After The Storm: The Fabulous Finish In Anaheim

RALEIGH, N.C. - After a tough outing in LA on Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes sought a bounce-back result in Anaheim on Sunday, hoping to return to Raleigh with two wins from their three-game road trip out west.

Mission accomplished.

Thanks to a Taylor Hall hat trick, sterling goaltending from Frederik Andersen and a season-best performance on the penalty kill, the Canes picked up a 5-2 victory to move to 9-1-0 in their last 10 games.

Let’s take a closer look at the building blocks of Carolina’s 43rd win of the season…

Give It Up For Hallsy...

As each day passes we get further removed from the saga that transpired leading up to this year's trade deadline. As a whole, it will continue to take time to move past, but one thing is becoming cemented as true: Taylor Hall is looking more comfortable and more dangerous with each game.

Moved up and down the lineup in Chicago and even healthy scratched at one point before the trade, the 33-year-old veteran is looking right at home alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jack Roslovic. Developing some chemistry, the three have played a key role in the Canes' nine wins in their last ten games, including Hall leading the team with nine points during that time.

"Just being able to read off of KK, off of Rosey, who I've been with for the last few games, that's just part of being a hockey player and part of being an athlete - letting your brain do the work and you just go play," Hall said last night post-game on the FanDuel Sports Network South broadcast. "That's what I'm kind of feeling now. It's really fun just to contribute. It's awesome."

Seemingly very pleased with how he's settling in with his new team, his teammates, and his head coach, are equally as impressed.

"He's an incredible, smart player. He's skilled as well too. To put those shots away and make those plays [is difficult]," Frederik Andersen complimented after the win. "He's a veteran and has done a really good job of stepping in on a new team mid-season and that's something that I can imagine is pretty hard."

After recording his first hat trick in over 10 years earlier this season, it is now the first time in his 15-season career that Hall has multiple three-goal games in the same campaign. Also scoring both of the team's two most recent power-play goals, Hall is now closing in on matching the goal total that he produced with Chicago (9 in 40 games) during his brief stint in Raleigh (6 in 20 games).

"[He was] dynamite, really. Every shift it felt like he was impactful [and] all around it," Rod Brind'Amour said. "He's been really good since he showed up here, but hadn't quite got rewarded for what he has been doing and tonight he did."

FredEx Delivers...

Hall's three goals separated by just 15:30 of game time is understandably the big story of last night's victory, but would they have come to life if the third period had gone differently?

After Hall's power-play goal extended Carolina's lead to 3-1, Anaheim turned on the jets and put forth a commendable attempt to storm back into the contest. The Ducks pumped 20 shots on goal onto Frederik Andersen during the frame, matching the most that the Canes have allowed in any period this season.

Although Trevor Zegras was able to poke one home late, "Zilla's" efforts to keep his team in front were simply remarkable.

There was his left-handed larceny on Olen Zellweger after the young defenseman pulled out a jaw-dropping toe drag. Not once, but twice, he turned away Troy Terry, as the Ducks' star had both a point-blank chance and a breakaway. Mason MacTavish and Nikita Nesterenko both had chances in tight as the home team operated at 6-on-5.

The list of examples could go on, but when the final horn sounded, it was a season-high 35 saves for Andersen and one of the best goaltending performances the Canes have received this season.

"It's always a good time for a save, right? I was just trying to stay in the moment, see what's in front of you, and try to stop it," Andersen answered when asked about the barrage of pucks he saw.

Putting on a show for all in attendance and watching at home, the fifth consecutive victory for the former Duck was even sweeter getting to do so with some loved ones in the crowd.

"I was just trying to prepare the way that I do in a place that I'm familiar with. I had some people in the stands that have helped me come a long way," Andersen acknowledged. "It feels good to put up a good game in front of them and get the win."

Killing It

In addition to Andersen's heroics, Carolina’s vaunted penalty kill also played a key role in ensuring a positive result amidst some precarious moments in Sunday's contest. Facing a season-high six shorthanded situations including a double-minor, the Canes held the Ducks scoreless on the man advantage, notching their league-leading 45th perfect PK performance of the season (in games with at least one PK opportunity).

The Hurricanes now lead the NHL with an 84.9% kill rate this season, but sitting atop the league’s PK rankings is hardly new for this group, particularly under Rod Brind’Amour and his staff. Since he stepped into the head coaching role, Carolina’s 85% PK ranks atop the league by a margin of 2.5% - the same gap between second and 12th in the league in that span.

Following Sunday's 6-for-6 run, the Hurricanes have now allowed just one goal while shorthanded in their last nine outings, and it took a deflection off Jordan Martinook’s skate to sneak across the line. Go back even further, and that’s one of just three goals the team has conceded in 30 shorthanded instances during the month of March.

Their record in that span? A sterling 9-2-0, tying them for the most wins in the league this month.

If that’s not enough to convince you how important Carolina’s dedication to killing penalties is to the team’s success as a whole, take it from last night’s hat trick hero, Taylor Hall, on what he credits the win to…

"Freddie and our PK. Our PK is so good at not only limiting chances, but creating momentum for our team,” he said. “We really get a lot of juice off of our penalty kill and Freddie is a big part of that. That allows us to get into the game. That allows us to play aggressive and if we take penalties, we know that we have probably the best kill in the league that's going to take care of us."