The Carolina Hurricanes got off to a good start to the 2021-22 season with a 6-3 home win over the New York Islanders on Thursday, Oct. 14. Despite allowing three goals, the Canes exhibited some stout defense to hold New York at bay.
Offensively, the back-and-forth matchup saw two power-play goals and a third-period rocket from the right-hand side of the attacking zone by left wing Teuvo Teravainen. Teravainen notched a pair of points on the night with that goal and an assist on right wing Andrei Svechnikov’s first-period equalizer to make it 1-1.
“It was a great game to watch,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “It was really entertaining. Hard-fought, by both teams… I thought we gave a little too much, but it was an exciting game.”
That first period included plenty of action for the Canes’ first sell-out crowd since February of 2020. Despite Islanders center Mathew Barzal giving his side an early 1-0 lead at the 7:23 mark, Carolina showed resilience in the form of Svechnikov’s equalizer just under two minutes later and a goal by right wing Jesper Fast to make it 2-1 in favor of the Canes.
“It’s just unbelievable, coming to the rink,” Svechnikov said. “So many people outside, you drive there and it makes you get goosebumps on your body.”
The spectacle was not limited to the play on the ice either. During the first period, the jumbotron showed actor Chloe Grace Moretz in attendance, sporting an Islanders jersey. Despite plenty of cajoling from Canes fans, Moretz turned down an offer from the Hurricanes mascot, Stormy, to exchange her Islander blue and orange for Hurricane red and white.
An abundance of quality plays with the stick was another major reason why the Canes were able to secure the win. Especially in the first and third period, the Hurricanes made poke checks left and right to repeatedly dispossess the Islanders. On the offensive side of things, Svechnikov wasted no time attempting his trademark lacrosse shot. Although the shot was denied, the panache it takes to try and pull that off on night one was not lost on the fans.
Svechnikov, Teravainen and right wing Nino Niederreiter were the three main contributors to the Canes’ successful night, accounting for four of Carolina’s goals and combining for six points. Svech finished the game with three of those points, scoring a brace and assisting Teravainen’s goal. Refusing to be left out of the scoring action, Niederreiter willed a contested shot over the line as he slid across the face of goal, dragged by New York defender Zdeno Chara.
“[Chara is] a big man,” Niederreiter said. “So it took me everything I could to get to the net and he held me up a little bit and pulled me into the net. As soon as I saw the puck go over the line perfectly, I thought it should be a goal and thank God it was.”
The Hurricanes’ passing was in mid-season form across all four lines. In addition to the frequent goals, the Canes’ crisp passing made for a great display of how to distribute the puck. Accompanied by a solid penalty kill, Carolina was able to seal the deal.
The Canes now hit the road to take on the Nashville Predators on Saturday, Oct. 16. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
