Pacioretty’s return, 67 shots not enough for Carolina; Predators maul Hurricanes 5-3

Even a franchise-record-breaking 67 shots on goal couldn’t save the Carolina Hurricanes from a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday, Jan. 5.

Although morale was high after the Hurricanes (25-8-6) introduced veteran left wing Max Pacioretty for the first time this season, the Predators’ (17-14-6) stunning defense and goaltending capabilities exhausted almost every single one of Carolina’s shots.

Pacioretty made his debut with the Hurricanes on Thursday evening, his presence drawing raucous cheers from the crowd of Caniacs. The 34-year old, who underwent surgery for a torn Achilles tendon on Aug. 10, wasn’t expected to return for at least another month.

“I’m happy I’m back, playing with the team,” Pacioretty said. “I’m happy with how everything’s gone, and now it’s my goal and it’s my job to get better each and every day.”

Predators right wing Nino Niederreiter also returned to a standing ovation in PNC Arena. The Swiss native, who played with Carolina for four seasons, remains beloved by Canes fans months after Niederreiter signed a two-year, $8 million contract with Nashville.

Nashville had a near-immediate answer to each of Carolina’s first three points, snapping the Hurricanes’ hopes after each go-ahead goal. Less than three minutes after center Paul Statsny’s biscuit on the power play, Nashville left wing Filip Forsberg evened the score. At the top of the second frame, Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm scored shortly after defenseman Brady Skjei’s go-ahead goal riled up the crowd at PNC.

The Hurricanes’ third goal was scored by none other than center Jordan Staal, Carolina’s longtime captain, in his 700th game with the franchise. Although ultimately answered by the Predators two minutes later, Staal’s blink-and-you-miss-it slapshot was nothing short of incredible in the face of Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros.

Cause the turnover, put the pass on the tape, and finish with classThis line, y'all pic.twitter.com/8TLK8qzviV

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 6, 2023

To his credit, Saros was nearly impenetrable to Carolina’s powerful offense. At the end of the second frame, the Hurricanes had outshot the Predators by 25, but you wouldn’t know from the score. In fact, Saros was named to the Central Division roster for the 2023 NHL All-Star game during Thursday night’s match.

🟡 Franchise record🟡 Third-most single-game saves in NHL historyJuuse Saros is an All-Star for a reason. pic.twitter.com/FJqUDQO1tr

— Bally Sports: Preds (@PredsOnBally) January 6, 2023

“You’ve gotta give credit where credit’s due,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “[Saros] played as good of a game as you’re ever gonna see. That’s the story.  You can write down other things, but … that’s the difference.”

Despite picking up 39 shots on goal by the end of the second period, something was lacking on Carolina’s end. The shot attempts didn’t mirror the score, and maybe that can be chalked up to goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov’s lackluster performance — although the rookie was crucial to the Hurricanes’ success in December, every star hits slumps every now and then. Plus, the missed opportunities on the man advantage didn’t help.

“Obviously, we gave up four goals, so we’re going to have to find ways to tighten it up,” Staal said. “I’d love to see our special teams win that battle — I think that would’ve been the difference-maker tonight.”

A soft goal from Nashville center Mark Jankowski early in the third frame heightened tensions in the building, especially after Carolina let a power play go to waste despite several solid attempts on goal. With a little over nine minutes to go, the Hurricanes had clocked 53 shots but still needed to find an opportunity to salvage Thursday night’s game in Raleigh.

Without a saving grace within the last half of the third frame, Carolina suffered its second-straight loss after falling to the New York Rangers two nights prior. That being said, such a dominating offensive presence bodes well for the weeks ahead, especially after Pacioretty gets some more time on the ice and Kochetkov shakes off the rust.

“You’re going to leave here upset and frustrated,” Brind’Amour said. “[But] tomorrow’s a new day. When we were on the streak, it was never — no one was talking about it in the room. … We’re not talking about that. It’ll be how we get better, and the guys understand that.”

The Hurricanes’ will face the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena this Saturday, Jan. 7. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m.