It was a big day for the organization as the Carolina Hurricanes honored Eric Staal's career by retiring his jersey before Sunday's tilt with the Anaheim Ducks. The Canes entered the game after back-to-back wins on Thursday and Friday over Toronto and Vancouver, the latter of which earned Dustin Tokarski his first shutout with the Hurricanes.
Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the lineup after missing the last eight games, replacing Ty Smith, who played well albeit sparingly at times. Pyotr Kochetkov started between the pipes. Lukas Dostal was in the net for the Anaheim Ducks without Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, and former Hurricane Brock McGinn for the contest.
The Hurricanes' start was stellar. Within the first five minutes, Dostal was forced to make an incredible stop on a Martin Necas one-timer with his blocker, and the Canes' defense refused to give the Ducks anything. However, one defensive lapse from the fourth line was all Anaheim needed. Jansen Harkins skated into the slot unimpeded, received Nikita Nesterenko's pass, and buried a shot over Kochetkov's blocker to put the Ducks on the board.
Carolina controlled the rest of the first period and most of the second. The problem was that Dostal wasn't allowing anything. With some special teams sprinkled into the middle frame, the Canes couldn't solve the Czechian goalie. Eric Robinson had the team's best chance but was denied on a breakaway. Andrei Svechnikov had a golden opportunity late, fanning at the side of the net before the end of the period.
The first step when making a comeback is not allowing the other team to extend their lead. Cutter Cauthier didn't get that memo as he tucked a shot under the bar less than 90 seconds into the third period to make it 2-0. Kochetkov was caught guessing while drifting backward, leaving Gauthier plenty of room to roof his shot.
The Canes' power play would get a chance to work early in the period, and it looked like Sebastian Aho had cut into the deficit by sliding a rebound past Dostal. The Ducks successfully challenged for goalie interference, much to the dismay of the fans, wiping the goal off the board. However, the Canes would get the last laugh because, 23 seconds later, Aho set up Svechnikov for a tap-in to make it 2-1 for real.
The tying goal came with Kochetkov on the bench in the final minute. The Canes had been pressuring Dostal the entire third period but finally got one thanks to Necas' deception. Looking off Radko Gudas, Necas slid the puck to Seth Jarvis along the goal line. Jarvis spun out and elevated it over Dostal's glove to send the Caniacs into pandemonium as the group forced overtime. Unfortunately, Gauthier scored his second of the game early in overtime by sliding one past Kochetkov to steal the second point, ending the night on a sour note.
Before talking about the game, the pre-game ceremony honoring Eric Staal was phenomenal. I always appreciate the effort the organization puts in to make days like this so special for both the honoree and the fans. There weren't many dry eyes in Raleighwood during Staal's speech. It was a ceremony befitting of the legacy he left during his time with the Hurricanes.
As for what followed, the Hurricanes played better than what the final score indicated. They controlled the lion's share of the game but found themselves in a hole in the third period. In true Hurricanes fashion, they knew they weren't out of the game, relying on their big guys to get back into it. Andrei Svechnikov scored again, extending his point streak to five games, and Martin Necas had a pair of helpers.
The difference in the game was goaltending. Lukas Dostal was excellent, making 35 saves. The Canes were forced to work for their goals. Not to take anything away from Anaheim's offense, but two of the three goals should've been stopped. The 2-0 goal was Pyotr Kochetkov overthinking and the overtime winner never left the ice.
It wasn't all bad from Kochetkov. He made some big stops with his team down in the third period that allowed the comeback to happen. In particular, he made two stops on Ryan Strome and Leo Carlsson right after the second goal which deserves praise. Kochetkov has been good to start the month, especially in games against Florida, Tampa Bay, and Toronto. One rough outing doesn't negate that.
Salvaging a point to finish the homestand ends an overall satisfactory three games for the Hurricanes. Earning five of six points has them within striking distance of Washington and New Jersey. Not getting the win on a big day such as this stings a lot. I know it's a game the group wanted very badly. At least they did better than last year's Hall of Fame Game.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will get a few days off before traveling to Buffalo for their first meeting with the Sabres on Wednesday. This will be a TNT broadcast with a weird 6 pm start. The team will return home to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. After a rare weekend without a game, they'll play a back-to-back on the road against Chicago and Dallas early the following week.