The Carolina Hurricanes have felt two extremes over their last two games. They went from the high of beating the Panthers on the road on Thursday to being embarrassed by the Minnesota Wild at home on Saturday night. The Wild took the Canes out of the game early and made life miserable for every Caniac watching in a 4-0 victory to begin the back-to-back.
Dustin Tokarski made his fourth start of the season after a strong win over the Devils last weekend. William Carrier was declared out for the game with a lower-body injury, allowing Juha Jaaska to make his second NHL appearance. Former Hurricane Alex Nedeljkovic was in the net for the Penguins, who welcomed Kris Letang back into the lineup after missing the last three games.
The start of the game felt like a carryover from last night's loss to the Wild. The Hurricanes were flat and forced to pay for their indiscretions. Kevin Hayes and Michael Bunting scored 1:21 apart in the first 5:08 to immediately put the Canes in a 2-0 hole. Hayes buried a 3-on-1 chance through Tokarski's five-hole, and Bunting found some space in the slot to snap one over his glove.
A late first-period power play came up empty, but it provided a glimpse of hope for the Hurricanes going into the second. When the puck dropped for the middle frame, they took control. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis were right in the thick of it. Jarvis got the Canes on the board early. Aho knocked down a puck in the neutral zone before skating in with speed and pushing it for Jarvis to snap past Nedeljkovic to cut the deficit in half.
The tying goal began with an excellent defensive play from Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield as they got back to deny Bryan Rust. Orlov pushed the puck up the ice for Jarvis and Aho to play catch. Aho saw Chatfield joining the play, dropping a spinning backhand pass to the defender. After having his goal taken off the board last night, Chatfield snapped one over the blocker to tie it. Late in the period, Jarvis picked up his second of the night, lifting a beautiful pass from Andrei Svechnikov over the glove to give the Canes their first lead.
After an incredible second period to take the lead, the Penguins came out and quickly tied it in the third. Erik Karlsson labeled a one-timer past Tokarski less than two minutes in to set up a tense third period. The Penguins continued to push before the first commercial break, but the Canes swung the momentum back in their favor until Chatfield threw the puck out of play with 3:01 left. The Canes' kill dug in to keep it tied at three and send it to overtime for the second time in four games.
When the game gets to overtime, the status quo is to start with Jordan Staal and hope he wins the draw. From there, Aho and Martin Necas jump on to try and win it. That's exactly the formula used by the Canes to win this game. They controlled the puck for all 90 seconds of overtime. As they weaved and cycled the puck, Orlov was stopped, but Aho was there to tap the rebound home, helping the Canes earn a tough 4-3 win.
Much like Saturday's loss, Sebastian Aho did everything he could to will his team into the game after a slow start. The difference on Sunday was that everyone else decided to join him. He and Jarvis combined for three goals and six points, reaching major milestones in the process. Jarvis' assist on Chatfield's tying goal gave him 100 in his career. Aho's three-point game allowed him to reach 600 points, becoming the third Whalers/Hurricanes to reach the mark (Francis, E. Staal).
The penalty kill deserves a lot of love for their performance, coming up with kills in the biggest spots. First, they bent but didn't break in the second period after Martinook's trip in the offensive zone, getting a big stop on a Sidney Crosby tip. Second, they forced overtime with their hard work in the final few minutes, getting a few lucky bounces to get the job done. A goal in either spot would've been devastating.
This also felt like a positive step for Andrei Svechnikov. He didn't record a shot, with his best chance in the first period hitting Jordan Staal in the back, but he was putting his teammates in spots to score. He set up Staal for a chance that the captain fanned on before picking up an assist on Jarvis' second goal. He's been snake-bitten in the goal department, but he's destined to catch a break if he keeps playing this way.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes hit the road as they return to Florida on Tuesday. This time, they'll face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the makeup game from earlier this season. They'll be back at home for the three games after that, hosting Toronto and Vancouver for another back-to-back on Thursday and Friday before retiring Eric Staal's jersey on Sunday with the Ducks in town.