After being off for 12 days, the Carolina Hurricanes finished off 2021 in style on December 30th in Raleigh, North Carolina. They would go on to beat the Montreal Canadiens at PNC Arena 4-0. The effort from that game left Hurricanes fans feeling good going into 2022. Let’s dive into what made that game memorable for not only the fans but the team as well.
Have a Night Antti Raanta
It wouldn’t feel right to not start off the recap without talking about the stellar play Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta had against Montreal. The 32-year old Finnish goaltender ended the night stopping all 26 shots that the Canadiens threw at him. From the opening puck drop, it seemed like nothing would get by him, and in the end, nothing did. He would stop 17 even-strength shots along with three short-handed attempts and six powerplay shots. Raanta was on a whole other level and with every save, the PNC Arena crowd got more into the game. It was Raanta’s first shutout with the Hurricanes as well. What a way to end 2021 for the guy everyone calls Rants. Stick taps to Antti Raanta on the shutout.
Nino Niederreiter Starts the Scoring
The Carolina Hurricanes went on a barrage against the Canadiens scoring four goals on the night. The guy to start it off in the first period? None other than Nino Niederreiter. Nino would score 10:46 into the first period on the powerplay. It was started off by a shot from the point by Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin that would be redirected by Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Furthermore, the shot and redirect were initially stopped but fell onto the stick of Niederreiter who just shot it home to make it a 1-0 Carolina lead. Not a bad way to start off the game for Carolina.
Nino?
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 31, 2021
NiYes pic.twitter.com/0SbTpNiJLh
Teuvo Goes Turbo Mode for Hurricanes
Teuvo Teravainen was on another level against the Canadiens. He would end the night with two goals to his name. Furthermore, it would be in way of special teams’ goals. His first one was a short-handed goal at the 13:29 mark in the first period. That would put Carolina up 2-0 at the time.
The quintessential Chel goal pic.twitter.com/tSCAwMijKW
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 31, 2021
Plus, what made it so special was the assist from fellow Finnish teammate Sebastian Aho on a two-on-one, odd-man rush. The way Aho managed to keep the puck near him while holding off a Canadiens player was sensational in itself. Although, that pass from Aho was set up beautifully and would end up in the back of the net off a perfect shot from Teravainen.
But, Teravainen wouldn’t stop there as he added another goal in the second period to make it 3-0 Carolina. At the 17:01 mark in the period, he would end up getting the powerplay goal for the Hurricanes. The goal was set up by Martin Necas and once again, Sebastian Aho. This goal was so beautiful, Shakespeare could write a sonnet about it:
Turbo. En fuego. pic.twitter.com/8jrjTzxjXp
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 31, 2021
The way Aho just slid it over to Necas was so smooth, it was just a simple pass in many people’s eyes. Although that slap pass from Necas to Teravainen was otherworldly. Once it got to Teravainen he just effortlessly slapped home the puck to make it 3-0 Hurricanes. One could say that Teravainen was the Special Teams Specialist that night against the Canadiens with both a short-handed and a powerplay goal.
The Hurricanes Had a Jarvy Party
It was 3-0 after two periods, Carolina was clicking on both ends of the ice and on special teams. But, it seemed like rookie sensation Seth Jarvis wanted to get into the scoring party as well. The 19-year old let go an absolute snipe, that would make Eric Staal proud, as he roofed it top shelf to make it 4-0 Hurricanes. Welcome to Snipe City, Population: Seth Jarvis.
Seth Jarvis is 19 pic.twitter.com/AEYEpyIEkf
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 31, 2021
The goal came at the 10:52 mark in the third period. Furthermore, the goal also happened to be a powerplay goal as well. All four Carolina goals were on special teams (one short-handed, three powerplays). The Hurricanes would end the night going 3-for-5 on the powerplay and winning 72% of the faceoffs. That is a team effort that Rod Brind’Amour loves to see from his Canes squad.
Up next for Carolina is the Columbus Blue Jackets, in Columbus, on January 1st. Can the Hurricanes start off in 2022 the same way they ended in 2021?
My name is Zach Martin, the Carolina Hurricanes writer for Belly Up Hockey and Belly Up Sports. Check out my Carolina Hurricanes podcast called Tracking The Surge on Twitter and all podcast platforms. Follow me on Twitter for the most up-to-date Carolina Hurricanes content and news.
