The Carolina Hurricanes (22-9-2) are the best team in the Eastern Conference, and they’ve shown their might in the month of December, winning six of eight games, including a five-game winning streak. They continued that momentum on the road against the Nashville Predators (13-16-4), winning 4-1. They bombarded Predators goaltender Juuse Saros with 37 shots, while their netminder, Pyotr Kochetkov, nearly earned a shutout if not for a late Filip Forsberg goal.
Game Recap
The first period was Hurricanes’ dominance, but the big number on the scoreboard didn’t show for it until 13:00, when Jackson Blake put a rebound in up close to get a 1-0 lead. Blake earned his first goal since he scored two against the same Predators team at home on Dec. 6.
The second period didn’t feature any scoring, but the Hurricanes got pretty close. Winger Taylor Hall had a breakaway on Saros, but he couldn’t lift the puck over his pads.
Scoring didn’t occur until the third period, when Predators defenseman Nick Perbix chucked the puck out of play. He was called for a delay of game penalty, giving Carolina a chance on the power play, and they capitalized, with Sebastian Aho cashing in from the low slot to make it 2-0 at 2:43.
The Hurricanes expanded that lead to 3-0 two minutes later, at 4:33, with Seth Jarvis scoring on an impressive feed from Aho. The Predators would show some fight, with Forsberg taking the puck away from Kochetkov to get rid of the shutout and make it 3-1 at 8:06.
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However, the Hurricanes stopped the bleeding, and at 19:15, Aho scored his second goal of the game on an empty-netter, with an assist from Andrei Svechnikov, to reach the final score of 4-1.
Schedule & Standings
The Hurricanes expand their lead over the Eastern Conference, with their 46-point tally five points higher than the next best teams, with both the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders at 41. They continue their road trip with games against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 19 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 20. They return home to play the Panthers on Dec. 23.
The Predators, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the Central Division, and with 30 points, they’re tied with the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames for the second-worst point totals in the NHL (the Vancouver Canucks are the worst team with 29). They continue a three-game homestand with games against the Toronto Maple Leafs (Dec. 20) and New York Rangers (Dec. 21) before going on the road against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 23.
Three Stars
First Star: Sebastian Aho (two goals, one assist, plus-1 plus/minus)
Second Star: Pyotr Kochetkov (25 saves, .962 save percentage)
Third Star: Filip Forsberg (one goal, even plus/minus)
