As badly as the Carolina Hurricanes are missing Jaccob Slavin, who hasn’t played since Game 1, they’re also missing Andrei Svechnikov, who has. The electric winger who is capable of turning a game around with one unstoppable shot has yet to make any kind of real impact on a series where essentially every game has been decided by a single goal.
It’s been an up and down third NHL season for Svechnikov, but with the Hurricanes desperately struggling to convert chances into goals with the series against the Nashville Predators tied 2-2 heading back to Raleigh on Tuesday, they need their most talented goal-scorer to contribute.
That said, he hasn’t lost his confidence. Svechnikov even smiled Monday when asked if he was getting frustrated.
“Nothing too frustrated,” Svechnikov said. “I’m confident we’re going to go the next two games and show our best game to them. It’s going to be a little bit different game. We’re going to be fired up, especially in our building.”
Despite playing for all but one period with linemates who are also getting plenty of scoring chances and owning some of the best possession numbers on the team, Svechnikov has yet to actually get anything past Juuse Saros. His only goal of the series, on 21 shots, is the empty-netter to seal Game 1.
But there’s also a balance Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour is trying to strike, because the Hurricanes have liked Svechnikov’s offensive game overall.
“His effort’s been great,” Brind’Amour said. “He had a few last night, one in overtime down the wing where he ripped it and that’s his game. He’s been great in the offensive zone. I don’t really say too much generally. When he needs a little tweaking in other areas, that’s when we get to him. He’s a creative player and he’s working hard. We’ve kind of got to let him do his thing.”
Unfortunately, this kind of slump has been all too common for Svechnikov this season -- perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not -- with his unresolved contract extension hanging over his head. After a fast start with six goals in the first eight games, Svechnikov scored only three goals in the final 15 games of the regular season and went multiple stretches of six games or more without a goal.
On a normal, 82-game schedule, he was on a 22-goal pace, regressing from his 31-goal pace last season.
“Personally for me, I feel like I just got to drive to the net a little bit harder, find space in front of the net, put the puck in the net,” Svechnikov said. “It’s easy to say that, but we have to do that more as a team to get in front and maybe screen or something, so we can score those goals.”
WAITING ON JACCOB SLAVIN TO RETURN FROM INJURY
Slavin was not among the seven skaters and three goalies (Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, Antoine Bibeau) who practiced at PNC Arena on Monday morning, none of whom played in Game 5. His availability for Game 5 remains uncertain … and critical. Brind’Amour said there was no change in his status: Slavin will tell him when he’s ready to play after missing the past three games.
In his absence, during what amounted to more than an extra game of hockey in games 3 and 4, Brett Pesce played a total of 79:43 and Brady Skjei 79:01. The two defensemen have been absolute workhorses, but that kind of duty has to take a toll at some point, if it didn’t already as the two losses dragged deep into a second overtime.
“I feel fine,” Skjei said. “We work hard throughout the season for these kinds of moments.”
Some unexpected contributions have come from Maxime Lajoie, who jumped ahead of Jake Gardiner on the depth chart thanks to his defensive reliability despite spending the entire season in the AHL and played heavily in both road games.
“That’s a tough position,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ve got a couple (young) guys in the lineup, on the back end, that’s tough. Not the easiest thing to do at this level, jumping in there. They’re doing their best.”
Cedric Paquette, who has yet to play in the series, was among the seven skaters Monday.
TWO OF THE LONGEST GAMES IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
The two double-overtime games in Nashville ended up being the second- and third-longest games in franchise history, trailing only the triple-overtime loss to Detroit in the 2002 Stanley Cup finals.
“It’s a tough way to lose, when you give everything like that,” Brind’Amour said. “I think the guys felt like the ice was tilted in our favor and it didn’t work out. You have to move on. We’ve done that all year.”
The two losses also continued a disturbing trend that goes back 30 years: The Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers are 1-7 all-time in multiple-OT playoff games. The only win was at Washington in Game 7 in 2019, on Brock McGinn’s goal.
BY THE NUMBERS
Analytically speaking, Sunday’s first period and second overtime were the two best periods the Hurricanes have played in the series, controlling 81.2% and 74.3% of five-on-five shot attempts respectively. The Predators still managed to outscore the Hurricanes 2-1 in those two periods, which is a big reason why the series is tied 2-2 going into Game 5.
All of that means the Game 5 keys for the Hurricanes are the oldest in hockey: More traffic in front, get to more rebounds, get more shots through.
“They do a great job getting in the lane, not just their first guy but their second guy, too,” Skjei said. “Maybe try to move a bit and get a few more pucks through.”
PREDATORS AT HURRICANES: GAME 5 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh
