Recap: Canes Cruise Past Kings, 5-1

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes won their sixth game in their last seven tries Saturday night, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 5-1.

After their scheduled Sunday afternoon contest against Nashville was postponed by the NHL due to COVID-19 Protocols impacting the Predators, the Canes went into Saturday's affair against Los Angeles knowing they could empty the metaphorical tank.
They certainly gave all they had, guns blazing at the start.
It took just 37 seconds for the game's scoring to get started, as Jesperi Kotkaniemi scooped up a loose puck that was laying behind Jonathan Quick after a Brady Skjei shot from the slot. The seventh of the year for the 21-year-old gave the home side an early start, but the doubling up of it wasn't far behind.
59 seconds later Jesper Fast, who earned an assist on the opening tally, then took his turn in the scoring column for the Canes. A deflection on a Jaccob Slavin shot from the point changed paths past Jonathan Quick, extending the lead to 2-0 on a power play.
That same score would carry into the middle 20 minutes of play, largely in part due to Frederik Andersen. Although the Kings didn't find the back of the net, they did register eight high danger chances in the opening frame, per NaturalStatTrick.com. The eventual winning netminder was up to par though, denying each one that came his way.
In the second the Canes notched another pair of goals, moving their lead to a comfortable 4-0. First it was Brett Pesce getting another puck to redirect past Quick, this time off of a Los Angeles defender and in. Then, following him was Teuvo Teravainen, firing a wrist shot home from the circle.

The only downside to the middle 40 minutes was that the Kings were able to get one past Andersen, courtesy of a strong solo effort from Blake Lizzotte.
That tally was as close as the danger got for Carolina though, as the final 20 minutes were relatively smooth sailing, culminating with a second goal in his second career game from Jack Drury. After a bounce off of the skate of Derek Stepan, the rookie collected the puck and was able to deposit one upstairs for a must-see goal. With a strong celebration to boot, the PNC Arena crowd made their way home happy after, taking a 5-1 victory with them.

They Said It:
Rod Brind'Amouron the team earning their sixth win in the last seven games, given all the circumstances:
"To be honest, if you had said coming into these last two games that we would come out with two victories in these ways, I wouldn't have been surprised, [laughs], but that's big time. Whether it's the process, or whatever, I just think the guys are working really hard and kudos to all the guys who came in, because they've all contributed and have done a great job.
Jack Drurysharing his thoughts on where his confidence is after scoring in both his NHL games thus far:
"The team's playing well and we're playing together as a group. We're making good plays together and when everyone is rolling and playing well I think everyone builds confidence off of that. All the guys who have come up from Chicago, I think we've molded nicely and we're just trying to help the team win."
Jesperi Kotkaniemielaborating on how nice it is to achieve results with his recently elevated opportunity within the lineup:
"It's good for the confidence, of course. I feel a litte better with the puck and a little bit more confident to make plays. It's been really good so far and the last two games have been really fun."
What's Next?:
Not only was Sunday's game against Nashville postponed before the contest, but Tuesday against Boston was as well. That presently leaves Thursday in Ottawa as the only game standing between the Canes and their holiday break. The schedule, as the case is with most teams around the league, is a very day-to-day situation at this point.
Bonus Notes:
- Tonight was just the fourth time in Whalers/Hurricanes history that the team has scored two goals in the first 96 seconds of a game. - Canes forward Martin Necas left the game during the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. - Stefan Noesen led his team with four hits in the contest. - Tonight was the fifth straight victory for Freddie Andersen, stopping 32 of 33 in total. He is now 16-5 on the season. - After posting two points in Thursday's win over Detroit, Jesper Fast adding two more tonight gives him his first set of back-to-back multi-point games in his career.