Gold: Emotional Game 6 ahead for Hurricanes

By Adam Gold, radio host 99.9 the Fan

Raleigh, N.C. — Thursday, October 4, 2018.

Opening night. The Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders. On the heels of a 5-0-1 preseason record, the Canes opened the year with a lot of the same, an overtime loss to a goalie who stood on his ear as the Hurricanes peppered Thomas Greiss with 46 shots.

Yes, the Islanders won, 2-1, in overtime, on a Josh Bailey power play goal. Yes, it appeared to be the same old, same old, Canes squad that fires tons of shots but scores well below the league average. And, on that night, it was easy to chalk it up to “same old Canes.” But, for me, standing just behind the glass in the corner to the left of Petr Mrazek, as Bailey’s shot found the back of the net, it just looked different.

Turns out that it WAS different.

Sure, there were ups and downs — more downs in the first half of the year than ups — but, the team was building the foundation of winning hockey even as they were struggling with the winning part of the equation.

Then, it just happened. Starting with the win over the Flyers on New Year’s Eve, the Canes became a force. While the rest of the league was focusing on the iconic — though, now departed — Storm Surge, offering takes ranging from room temperature to nuclear meltdown (thank you, Don Cherry), the Hurricanes were actually playing really good hockey.

In spite of never winning more than five consecutive games, Carolina posted a 30-12-2 mark from the start of the new year. Just about every team goes on a long streak during the year, at least it seems that way. Buffalo and Philadelphia each had 10-game winning runs this year. Chicago won seven in a row earlier this year. Collectively, those three teams finished 47 points out of the playoffs.

The Canes mounted, what turned out to be, a methodical charge up the standings. Five in a row here, five in a row there. Four out of five here, six of seven there. Like the horse that slowly picks off the early breakers coming down the backstretch, the Canes just kept coming, playing games of real consequence from January all the way through the tape in early April.

Now, with 82 regular season games plus five more in the postseason in their wake, Carolina suits up for what could ultimately be the end of this crazy, unthinkable journey. Following Washington’s thorough beating of the Canes in Game 5, the Capitals arrive in Raleigh with the notion of putting this series to sleep. Unlike what’s gone on in other matchups, the Carolina-Washington affair has been a home ice endeavor. The home team is 5 for 5.

Will tonight’s home team have Andrei Svechnikov, the club’s 19-year old fearless, feisty, talented 19-year old agitator of Alexander Ovechkin? Will the kid draw back in tonight, seven days after being knocked out cold by an Ovechkin overhand right in Game 3? What about Michael Ferland, who suffered a recurrence of an upper body injury that has bothered him for the better part of the last three months?

What of Jordan Martinook? A big part of the turnaround this year thanks to his timely goal-scoring and yeoman’s work on the penalty kill. Those are the tangibles Martinook brings to the team. But, he’s more than just forecheck and blocked shots. Jordan has become the pulse of this team, much like captain Justin Williams is the brain. A Svechnikov appearance — unlikely as it may seem — might trigger all sorts of madness from the fans. But, Martinook in the lineup might be all the emotional lift his team needs.

What this Hurricanes team has done this year better than anything else is battle. There’s been a grit to their game that has not been present over the past several years and it’s that tenacity, that has carried them for the last 4 1/2 months.

We have no idea what is going to happen tonight at PNC Arena. We don’t know who is going to play, let alone where they’re gong to line up. The one thing we do know is that for 4 1/2 months, the Hurricanes have been in “playoff mode,” treating every game as though it is a MUST WIN. It might not end up being pretty, and it possibly won’t even end in victory.

However, the culture of this team is character, and tonight’s game is one in which that trait will shine through. Either way, Monday night will prove to be an emotional one. Get your towels ready.

* Andrei Svechnikov (concussion protocol), Jordan Martinook (lower body) and Michael Ferland (upper body) along with Haydn Fleury (healthy) all took part in a small skating-session this morning at PNC Arena. Svechnikov has said that he hopes to play. Rod Brind’Amour called that occurrence “highly doubtful” on Sunday. Martinook skated “okay” today and will probably take the warm up to see if he can go. He left the game in the 1st period of Game 4 last Thursday after crashing into the boards trying to make a hit. Ferland appears further away from a return, but you never know. Something about that potential LAST game that turns players into machines.

* Teuvo Teravainen, Justin Williams, Nino Niederreter Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho have combined to score three goals in five games in this series. Or, the same number as Caps center Nicklas Backstrom. In the case of Aho, that MUST change.

* Center Clark Bishop was recalled from Charlotte for Game 6. He skated 20 games with Carolina already this year and has one goal and two assists. He’s fast and a smart defensive player and is a better fit in that role than was Aleksi Saarela. I’d expect him on the 4th line in between Greg McKegg and Patrick Brown, assuming one of the big three don’t draw back in.

* Effectively four of the Capitals’ six goals were because of the power play. The Caps went 3-for-4 in that department, but Nic Dowd’s penalty shot was thanks to a Dougie Hamilton slash on his stick. Carolina must stay out of the penalty box.

* Coverage begins at 6:30 with Storm Watch on 99.9 the Fan. Opening faceoff is roughly 7:10.