Hurricanes fall flat against Lightning, lose 4-0 in final game of four-game homestand
Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov was spotted in the weight room Tuesday at PNC Arena, his right leg in a heavy metal brace.
While it was encouraging to see Svechnikov getting in some work, and his teammates were happy to see him, it again underscored all the Canes have lost with his injury and the adjustments needed to try and make up for his loss.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour has changed up some lines with Svechnikov out, looking for combinations that click, and did it again Tuesday during a 4-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning after another injury, this time to forward Stefan Noesen.
Brayden Point had a pair of goals and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was on point for Tampa Bay (43-26-6), which ended a four-game losing streak. Vasilevskiy had 29 saves in his third shutout of the season.
“We didn’t have a whole lot of jump, all through the lineup,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said. “When we’re a little off, it looks like that. We didn’t win a whole lot of puck battles and hold on to pucks and wear them down. It was kind of the opposite.”
For the Canes (47-17-9), Tuesday’s game ended a stretch of five games against some of the Eastern Conference’s best teams — two against the New York Rangers, then Toronto, Boston and Tampa Bay. The Canes went 2-2-1, scoring 12 goals.
“You can definitely make excuses,” Staal said. “We had an emotional weekend. It was a good team and we needed to bring our best to beat ‘em and we didn’t tonight. No real excuse for it.”
Playing their third game in four days, the Hurricanes were listless much of the night, putting little sustained pressure on Vasilevskiy. There were some offensive chances in the third, when Carolina had 14 shots, but little of the high-danger variety.
“It was weird. We were searching for it all night, trying to get a spark or something, and just stall,” Canes forward Jordan Martinook said. “You’re trying to find it and trying to find it and come back, too. When you’re chasing and trying to find a little energy, it’s a tough one.
“We need to figure out where our energy was, and we need to regroup and get some rest and come back and get back on it.”
It was the reverse of the Lightning’s last trip to PNC Arena, when the Canes rolled to an easy 6-0 win and completely stymied Tampa Bay.
Teuvo Teravainen had a hat trick and Jesperi Kotkaniemi a five-point game March 5, and the Canes scored four times on the power play. The Lightning were held without a shot in the second period, mustered 14 in the game and had defenseman Victor Hedman knocked out of the game after a hard check from Svechnikov.
But Svechnikov now is out with a torn ACL. The Canes must move on without the power forward.
“Of course we miss him but it’s next man up, really,” Teravainen said. “Everybody has to play harder.”
That did not happen Tuesday. After a scoreless first period, Steven Stamkos and Point, who have 78 goals between them this season, each scored in the second for a 2-0 lead.
Stamkos scored soon after the Canes killed off a Martinook penalty, beating goalie Pyotr Kochetkov at the post with a shot under his right pad for his 31st of the season. Point picked up his 46th by popping a short shot off Kochetkov’s back.
Things turned testy late in the second period after Nick Paul’s check on the Canes’ Noesen, who left with a lower-body injury -- Brind’Amour did not have an update on Noesen’s condition after the game.
There was another scuffle in front of the Lightning net after Sebastian Aho collided with Vasilevskiy in the crease, and a third in front of the Canes bench as the final seconds ticked off in the second period.
Point, the consummate sniper, scored again in the third, pushing his total to 47. Alex Killorn had an empty-net goal late in the game.
“There was not a lot of spark to our game,” Brind’Amour said. “It was weird. It wasn’t like we were giving up a boatload of chances, but we weren’t getting enough to get that emotion in this building.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2023 at 9:39 PM.
