Antti Raanta posts dominant shutout for the Hurricanes in 2-0 win over the Avalanche
.JPG "Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho (20) guards the puck from Colorado Avalanche’s Devon Toews (7) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)")
Ian Cole of the Carolina Hurricanes said it would be a “statement game” Thursday, a matchup of two of the NHL’s best teams.
Canes winger Nino Niederreiter said it should be a “fun” game although Brett Pesce, speaking for the defensemen, quickly countered, “Not so fun.”
The Colorado Avalanche, everyone agreed, offered a huge challenge. Not only do the Avs have some of the best forwards in the league — Nathan MacKinnon has world-class speed and skill — but a fast rising superstar in defenseman Cale Makar.
In a game packed with fast-paced entertainment, the Hurricanes won 2-0 as goalie Antti Raanta had 36 saves in his finest outing of the season, handing the Avs their first shutout of the season.
“He was great,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “You can’t really say much more. It was a pretty good game, pretty spirited and I thought it was pretty even, and I guess he was the difference.”
.JPG "AvalancheHurricanesHockey (2).JPG")
Ethan Bear’s goal with 5:40 left in regulation gave the Canes a 1-0 lead and their fans a chance to roar. After forward Jesper Fast won a board battle and pushed the puck to Bear at the right point, the defenseman got off a shot that appeared to hit the stick of the Avs’ Nazem Kadri and eluded goalie Darcy Kuemper — Bear’s third goal of the season and his second game-winner.
Sebastian Aho scored an empty-net goal with 1:32 left in regulation for a 2-0 lead after the Avs pulled Kuemper for a sixth attacker.
“In a close game like that you never know what can happen,” Bear said. “You get those lucky bounces once in a while when you’re working hard and playing the right way.”
The Avalanche (41-13-5) came into the game with the best winning percentage in the league and the Canes (40-12-5), who last played Sunday against Seattle, were second. Carolina, with the win, moved into first with a .746 win percentage.
“That was a very fun game, especially first and second in the league,” Bear said. “That’s a game we pride ourselves on winning.”
As the game worked its way deep into the third period, it became a test of which goalie would allow the first goal. The two were once teammates with the Arizona Coyotes, adding a little more to their head-to-head in net, and both were on point, making the tough stops. Kuemper, like Raanta, had 36 saves.
.JPG "AvalancheHurricanesHockey (1).JPG")
In the third, Raanta had MacKinnon first find the post with an attempt — a near-miss — and then get a second chance. But Raanta got a piece of the shot, his biggest save of the game.
The Avs’ Makar had a 13-game point streak end as the Canes limited his opportunities and held him to one shot. Gabriel Landeskog had a game-high seven shots and MacKinnon six, although his 12-game streak also ended.
It was strength against strength as Brind’Amour, with the last change, matched Aho’s line against the MacKinnon line. They saw a lot of each other in the next 60 minutes.
The Canes, with plenty of jump, had a 19-11 shooting edge in the first period. Aho nearly scored seconds into the game, bursting in for a backhander.
The Avs then flipped the script in the second, outshooting Carolina 17-6 and forcing the Canes to work a lot more in their own zone.
“It was a great first period and we did everything we had to do,” Brind’Amour said. “They’re a great team and they were great in the second period.”
Both had their power-play chances and often it resulted in shorthanded chances as the penalty kill units efficiently did their jobs. The Canes were 0-4 on the power play and the Avs 0-3.
“It was a pretty even game all around, probably what you would expect with these two teams,” Brind’Amour said.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 9:43 PM.
