During the pandemic, we’ve learned that anything and everything can happen, and quickly. Little is predictable.
The Carolina Hurricanes faced the Dallas Stars on Sunday at PNC Arena and the Stars played the third period without their head coach, Rick Bowness.
The reason? Bowness was pulled from the game during the second intermission because of COVID-19 protocols.
The teams played on and the Canes won 1-0 as goalie Petr Mrazek returned with a 28-save shutout.
The top hockey story line Sunday was Mrazek finally returning to the net and starting for the Canes. Mrazek had been sidelined since Jan. 30, when he dislocated his right thumb during a game against the Stars at PNC Arena.
But the Stars suddenly losing Bowness was a shocker. The Stars already had goalie Anton Khudobin on the NHL COVID protocol list. Now, the head coach was gone.
Stars assistant coach John Stevens took over for Bowness in the third. But on a day when the Vancouver Canucks had 18 players on the COVID list, the Bowness situation added another worrisome wrinkle for the NHL.
On the ice, Jordan Martinook scored on a breakaway for the Canes (25-9-3) in the opening minute of the second period, beating goalie Jake Oettinger with a top-shelf shot, and the Canes didn’t back away physically from the Stars. Most of the biggest hits in the game were landed by the Canes’ Martinook, Cedric Paquette, Andrei Svechnikov, Brady Skjei ... it was a long list.
Things were rough at times. Canes captain Jordan Staal took a stick on the chin and was bloodied, and Canes forward Steven Lorentz was leveled along the boards by Blake Comeau. The high-stick on Staal was not called; the hit on Lorentz landed Comeau in the penalty box.
Canes forward Brock McGinn left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return.
Mrazek, who earned his 23rd career shutout and third of the season, did not have a lot of work early — the Stars had six shots in the first, getting their shot on net nine minutes into the game. Mrazek, who had a conditioning-stint game Thursday with the AHL Chicago Wolves, moved well and appeared calm in net.
Stars captain Jamie Benn tested Mrazek with a shot late in the third, getting past defenseman Jaccob Slavin to get off a backhander. But Mrazek shouldered off the shot.
The Stars (13-13-10) pulled Oettinger with two minutes left in the third for a sixth attacker but Mrazek made some strong glove saves.
The Stars edged the Canes 3-2 on Saturday as Oettinger had 41 saves. The Canes had Alex Nedeljkovic in net, then turned to Mrazek on Sunday as James Reimer was the backup.
