Hurricanes' depth shines as they dominate Utah Mammoth. Jordan Staal hits milestone, proving offensive prowess and Selke candidacy.
The Carolina Hurricanes apparently just don't need their full roster.
For the second straight game, the Canes sat seven regulars and still won regardless, as they pulled off a 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth Saturday at Delta Center.
Here are four takeaways from the win:
1. 20 Goals A Decade In The Making
With his second period, game winner, Jordan Staal reached the 20-goal milestone for the sixth time in his career and the first since 2015-16.
The captain has taken his offensive game to another level this season, while still providing the dependable defensive game the team relies on night in and night out.
"Obviously I'm not known necessarily for my offensive skills, but I always want to chip in that way and it's always nice to score goals," Staal said. "Fly was looking for me in the first and so I think I could have had three or four and was able to get one there. It always feels good. I'll take it."
"When we talk about that award that goes around for, in my opinion, the best overall player, the most valuable, the Selke award, just look at this game tonight," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Just look at that game tonight and tell me how that's not a guy that should be... forget about in the conversation, but should be winning that this year."
Staal is also the team's seventh 20-goal scorer on the season, which is more than any other team in the NHL this year.
It's also the first time in team history that the Hurricanes have had that many 20-goal scorers in a season and just highlights the incredible depth that the team has this year.
It's a big reason why they also have now scored more goals (287) than any team prior in Hurricanes history.
2. Frederik Andersen Will Be The Game 1 Starter
If you weren't convinced before, Brind'Amour opting to give Frederik Andersen back-to-back starts Thursday and Saturday was all the signal I needed to see to convince me who will be the postseason starter.
And the fact that he also delivered back-to-back strong performances only accentuates that even further.
Andersen stopped 49 out of the 52 shots he faced over the past two games (0.942 save percentage) and looked really comfortable in the crease.
He was making the routine saves, but was also coming up with a few timely ones as well.
"Your goalie makes saves for you in a game where you're not playing your best, that allows you to have a chance to win and that's what happened tonight," Brind'Amour said.
Brandon Bussi needed to have a really strong finish to the season to put himself in the conversation, but the way the last few weeks have played out, there isn't much of a conversation left to be had in my opinion.
Add in that Andersen is a proven veteran who has performed well in the postseason for Carolina historically and the decision just seems like one that's already a lock.
"I just like to feel like I'm moving well," Andersen said. "I think that's the key. Feeling like you're in the right positions and the right timing. Obviously you're never gonna be perfect, but as much as possible, just try to react and not get too worried about the other things. At times, you can feel like you want to do everything perfect and that slows you down a little bit. So just trying to be in the moment and enjoy the game too."
3. Pair of Career Bests
Andrei Svechnikov set a new career best in the win, netting his 31st goal and 70th point of the season on the power play in the first period.
Svechnikov has been an absolute force for the Canes this season and he finally is back to looking like the player everyone expected him to be.
"He's just been steady all year long," Staal said. "Maybe not the start from what I remember, but for the most part, he's just been on the puck and tenacious and physical and strong and just the player that we know he can be. It's shown all year long and he's just been a lot steadier and it's good to see him get rewarded."
Not only did Svechnikov set a new best, but so too did Sean Walker, who reached 30 points for the first time in his career.
Walker, who is the only Hurricanes blueliner to appear in every game so far this year, has logged big minutes for Carolina this season after playing primarily on the third pair last season.
"He's just competitive," Brind'Amour said. "It's tough to measure what that is and what the value is of that because you can't put it on paper. Guys that are competitive and what they have inside of them. You just watch the way he plays every shift, he's leaving it all out there and that's why we love him."
4. One Point To Go
With the win, the Hurricanes knocked off two of the three teams that were competing with them for the Eastern Conference crown.
Now, all that's left to challenge them for the top spot in the East is the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres cap out at 110 points if they win their final two games, but as they have the edge in regulation wins, they'll win any tiebreaker.
So the Hurricanes need just one point in their final two games in order to secure home ice advantage for the first three rounds of the postseason.
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