The Carolina Hurricanes did a lot right offensively in their 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators, but Brandon Bussi made it possible against a hungry team.
Tuesday, the Hurricanes squeezed out a win in their final home game before the Olympic break. Of course, it didn’t come as easily as the standings would deceitfully insinuate. The Senators, who were on a four-game winning streak, dug in throughout the night, with a strong push once Jordan Staal left them trailing late in the third period.
It cannot be underestimated how ‘on it’ Staal has been this season. His go-ahead goal with just a hair over five minutes left was a thing of beauty: top-shelf in open ice, thanks to an elite stretch pass from Nikolaj Ehlers. Not only that, he led the team in hits, with six, and in faceoffs, winning 55.0% of them. His performance in the dot was a welcome sight as he returned to the excellence on the draw he’s been known for after a short stretch of below (his) average faceoff numbers.
Of course, Staal was far from the only Hurricanes to shine in the win, as both Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis set the top line on fire. Aho scored the Hurricanes’ first goal with a fine wrister courtesy of a pass from K’Andre Miller, while Seth Jarvis scored two goals – once on the power play and once five-on-five.
Meanwhile, the player who kept the Hurricanes hanging on was goaltender Brandon Bussi, who faced an insane 17 high-danger chances against; an extremely rare number to see. Out of the 25 shots faced, he made 22 saves. At one point, he even attempted a mid-air stacked pad save.
Just One More Until the 2026 Winter Olympics
Though a sigh of relief may escape following the win, the Hurricanes cannot get too relaxed before the Olympic break, as they will quickly turn around and face the New York Rangers on Thursday before the flight to Milan-Cortina from the same city.
“You get asked about it a lot right now,” Sebastian Aho, who will play for Team Finland, said after the game. “You know, I’m gonna go home now and pack all the stuff. Obviously, you think about that stuff and whatever, it is just you know you’re so excited about it, and you’re, like, I don’t even know how to describe it.
“But, I’m trying not to think about too much, just try to take care of the business in New York and go from there.”
Hurricanes Notes
Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis both achieved milestones on the season, with Aho notching his ninth consecutive 20-goal season and Jarvis hitting his third consecutive 25-goal season.
Jaccob Slavin, Sebastian Aho, Frederik Andersen, and Nikolaj Ehlers will all compete for their national teams during the Olympics, while Seth Jarvis is on Team Canada’s reserve list.
The Hurricanes’ next home game will be their first back from the Olympic break, versus the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 26th.
