For the final time of the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes took on the Tampa Bay Lightning, this time at the Lenovo Center. The Hurricanes were looking for their fifth straight win, and the Lightning looking to complete the regular season sweep. It was a showdown for the ages as Pyotr Kochetkov went up against fellow Russian netminder Andrei Vasilebskiy. Who would win the final regular season showdown? In the end, it was the Hurricanes defeating the Lightning 4-1 to avoid the sweep.
Game Recap
The Hurricanes were determined to keep the winning streak going as they currently sat on four in a row going into the game against the Lightning. As the game progressed, special teams would be a factor as the Hurricanes had five power plays, but nothing came of those opportunities. However, the home side committed only one penalty the whole game, coming in the first period. What came during said penalty kill is something we have heard before. The Hurricanes have more than just a solid penalty kill unit, they have a power kill unit. For the fourth time during the 2024-25 season, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho just gave the opposing teams’ power play group a hard time doing anything, resulting in a Jarvis goal giving the Hurricanes a lead in the first period. Jarvis’ fourth shorthanded goal put him only behind Sam Bennett (five) with that many on the season.
Jarvis’ team-leading 26th goal of the season puts him only four away from back-to-back 30-goal seasons. The lone goal of the period saw the Hurricanes take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission trailing the Lightning in shots on goal (SOG) 10-8.
The second period saw the Hurricanes add two more to their tally. Jordan Martinook made it a “Marty Party” as fans call it with his 12th of the season. He was just fighting for the puck and was able to get a backhand shot off and past Vasilevskiy to make it a 2-0 game for the Hurricanes. Martinook was a one-man wrecking crew giving the Lightning fits on the ESPN national televised game. The magical night for the Hurricanes continued as Taylor Hall set up Jack Roslovic for his 20th goal of the season making it a 3-0 game. What made the goal more special was it was Roslovic’s 100th of his career. The goal puts him three away from setting a new career high. The Hurricanes outshot the Lightning 15-6 in the second period and went into the second intermission up 3-0.
The third period, just like the second, was all Hurricanes as Sean Walker scored his third goal of the season. It did come after Gage Goncalves’ goal for the Lightning snapped Pyotr Kochetkov‘s shutout, but Walker’s goal restored their three-goal lead, making it a 4-1 Hurricanes lead. It proved to be the last goal of the game as the home side won 4-1 to avoid the regular season sweep. It was their fifth win in a row, their 39th win of the season, and made their stellar home record an impressive 26-7-1. The Hurricanes, in their last two games, scored eight goals combined, four each against the Winnipeg Jets and Lightning.
Kochetkov’s win gives him 24 on the season, a new career-high beating 2023-24’s total of 23. There are 17 games left and Kochetkov has a chance to potentially hit 30 wins in 2024-25 if everything plays out right for the Russian netminder, or “Nyetminder”. The Hurricanes’ record is now 36-22-4 as they have a couple of days off before their next game.
The Season Does Not Stop
The Hurricanes (39-22-4) are back at it again on Friday, March 14 as they host the Detroit Red Wings (30-28-6) for their second meeting of the season. The game is set for a 7 p.m. Eastern puck drop over on FanDuel Sports Network South and 99.9 The Fan. Regarding the Lightning (37-23-4), they stay on the road heading up to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers (27-31-8). Their game is on Thursday, March 13 with a 7 p.m. Eastern puck drop.
