The Hurricanes fight back from a trio of deficits, fall in the shootout to Chicago

The Carolina Hurricanes returned from their short break to host the Chicago Blackhawks at the Lenovo Center on Thursday night. The group entered with wins in their last three games, including a very fun bout on Monday afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres. Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho had two points each, and Brandon Bussi was incredible in a 2-1 victory for the Canes.

Frederik Andersen made the start for Carolina, trying to keep his turnaround rolling in the right direction. The lineup in front of him remained the same from Monday. Spencer Knight took the crease for the Blackhawks. He has been lights out against the Canes in his career, shutting them out in two of his four starts with the Panthers. The Blackhawks also welcomed Frank Nazar back into the lineup.

The Canes owned the early edge in play, but they gifted Chicago the opening goal while up a man. K'Andre Miller's pass was intercepted by Ilya Mikheyev. His 2-on-1 shot was stopped, but Andersen couldn't control the rebound as Mikheyev popped home the loose puck. However, the Canes responded. Joel Nystrom snapped home his first NHL goal 98 seconds later to tie it.

Like in the first, the Blackhawks took the lead again in the second. Oliver Moore made a great pass to Ryan Donato, who found Nick Lardis right next to him for a short-side goal. Needing another spark, the captain stepped up for his group. After Jordan Martinook won a battle along the boards, Jordan Staal sniped a shot over Knight's glove to tie it at two, and that's where the score stood after 40.

The trend continued in the third period. The Blackhawks regained the lead after Connor Murphy slid the puck around Andersen's pad, putting Chicago ahead for the third time. The lead didn't last very long this time either. Just 42 seconds later, Logan Stankoven's wrap chance found Jackson Blake's stick for a tap-in. Knotted at three, they ensured a point each as the game went to overtime.

This game could've ended a handful of times in overtime. Knight and Andersen weren't having it. Knight denied Ehlers on a 2-on-1, and Andersen shut the door on Moore's ensuing breakaway. Alas, the shootout would be required. Andrei Svechnikov and Connor Bedard traded goals in the second round before Moore finished it in the sixth round, securing the second point for Chicago in a 4-3 win.

The power play's failure to connect was the difference tonight

The power plays leaned very heavily in the Hurricanes' favor tonight. The Canes had five chances to operate, while the Blackhawks had just one. Despite neither team scoring on the power play, the Blackhawks still owned the advantage because of their short-handed goal. That goal to open the scoring turned out to be the biggest difference between winning and losing.

As the night progressed, the Canes got better looks against the league's second-best penalty kill, but it wasn't a good night. Chicago was reading almost every pass they tried to make across the seams. That's what happened on Ilya Mikheyev's goal. The man advantage has taken serious strides this season, but tonight was a step back for the group.

The Canes did a good job of fighting back when Chicago scored

The Hurricanes didn't lead the game at any point tonight. That's not exactly a recipe for success. However, when they found themselves on the losing side of the game, they were quick to respond. The Blackhawks led for just over seven minutes total, despite their three leads. Otherwise, the contest was largely played with a tied score.

It's almost as if the only time there was any sense of urgency was when they fell behind. They had good spurts throughout the night, but nothing much of substance while they were tied. The third period was especially rough. Chicago was the better team during the final frame, outshooting the Canes, 8-5. Carolina has to settle for a point. They'll take it, but they left the second one on the table.

Additional Thoughts

Late in the second period, Alexander Nikishin's fist met Oliver Moore's face a few times when the two dropped the mitts. Nikishin laid a clean hit on Nick Lardis, and Moore took exception. The birthday boy picked a fight he knew he probably wouldn't win, and he certainly didn't. Nikishin put him down with three clean rights. Moore got the last laugh in the shootout, but that wasn't pretty.

While it stinks that Frederik Andersen couldn't close this one out in the shootout, there were still plenty of encouraging signs tonight. He made a few massive stops in the third period and overtime to keep it a tie game. His best sequence of the night was his pair of pad stops on Moore. He now has points in four straight starts, so it's something positive to build on.

Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will spend Saturday night in Canada's capital, battling the Ottawa Senators on Hockey Night in Canada. The group gets another much-needed break, going four days before hosting the Utah Mammoth next Thursday night for Whalers Night. They close January in Washington, D.C., for their final game against the Capitals before hosting the Kings on February 1.