CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 12, 2021 Carolina Hurricanes bounce back for 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars By Chip Alexander The Canes hunkered down in the third around goalie James Reimer, who saw a lot of rubber Thursday, facing 37 shots in The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars played Thursday improving his record to 6-1-0. for the third time in 11 games this season, before a few thousand fans at American Airlines Center, after rapid testing “They didn’t have as many chances as we did, not even for the coronavirus before the game. close,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said.. “That’s probably the best offensive output we’ve had and give Reimer a lot of Welcome to the NHL, circa 2021. credit. He made some huge saves.” No extensive video work or skull session was needed to The Canes took five penalties in the first two periods that prepare. The two teams know each other’s tendencies. It Brind’Amour said “sucked the game from us.” The Stars had was just throw the puck down and go as the Canes won 5-3 a 5-on-3 power play in the second period and Joe Pavelski for their third victory over the Stars. scored for a 3-2 lead, his eighth, before McGinn tied it with Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour called it a “gritty win” and that 27 seconds left in the period. best summed it up. “We were flirting with disaster,” Staal said. “That’s not how “We made some nice high-end plays to get some goals and we want to play. It’s never going to be perfect every night. then buckled down,” he said on the postgame media call. Good teams find a way to win.” It was a game with a lot of ebb and flow. Jordan Staal had a Pesce had a pair of assists for the Canes as did center goal and assist for the Canes (8-3-0), setting up Sebastian Vincent Trocheck, who returned from a lower-body injury that Aho for a power-play goal in the first period with a neat no- kept him out the last game. look pass -- one of those high-end plays -- and then hustling The Canes and Stars play the second game of the Central to score in the second, lunging across the ice to knock the Division mini-series on Saturday. puck past goalie Anton Khudobin. New COVID protocols With the Stars (5-3-3) leading 3-2 late in the second, Brock McGinn tied it for Carolina, scoring for the fourth straight The NHL and NHL Players Association announced Thursday game, a personal best. After Brett Pesce’s shot from the new COVID protocols to heal stem the spread of the point, McGinn followed up the rebound for his fifth of the coronavirus. season. Among the measures: In addition to daily, lab-based PCR “The most important goal of the game,” Canes forward Nino testing, the NHL will provide each U.S. team with point of Niederreiter said. care (POC) rapid testing to be conducted on game days to all players and the team personnel who work around the Niederreiter’s goal at 3:58 of the third was the game-winner. bench area during games. Taking a stretch pass from Dougie Hamilton for the breakaway, he beat Khudobin with a quick backhand-to- The Canes and their bench staff went through rapid testing forehand move for a 4-3 lead. Make it another high-end play. Thursday before the game. Warren Foegele had a late empty-net goal after Dallas pulled Another measure is a stay-at-home order except to attend Khudobin for an extra attacker, with Aho earning an assist. practices and games, to exercise outdoors on an individual basis, to perform essential activities or deal with family or other emergencies. CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 12, 2021 Timely saves, goals give Hurricanes a boost in win over Stars Four Hurricanes players had two points, including the red-hot “It’s nice to pop a few in early and get the confidence going,” Jordan Staal he said. “And much like a few guys on our team — Nino, Ginner — just feeling confident, playing really well. I’m just By Cory Lavalette kind of trying to ride it as best I can.” The Hurricanes hit the road for the first of a two-game set in Staal was also quick to credit his linemates, specifically Dallas and came away with two points, winning 5-3 Thursday Svechnikov, for boosting his offensive numbers. night. “These plays he’s been making, they’re the same plays he’s Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal had a goal and an assist, been making over and over for years,” Hurricanes coach Brock McGinn and Nino Niederreiter scored timely goals, Brind’Amour said. “Just we’re connecting on (them). … Right and Warren Foegele added an empty-netter in the final now, he’s getting his due.” minute of the win. There were seasons in his career that Staal probably should Three Thoughts have received more consideration for the Selke Trophy as 1. Good teams find a way to win, and that’s what the the NHL’s top defensive forward. Unfortunately, the award Hurricanes did Wednesday. Carolina looked like it was in has long been more of a “best two-way forward” rather than it trouble in the second period and then got a goal from being decided on mostly defensive merits. McGinn in the final minute to tie the game. Conventional wisdom would say Staal can’t keep up this Then as Dallas was leaning on the Hurricanes in the third torrid pace — or even do so at a two-thirds clip — but I also trying to regain the lead, Dougie Hamilton made a tape-to- would have thought Staal would have returned to Earth by tape pass to Niederreiter, who faked out Stars goalie Anton now. A 40-point season could finally get Staal an honor he’s Khudobin (27 saves) to give Carolina the deciding goal. long deserved. From there, the Hurricanes held on to beat the Stars for the 3. Petr Mrazek, just over a week removed from thumb third time in as many tries this season. surgery, took the ice Thursday afternoon for the first time since he was hurt Jan. 30 in the first period of Carolina’s first “I feel like great teams find ways to win, even if you don’t game of the season against the Stars. have your best,” defenseman Brett Pesce said. “I’m glad we’re pulling two points out of these games, but it’s just After two periods, Brind’Amour was probably checking in to encouraging that we have that much more to give. So when see when Mrazek will be ready to return as James Reimer we put it all together, we’re going to be a more serious (34 saves) looked shaky in the first 40 minutes. But just like threat.” Carolina found timely goals throughout the night, Reimer stepped up in key moments in the third. Carolina definitely didn’t have its best, particularly in the first two periods when the Hurricanes made mistakes that led to Reimer didn’t allow a goal in the final frame, stopping all 10 goals, were shaky in net and took five penalties — including shots he faced to earn the win and improve to 6-1-0 on the three in the offensive zone and a too many men penalty that season despite allowing at least three goals in each of his led to a 5 on 3 for the Stars and a goal. last five starts — including 13 in the last three games. The rebounds that were available to the Stars the first two But a win is a win, and it’s especially satisfying when the periods? Replaced by saves and frozen pucks. third period goes in your favor. “Reims just played great,” Staal said. “He made some big, “We found a way to get two points,” Staal said. “It wasn’t big saves that kept us in that game, and we found a way to pretty, and we can be better in a lot of situations and take get two.” less penalties and all those things, but we’re happy with the win.” With a day off before the back end of the two-game trip to Dallas, Brind’Amour might be wise to go back to Reimer to 2. Staal continues to be an offensive force. The Carolina see if he can improve to 4-0 on the year against the Stars. captain took the team lead in assists with a nifty backhand pass to Aho on the power play that opened the scoring, Number To Know giving Staal eight assists in eight games this season. 4 — Games in a row with a goal for Brock McGinn, who Staal then added his third goal of the season, finishing off a scored his fifth of the season with 27 seconds left in the nice Andrei Svechnikov pass in the second period to give the second period to make the game 3-3 heading into the third. Hurricanes a 2-1 lead. CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 12, 2021 They Said It take a full season after the surgery to start to look like themselves again. “There’s so many decisions that go in your head when you go on a breakaway. There’s so many things to think about it. For Pesce, the surgery has been a boost because of the Do I shoot? Do I go to my backhand? Like, what do I do? lingering issues he had with his shoulder.