Hurricanes goalie drops 'grateful' reaction after 1st start in 21 months
12/15/2024 11:11 PM
The Carolina Hurricanes are dealing with injuries in goal at this time. As a result, the Hurricanes signed veteran goalie Dustin Tokarski to add some depth between the pipes. Tokarski received the call to start on Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. And the veteran turned in a big-time performance to help Carolina to victory.
The 35-year-old Tokarski stopped 27 shots on goal against Columbus at the Lenovo Center. His performance was a big part of the Hurricanes’ 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday night. Offensively, both Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook each recorded two points on the night.
After the game, Tokarski spoke about having this opportunity and how he prepared for it. "Just like any other game, that's how you have to treat it. Just do the work that got me to this point and try to translate it onto the ice tonight. Fortunately it did, and the guys played awesome in front of me,” the Hurricanes goalie said, via NHL.com.
"I've been going day-to-day for the last 30 days, and I'm going to keep doing that,” Tokarski continued. “But (I'm) grateful for the opportunity, grateful for the belief. I'm enjoying it. Can't complain one bit."
Hurricanes’ Dustin Tokarski receives high praise after Blue Jackets win
Dustin Tokarski originally signed with the Hurricanes back on December 2. The Hurricanes have sought to add a goalie given their injury situation. Tokarski may not be the team’s final move between the goalposts. However, he was an easy signing to make. The 35-year-old had signed a professional tryout agreement with Carolina’s AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves a month before joining Carolina.
Tokarski has not had the easiest time in the NHL to this point. In fact, he only has two seasons with more than 15 appearances in a single season. His last season with more than 15 games came in 2021-22 with the Buffalo Sabres. He most recently played four games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022-23. In his most recent start, he allowed four goals to the New Jersey Devils last February.
The Hurricanes took note of his efforts against the Blue Jackets. And they could not have more respect for the effort Tokarski has put in. Turning in a performance like he did on Sunday certainly drew high praise, as head coach Rod Brind’Amour shared after beating Columbus.
"Our goalie was great tonight," the Hurricanes coach said, via NHL.com. "You could see that nothing really fazed him. He made some subtle puck touches behind the net to our defense, things that kind of go unnoticed. All around, I thought he was the difference tonight.
"We understand how hard it is to get in this league, and then to stay around, that's a testament to him to hang in there. It's a great story. Hopefully it continues. It's a good start here. I'm happy for him, and I know the guys are really happy for him, too."
The post Hurricanes goalie drops ‘grateful’ reaction after 1st start in 21 months appeared first on ClutchPoints.
