Recap: Canes Bounce Back to Top Predators

The Carolina Hurricanes got back in the win column with a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators, the Canes' fifth victory in as many games against Nashville this season.

HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | STATISTICS

The Difference

A late goal in the first period. An early goal in the second period. And from there, the Canes rolled.
The Canes took somewhat of a grab bag of a first period - it looked better than the last game, for sure, but it wasn't dominant by any stretch - and turned it in their favor with a late tally. Petr Mrazek fired the puck up the boards and out of the zone with a purpose, sliding it past Nashville's pinching defenseman and down the ice. Jordan Staal gave chase and saucered a pass to Warren Foegele in the slot, where Foegele finished on his backhand.

"Unbelievable pass," Foegele said. "The puck got out deep, and I thought I had a step on my guy. I was hoping Jordo saw me. Just a beautiful pass by him, and I was happy to get that one in."
Just 14 seconds into the second period, the Canes doubled their lead. Dougie Hamilton hit Andrei Svechnikov in stride with a pass, and Svechnikov weaved his way through a triangle of Predators' defenders and slipped a backhand shot through Juuse Saros.

"Not a great first period. Petr made some good saves, and it was nice to get a lead," head coach Rod Brind'Amour assessed. "We had a real good second. That looked more like how we want to play. That was the difference in the game."

Fist Bumps

Andrei Svechnikov
You hope a goal like the one Svechnikov scored early in the second gets the 21-year-old motoring in the right direction. This was his first goal of the month, and maybe it's the one he needed to spark him offensively.
"When you score a goal, you feel more confident," he said. "It was good to score, but it's just one goal. I've got to keep going."
His head coach noticed his confidence, too.
"He was really good after the first," Brind'Amour said. "He was one of the better players out there throughout the rest of the game."
Vincent Trocheck
About five minutes after Svechnikov doubled the Canes' lead, Trocheck added another to make it 3-0.
As he skated in along the right wing, Trocheck wound up for a slapshot but opted for a floater that Saros had no choice but to simply paddle out. Trocheck then roofed his own rebound for his 17th goal of the season, which ranks second on the team.

In the third period, Trocheck helped restore the Canes' three-goal advantage with a beauty of a feed through the slot over to Sebastian Aho on the right side for the one-timer finish.

That power-play tally was Aho's team-leading 18th goal of the season, and the assist was Trocheck's team-leading 17th power-play point of the season.
"If you want to be one of the best teams in the league, you've got to come every single night," Trocheck said. "It's important to get back on track and make sure we're playing our game, especially this late into the season before we head into the playoffs.
Petr Mrazek
Had it not been for Erik Haula's shorthanded breakaway tally, Mrazek would have recorded his fourth shutout of the season. In any case, he finished the night with 19 saves on 20 shots, and though he didn't have to see much rubber, he was sharp when he needed to be, especially in the first period when the Canes were getting to their game.

"Petr played phenomenal tonight," Trocheck said.
Penalty Kill
The Canes' penalty kill was suffocating and effective. It was a perfect 4-for-4 on the night and limited the Predators to just one shot on goal.
"Our pressure was really key tonight on the PK," Foegele said. "We were making them rim the puck and forcing them into errors. It was a great job by the whole unit."
The Canes were so stout at the blue line that on one attempted entry, Mikael Granlund ran into Roman Josi, forcing the team offside.
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"It was a good job on the entries. We stifled them a few times. We had some good blocks. We executed pretty well," Brind'Amour said. "That was a key part of the game."

Checking In With the New Guy

Jani Hakanpää made his debut with the Canes after being acquired from Anaheim at the trade deadline. Hakanpaa made his presence felt early with a heavy body check in the neutral zone on Granlund.
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"He's a massive body out there," Trocheck said of his new teammate. "He plays physical. He knows his role, and he played it well tonight."
Hakanpaa finished the game with three hits, two blocked shots and a plus-1 rating in 14:48 of ice time.
"It was a good first game for him," Brind'Amour said. "I thought he did a good job. He's a big man who gets in the way. That's one of the things I noticed right away."

Stats Pack

159: Speaking of Hakanpaa, his first shot on goal with the Canes was a 159 ft. dart from his own end.
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20: Trocheck has recorded at least a point in 14 of his last 15 games played, and he's totaled 20 points (8g, 12a) in that stretch.
100: With the primary helper on Trocheck's goal, Brett Pesce recorded his 100th career assist.

Quote of the Night

"There aren't many games left before playoffs, so we've got to get going and find our best game." - Andrei Svechnikov

Up Next

The Canes close out their season-long, eight-game homestand against these same Predators on Saturday night.