Taking the game's first advantage into the second period of play, the Canes got better and better as the middle frame went along. The most important moment of the 20 minute segment came when Jaccob Slavin was called for holding in front of his team's net, an effort that came trying to shut out Brandon Tanev, who was working in front of Frederik Andersen. It became such a critical juncture because during the next two minutes, Seattle evened the score at 1-1. Forward Jared McCann let go of a half slap shot from the circle that got just under Andersen's blocker.
Thus the contest headed to the third still locked at one each. Carolina's attack ramped up, at one point holding a 32-17 shots advantage over the Kraken. Seattle netminder Philipp Grubauer became a storyline of his own as the game went on, denying a few strong chances from the Canes. Ultimately, as the game progressed into the final few minutes, it was the hosting club that was able to snag the deciding goal.
Picking up a puck that was along the wall in their attacking end, Marcus Johansson swung all the way from the blocker-side to glove-side of Andersen behind the net, before eventually turning and firing one home for the game-winner. The shot made its way off Johansson's tape, past Slavin and then also in the midst of a cutting Jared McCann, who had Martin Necas tagging along with him.
Despite one last push from Andersen off in favor of the extra attacker, the Canes were on the wrong side of a 2-1 score when the final horn sounded.
They Said It:
Rod Brind'Amour on his team's effort this evening:
"It was good. I don't know what else we could do, we just couldn't score. We did everything we should do, we just didn't capitalize. We didn't give up a heck of a lot. We just didn't find a way to get another goal."
Andrei Svechnikov on the team's game:
"I thought we played great. The effort was there. It was one of those games where he had a lot of shots, we just couldn't score. Their goalie [Philipp Grubauer] was unbelievable today.
Brendan Smith on his play this evening, which included the team's lone goal:
"I think the coaches are getting a little bit more confident in my game, I'm playing more minutes. I think that comes with time and playing more games. When they feel more comfortable with me, I'm going to feel more comfortable as well."
What's Next:
The team will fly from Seattle to Philadelphia Thursday, then take on the Flyers Friday afternoon to complete their current six-game trip away from PNC Arena.
Bonus Notes:
- Canes goaltender Frederik Andersen finished with 20 stops on 22 shots. In his three regulation losses this season he has allowed a grand total of five five-on-five goals.
- Tony DeAngelo's assist tonight gives him 13 on the season and 17 total points, which ranks him tied for fourth league-wide in both.
- Vincent Trocheck led all Canes forwards with 19:16 played tonight.
- Andrei Svechnikov's third period fight was just the team's second major penalty of the season, the other being DeAngelo's fight against Chicago on October 29.
