After a blowout loss in Columbus, the Carolina Hurricanes regained their spark in a back-and-forth battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Returning to the Lenovo Center, the Canes extended their home win streak against the Penguins to 10 in a row, showing why they’re the No. 1 team in the Metropolitan Division.
The Hurricanes (43-19-6) narrowly beat out the Penguins (34-18-16) in a shooting match that extended into overtime. Both teams traded goals, one after another until Pittsburgh netted the first unanswered goal of the game to make it 5-4. But Carolina struck back to tie it in regulation and ultimately netted the game-winner in overtime.
Winger Jordan Martinook scored his second short-handed goal of the season in the first period to give the Canes an early lead. The primary assist came from center Jordan Staal, who slapped the puck against the boards down the ice to grant Martinook a breakaway chance.
Sophomore winger Jackson Blake — assisted by winger duo Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers — sniped a clean backhanded entry between the Penguins goalie’s legs in the second just after Carolina’s first power play of the night was up. This goal not only established another lead for the Hurricanes but it also solidified Blake in the 20-goal club for the first time in his career.
Defenseman Mike Reilly got the ball rolling again in the third with a middle lane drive that led to a passing play transition goal in the third for Hall. His backhanded strike gave Carolina a 3-2 advantage and marked his 299th career goal.
The rest of the third was a dogfight as Stankoven’s snap shot, assisted by Ehlers and Blake, put the Canes up 4-3. The Penguins scored twice immediately after to gain the first lead at 5-4. Then K’Andre Miller lit the lamp with three minutes left in regulation, on assists from defenseman Sean Walker and Ehlers with a crucial entry, to carry the matchup into overtime.
The OT starters were centers Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, along with Miller — who defenseman Alexander Nikishin and then Walker eventually relieved. As time was ticking down, on a play of patience and precision, Aho held out just long enough to pass over to Walker who scored the winning goal via a slap shot.
While the barnburner was filled with offensive zone play, the real star of the night was goalie Frederik Andersen, who clinched a fourth-straight win.
The Hurricanes were very dominant on paper, but the results did not show up on the scoreboard as the Canes were a controlling presence over the blue line from the jump, causing turnovers and laying on 44 shots.
Getting called for 10 penalty minutes, the Canes gave the Penguins a leg up, and while there was a controversial tripping call, the unsportsmanlike whack was a needless hitch in the comeback for the win.
The lack of attack in the third period nearly cost Carolina a second straight loss as the Penguins were able to answer the call each time. While the Hurricanes won out in the end, the game shouldn’t have gone to overtime in the first place.
Next up, the Canes face the Maple Leafs in Toronto Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NHL Network.
