RALEIGH, N.C. _ PNC Arena had that distinct green hue again Saturday.
It was Whalers Night, when the Carolina Hurricanes switch out of their red-and-white uniforms to don the green sweaters with that iconic logo from the franchise's Hartford Whalers past.
Several Canes players wore headbands in the pregame warmups, giving it a 1980s look on throwback night. Pucky the Whale sounded the warning siren before the game and "Brass Bonanza" again was heard.
All that was nice but the Canes wanted to win in the Whalers green not just wear it, and beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-0.
Nino Niederreiter scored at 4:52 of the first period for the Canes and goalie James Reimer, at his best, made it stand up until Teuvo Teravainen added a late empty-net goal. Reimer had 41 saves in his best outing of the season.
Reimer was briefly down in the crease with 29 seconds left in regulation but stayed in the game. Teravainen's empty-netter came with 3.9 seconds remaining. Goalie Petr Mrazek shut out the Arizona Coyotes, 3-0, with 32 saves on Friday, likely his best game of the season, but Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour turned to Reimer to complete the back-to-back.
"We've got to get Reimer going, too," Brind'Amour said before the game. "We want to get two goalies rolling. We had that going earlier and want to get it going again."
The same for Neiderreiter. It has been a mostly disappointing season for the veteran winger. Traded to the Canes almost a year ago by the Minnesota Wild, his steady point production and heavy play were a big part of the Canes' surge into the playoffs.
Before Saturday, Niederreiter had five goals and 15 assists in 44 games this season. His confidence level was low, and with veteran forward Justin Williams now signed and back practicing with the team, Niederreiter appeared to be one of the players whose ice time might be taken once Williams is ready to play.
Niederreiter was around the puck a lot Saturday. He scored. He had other offensive chances. He painfully blocked a Kings shot and was in on several puck battles.
His goal came after Sebastian Aho raced into the Kings zone off a stretch pass from Dougie Hamilton. Aho got the puck to Teuvo Teravainen, who passed up a shot to get the puck to Neiderreiter. The puck was knocked around but Neiderreiter was able to punch it in the net.
A year ago, in the first Whalers Night at PNC Arena, the Canes and Boston Bruins raced up and down the ice, the Canes winning 5-3. Saturday's game was more of a grind, with both goalies forced to make hustling, active saves. And Reimer and the King's Jack Campbell did that.
Reimer denied forward Adrian Kempe more than once, thrusting out his right pad to make a stop on a Kempe chance in the second. On a Kings power play in the third, Reimer was properly positioned to stop a heavy shot from the slot by Alex Iafallo.
Moments after the Canes killed off a Niederreiter penalty, Campbell stopped a Jordan Staal on a partial breakaway to keep it a 1-0 game.
