When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired defenseman Jani Hakanpaa from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline, those who had been paying attention to the Ducks this season — which, among Hurricanes fans, was an exceptionally small subset — pointed out that he was a defensive defenseman par excellence who would have little to no impact on the offensive end.
But now that he’s in Raleigh, he’s made his presence known, and quickly.
Hakanpaa’s goal midway through the third period stood up as the game-winner, and a Hurricanes performance for the ages in the first period wasn’t for naught as the Canes swept their two-game series with the Nashville Predators in a 3-1 win on Saturday night at PNC Arena.