.
TV/Radio: Bally Sports South, WCMC-99.9 FM.
