Sunday 1.1. NHL match New Jersey–Carolina. The broadcast on TV2, Areena, the app and the website starts at 22:05. Monday 2.1. will show the Boston-Pittsburgh Winter Classic match from 21:00.
In ‘s TV match, two teams traveling in different directions in the standings will meet on Sunday night. The Carolina Hurricanes won their historic tenth consecutive victory in their last game, and the team has moved up to second in the entire series.
The home team New Jersey Devils have lost eight of their last ten games, and the charm team at the beginning of the season has fallen to the fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
At the end of November, Carolina was still in fifth place in the conference, nine points behind the top team Devils and Boston Bruins.
The Devils wowed in the early season with their fast and efficient offensive game, but now the Hurricanes have become the hottest team in the entire league precisely because of their comprehensive game.
The course reversed in December
Carolina’s biggest problems were related to the efficiency of the offensive game. In October-November, the team scored the sixth fewest goals per match in the entire league. The dominance percentage of 16.5 was the seventh worst in the league. In December, the percentage was 25, and the result came.
Most recently, the team won 4–0 against Florida with three power play goals.
– This season, we haven’t had many nights where we decided the game with superiority. Alivoima was also good, so our special situation play won the match for us. It has to be made to work, because it wins games, like today, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said in an interview after the match.
Playing in special situations will certainly be facilitated by the captain in the future Sebastian Ahon the return to the lineup before Christmas. Aho, who missed seven games, has not been the only one absent from the team suffering from injury concerns during the fall season.
Teuvo Teräväinen, Ondrej Kase, Frederik Andersen, Max Pacioretty… The list of players who were injured during the season is long. Teräväinen is back in the lineup, Kase and Andersen are working on ice training, and there has been positive news about Pacioretty, who is recovering from his Achilles tendon.
Reliability and decisiveness have been found during a strong mood, for example by Martin Necas, By Jordan Staal, Andrei Svetshnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi mixed by Stefan Noesen from players like Aho was convinced of the team’s appearance during his absence.
– It was impressive to watch. The team worked hard, for example with understrength. We have a great team, Aho summed up after his return match.
Raanta grabbed his straw card
The number one goalkeeper while Andersen was injured Antti Raanta and a rookie goalkeeper Pyotr Koshetkov have shared control responsibility. ‘s expert Ismo Lehkonen estimated in November that even the crucial times in terms of the continuation of Raanta’s NHL career have been at hand.
– He hasn’t been at his best and the statistics are also dropping a bit. The Russian is driving past, Lehkonen analyzed at the time.
At the end of the year, Raanta played two clean sheets. The goalkeeper from Rauma received the unwavering support of the home crowd and the head coach’s praise.
– Raanta made some tough saves today. When the players make mistakes, the goalkeeper’s saves calm the whole team down. “He was good today,” Brind’Amour commented after the Florida game in late December.
Although there are still injuries, the team seems to be in a strong state of flow throughout the lineup.
In New Jersey, the most difficult phase of the season
Fighting in the same division as Carolina, the Devils suffered a difficult December, including a six-game losing streak. The team’s sparkling offensive game at the beginning of the season has faltered, as the team scored the third fewest goals in the Eastern Conference during December.
At the same time, the opponents have vaccinated the young team on the defensive end. One of the best defender pairs at the beginning of the season, Dougie Hamilton – Jonas Siegenthaler, has also been in trouble. During the last ten games, the first defenders have a minus in terms of goal difference, which is not a winning situation in the long run.
However, New Jersey has still allowed the fourth fewest goals in the league. In the evening’s match, the opponent is only the team that has conceded the second least.
Carolina poses a challenge to New Jersey, which the young team should be able to meet if it wants to fight for the top positions in its conference and playoff success in the end of the season.
Sunday 1.1. NHL match New Jersey–Carolina. The broadcast on TV2, Areena, the app and the website starts at 22:05. Monday 2.1. will show the Boston-Pittsburgh Winter Classic match from 21:00.