Martin Necas’ Heroics Help the Hurricanes Snap Their Losing Streak
By Ben Huffman
If you’re like me, you didn’t like seeing the Seattle Kraken jump out to a 2-0 lead. It’s the same song and dance we’ve seen from the Carolina Hurricanes through seven games this season. The Canes have constantly dug themselves into holes and haven’t been able to climb out. This one was different, with the help of Martin Necas. In their rematch with the Kraken, the team showed the same magic that made them so dangerous last season.
Despite speculation that he was close, Andrei Svechnikov didn’t make his season debut in this game. The lineup remained the same in front of the net, with Frederik Andersen making his first appearance since the San Jose game last week. Opposite of him, Joey Daccord was in the net for the Kraken once again.
The game leaned toward the Hurricanes early. They made life easy for Frederik Andersen while peppering Joey Daccord on the other end. We saw some solid defense, most notably a 2-on-1 perfectly defended by Tony DeAngelo. All it took was one small moment to turn the game around. In this case, it was Oliver Bjorkstrand making one slight move to get to the inside track on Brent Burns. He snapped a shot past Frederik Andersen to give Seattle the lead.
Oliver Bjorkstrand struck again a few minutes later. This time, he was setting up his teammate. Devin Shore knocked his down aerial pass, and he made no mistake with the puck, sliding it between the pads of Frederik Andersen to make it a 2-0 game. I was a little surprised the Hurricanes didn’t challenge this play. With the naked eye, I thought the play was offside. We never got a conclusive look at when the puck was knocked out of mid-air. Nevertheless, the Hurricanes found themselves in a pickle.
The end of the period tilted the ice back in favor of the Hurricanes. The worst-case scenario would be for the team to push back hard but still trail 2-0 at the break. Fortunately, Brian Dumoulin lost his edge, leading to the game-changing goal. After the Kraken defender fell, Jesperi Kotkaniemi corralled the puck and passed it to Michael Bunting, who set up Martin Necas at the front of the net with 1:38 left in the period to cut the deficit in half going into the intermission.
The second period was full of close calls for both teams. Jordan Eberle nearly capitalized on a bad pass from the Hurricanes. Matty Beniers rang the post. Frederik Andersen stoned Tye Kartye on a partial breakaway. Sebastian Aho was denied on a short-handed breakaway. Regardless, neither team was able to solve the opposing goalie. It was the first period in eight games where neither team scored, but it also meant the Hurricanes were still a goal down with 20 minutes left to play.
Despite being down a goal, the Hurricanes were on their heels to begin the period. Going into the first commercial break, Seattle was pushing to get their two-goal lead back. They finally got into their groove, and it all eventually clicked. Brady Skjei went all out to steal the puck and skated quickly into the offensive zone. His backhand pass to Martin Necas didn’t find him in a good position to shoot, so he spun and found a trailer. No mistake was made on this shot as Jesperi Kotkaniemi found the tying goal with 4:24 in regulation. The clock slowly rolled on, and the Hurricanes made it to overtime to guarantee at least one point.
Seattle controlled the puck for most of the overtime session. The Hurricanes only had one shot in overtime, but it was the difference. After Frederik Andersen made a great save on Adam Larsson, Martin Necas told everyone to go home. He snapped it from the top of the dots to complete the comeback and snap the team’s three-game losing streak. It’s the eighth overtime-winner of his career, second-most in Hurricanes history, and fifth in the last two seasons. For reference, the Hurricanes have ended ten games in overtime since the start of last season, and Necas has half of them.
Despite being early in the season, the Hurricanes couldn’t afford to lose this one. We could see this win as a massive catalyst for the team’s success in a few months, assuming they can build on this performance. This was the team’s most complete effort of the season. Frederik Andersen was fantastic. You can’t fault him for the two goals, but he didn’t let them dictate the rest of his game. The defense, minus a few hiccups, was the strongest it has looked all season. The Top 9 all got their chances to shine, with the Kotkaniemi line shining the brightest. They contributed both goals in regulation, and Martin Necas finished it in overtime.
The celebration won’t last long as the Hurricanes return to action on Friday night to complete the back-to-back. The San Jose Sharks will be on the other side for Friday’s tilt, looking to get revenge after the Canes beat them last week during their road trip. After facing San Jose, the team will try to tackle the Northeast with battles against Philadelphia and both New York teams on the road next week.