Mistakes Prove Costly In Loss To Minnesota

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes gave themselves enough chances to earn a win on Sunday but came out on the wrong side of a 5-2 score against the Minnesota Wild.

A Fast But Unfulfilling Start...

Although the afternoon began with some tough news for the Canes, that being that they'd be without forward Andrei Svechnikov (upper-body injury) for the affair, the group showed no signs of difficulty without him early on.

Peppering Minnesota netminder Filip Gustavsson with chance after chance, Carolina claimed the first six shots on goal of the evening and eventually went on to outshoot the Wild 18-3 over the course of the first 20 minutes.

Two of those 18 shots came off the tape of Martin Necas, who picked up right where he left off on Friday to give up his team the first lead of the day.

Recording multiple points and six shots on goal in the team's 4-2 win over the Red Wings, #88 piped home his 11th goal of the season after a slick pass from Stefan Noesen and a soccer-style play from Dmitry Orlov.

Coming with just 5:58 to go in the frame, the structured start and early lead provided plenty for Canes fans to feel good about.

Unfortunately, the advantage didn't make it back to the locker room though.

With 2:17 on the clock, Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov redirected a drive from the point past Antti Raanta, knotting the score at 1-1.

One Of Those Games...

When the two sides returned to the ice for the second period, the home team remained dictating where the game was being played.

The difference, however, came early in the frame.

After Michael Bunting spoiled a Carolina power play with an infraction of his own, Minnesota took advantage. Creating some of their first momentum of the day, the Canes killed off the penalty, but before they could clear the zone, Kaprizov struck again.

Given just inches of space in the slot, the dynamic forward gave his team their first lead.

Although Carolina continued to press the rest of the period, Kaprizov's 17th of the season sent Rod Brind'Amour's group back to the locker room down 2-1.

Made It Close...

In search of an equalizer after just one of their first 31 shots got by Gustavsson, the Canes shuffled their forward lines for the third period.

For a second, it led them to what they were hoping to find.

Finding himself on the ice with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, Bunting was able to make good on his earlier mistake. Burying one blocker side high, the contest was 2-2 with 11:43 to go in regulation.

That lasted 75 seconds.

After a lengthy board battle in the Canes' defending end was pulled free by Minnesota on the bump-up shift, Joel Eriksson Ek got lost among Carolina's defenders for just a second and tapped home the eventual game-winner.

A deflating tally after the PNC Arena crowd was just filled with life, the tally proved to be one the Canes couldn't recover from.

Despite their best efforts the rest of the way, Kaprizov completed his hat trick with an empty net goal and Jake Middleton added another, closing out the 5-2 score.

When all was said and done, Gustavsson stopped 40 out of 42 for Minnesota.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour's assessment of the defeat...

"In the first period, we needed more. We pretty much did everything we were supposed to and the way we wanted to do it. We got our opportunities, and then to come out of there tied, that's deflating a little bit. We weren't great in the third either... We had a couple of mental errors and they made us pay."

Jordan Staal on the frustration level after a game like that...

"It's up there. Obviously, we had a good start and we wanted more out of it. Part of it is my fault too, I was probably getting a little too frustrated. We've got to stay with our game and we felt them creeping in. In the third period, we were just frustrated and angry. We still had a chance, but we found a way to beat ourselves there."

Sebastian Aho sharing what made it so difficult to score this evening...

"We definitely had some looks in every period of the game. In the end to tie and win the game, too. They were selling out, they were blocking shots and their goalie played an unreal game. Our third period wasn't good enough. I thought the way we played was really good, we just couldn't finish."

What's Next?

The Canes are scheduled to be off on Monday. They'll then practice and travel to Boston on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's contest against the Bruins.

Worth A Click

The Storm Report: Episode 10 - Tim Gleason

Martin Adds Depth To Canes' Crease

Fanatics Betting & Gaming To Partner With Carolina Hurricanes for North Carolina Sports Betting

Hurricanes Launch Caniac Connect, An All-New Fan Feedback Platform

2024 All-Star Profile: Sebastian Aho

Prospects: Where Are They Playing?

Uniform Schedule For 2023-24

2023-24 Single Game Tickets