Hurricanes see sliding Lightning as latest test
It’s been one big test after another for the Carolina Hurricanes, who are hardly slacking off heading into the playoffs as they try to hold onto first place in the Metropolitan Division.
There is no breather with the Tampa Bay Lightning visiting for Tuesday night’s game in Raleigh, NC as the Hurricanes complete a four-game homestand.
Carolina (47-16-9, 103 points) just completed a three-game stretch in four days against the New York Rangers, Toronto and Boston.
“It gives you an idea of what the top teams are like,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “You know how difficult it will be. Not that you didn’t know. Certainly, these teams are stepping it up and they have some elite, high-end players.”
The Hurricanes are 1-1-1 in the home stands after suffering a 4-3 shootout setback against Boston on Sunday. They have learned to play with courage against different styles of high profile opponents.
“They dig in all the time,” Brind’Amour said. “I’m most proud of the group when, no matter how things go, they just keep playing.”
Center Sebastian Aho seems to be regaining momentum. He went seven straight games without a point in early March, but he has scored at least one goal in four of Carolina’s last five games.
The Lightning (42-26-6, 90 points) have lost four straight games and have not scored more than two goals in any of those games. This game against Carolina will complete a four-game stretch for the Lightning.
The Lightning also played their final game against the Bruins. They lost 2-1 on Saturday but it was an encouraging performance.
“Just understand that if we play like this, it’s going to be a nightmare to score us,” said Tampa Bay forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Now the Lightning will meet an Eastern Conference division leader for the second year in a row.
Tampa Bay played 19 games in 33 days, marking the busiest 33-day table in franchise history. The team’s back-to-back days off could provide some refreshment.
The Lightning showed a physical side in the Boston game, something coach Jon Cooper suggested should continue.
“It’s been good for us,” Cooper said. “It was an identity for us.”
The Hurricanes, with 10 games left in the regular season, continue to adjust without Andrei Svechnikov. The team’s only All-Star this season recently had season-ending knee surgery.
“I think there’s still a little bit of sentiment out there because he’s done so much for us with his offensive threat mentality,” Brind’Amour said. “There’s no substitute for that, so we’re trying to find different ways to achieve that.”
Carolina had veteran forward Paul Stastny back in the lineup on Sunday. He replaced Jesse Puljujarvi, who joined after the trading deadline. Puljujarvi had gone eight straight games without a point since his first appearance with the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes have won both games against Tampa Bay this season, earning a 4-3 shootout win in Tampa on Nov. 3 and a 6-0 triumph in Raleigh on March 5. Teuvo Teravainen scored a hat-trick in the encounter earlier this month. Goalie Frederik Andersen was the winner in both games.