RALEIGH, N.C. — That was more like it for the Carolina Hurricanes.
A couple of days removed from owning some of the blame for the Canes’ lopsided loss against Columbus, captain Jordan Staal helped set an early positive — and physical — tone for the Canes. Tabbed to start between Steven Lorentz and Jesper Fast, Staal and his mates kept the Canucks hemmed into their own zone for the better part of the opening minute, and sent bodies banging into the boards with regularity.
That shift was a condensed version of Saturday’s matinee — gritty, grinding, laden with collisions.
And, oh yeah, Saturday also marked a return to the win column for the Canes, who play their best when they inject an element of physicality into their speed-based game.
Sebastian Aho, Vincent Trocheck, Martin Necas and Steven Lorentz scored, and Frederik Andersen stopped 30 shots, leading the Canes to a 4-1 win over the Canucks at PNC Arena. But the bigger numbers — quite literally — were in the “hits” column. Carolina officially dished out about three dozen hits Saturday, and just missed on a few others that rattled the boards to the delight of the home crowd.
By the numbers
In a return to playing “normal,” some Canes skaters either snapped skids or hit milestones on Saturday.
— 5: Number of games since Aho had scored a goal. That doesn’t seem so long for the average NHLer, but Aho had been scoring at a clip of better than a goal every two games before this streak. His strike opened the scoring Saturday.
— 6: Number of games since Trocheck had scored a goal. He’s the kind of player who, when he’s on, the Canes are far better for it. He adds an element of scoring depth, in addition to his obvious physical contributions.
— 23/100: Martin Necas celebrated his 23rd birthday Saturday in style, scoring a pivotal goal in the win that also gave him 100 points for his NHL career.
— 35: The Canes’ penalty-kill streak remained intact Saturday with the team warding off four Vancouver power plays to run their consecutive kill streak to 35 chances. The franchise record is 36, set in November 2000, and equaled in 2014-15.
Opening salvo
The Canes didn’t score on their first shift, but mentally — and physically — they established a tone so obviously missing against the Blue Jackets.
Staal strung a handful of solid shifts together, and then, after Andrei Svechnikov drew a roughing penalty against Tyler Myers, the Canes’ power play went to work. Aho capped a tic-tac-toe passing play from Tony DeAngelo and Teuvo Teravainen to give the Canes a 1-0 lead at 8:17 of the first.
Bo Horvat — who seems to score at will against Carolina, though he’s really only now struck seven times — evened the score later in the first on a snipe from the left circle, beating Andersen high glove.
The Canes also continued to tempt fate in the first, handing the Canucks three more power plays. The league’s best kill unit did the job again, though, running its streak of consecutive successful short-handed chances to, at the time, 33.
Second thoughts
The Canes settled into a rhythm in the second period and not surprisingly saw an increase in physical play.
The team’s goal total also moved in the right direction, starting early in the frame. Trocheck snapped a shot past Vancouver keeper Thatcher Demko on a slick feed from Andrei Svechnikov to put the Canes up by one, and then Necas netted a goal for his 100th NHL point at 4:49, also on a feed from Svechnikov to give Carolina a two-goal cushion.
Parting shots
For the third time in five games, Steven Lorentz, known more for his physical play and pesky on-ice persona, lit the lamp, this time on a beautiful redirect of a Brady Skjei shot from the left point. The puck glanced off the shaft of Lorentz’s stick from a sharp angle to Demko’s right and into the top of the cage.
The Canes also extended that PK streak in the final frame, pushing the run to 35 chances.
Up next
Assuming the Hurricanes can play all of the games currently scheduled this week, the team will be at its busiest in some time.
The Canes are slated to face Boston on the road Tuesday, the Rangers at home on Friday and the Devils on the road Saturday.
