Carolina got its first win in Philadelphia, 3-2 in overtime, a night after losing 5-2 at home to Washington. Sebastian Aho scored 10 seconds in and finished with 2 goals and an assist, and Shayne Gostisbehere won it on a power-play one-timer off a Jackson Blake feed. Woll made 37 saves for the Flyers and Pyotr Kochetkov needed only 16 at the other end. That's the Hurricanes game Rod Brind'Amour wants, and it's a bad matchup for a team still working out its crease.
The 16 saves were also Kochetkov's first game since December 20, after lower-body surgery. Whether he or someone else starts against Vancouver depends on how Carolina handles its trip to Montreal on Tuesday, October 6. That game is still to be played, and it will decide who is rested, who is in net and what the Hurricanes' record looks like when Vancouver arrives. Carolina also won't have Seth Jarvis (shoulder, injured non-roster list) or defenseman Alexander Nikishin. On Vancouver's side, Jake DeBrusk missed the Vegas game with an illness and is worth watching, and Filip Chytil remains on IR.
In short, Vancouver can score in bunches, as the 4-goal 3rd period against Calgary and the 7 it put on Edmonton showed, and it can also give up a lot fast. Carolina's style is to pile up shots and grind teams down. Before the Montreal game, the open questions are whether Merilainen or whoever starts can hold up under that much volume, and whether the Hurricanes' finishing catches up to their shot totals.