After what felt like a month, the Carolina Hurricanes took the ice on Thursday, turning back the clock in their Whalers gear against the Utah Mammoth. The Hurricanes haven't played since Saturday, topping the Ottawa Senators, 4-1, despite not playing their best game. They struck three times in the first period and held on for dear life to earn two more points.
Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the lineup for the first time since the St. Louis game over two weeks ago. He took Joel Nystrom's spot as he was sent back to Chicago. Brandon Bussi was back in the net for the Hurricanes. He was excellent during Saturday's victory in Ottawa. Karel Vejmelka, the league's leader in wins, stood across from him.
It was a worthwhile start for the home team, who struck first early in the game. The Aho line provided the pressure before Andrei Svechnikov was on the spot to pot a rebound after Vejmelka stopped Jalen Chatfield. Each goalie benefited from the iron in the period, and both made some good stops to keep the game where it was. After 20, the Canes' lead remained 1-0.
The Mammoth pushed back in the second. Kailer Yamamoto took advantage of Gostisbehere blowing a tire, scoring early in the period to tie it. Yamamoto doubled up after he got away with a slash, sitting in the right spot to put home a rebound. Gostisbehere got the Canes even again with a blast on the power play, but JJ Peterka responded 19 seconds later to regain the lead. Utah led 3-2 after 40.
It was all but over when Utah took a two-goal lead, capitalizing on another Gostisbehere error. However, the Canes refused to die. Svechnikov potted his second of the night with 1:59 left, and the comeback was on. Gostisbehere got another 32 seconds later. To finish it, the captain redirected one with 29.8 seconds left. In an incredible twist of fate, the Canes stole two points in a 5-4 win.
Defensive miscues nearly cost the Hurricanes dearly tonight
Shayne Gostisbehere finished the night with two goals and an assist, but he might as well have finished with three helpers with the two goals he gave Utah. In his first game back, it was an uneven showing. He lost an edge on Utah's first goal, and he mishandled the puck in the corner, leading to the fourth one. Gostisbehere scored a goal to make up for each mistake, so consider it a wash.
On the theme of washing out mistakes, Jalen Chatfield also made a big blunder that led to a goal. His failure to get a puck deep led to Utah regaining its lead late in the second period. To atone, Chatfield helped create the game-winning goal by throwing the puck at the net for Jordan Martinook to redirect before Jordan Staal put it over the line.
Svechnikov has been magnificent in January
Andrei Svechnikov didn't score his 20th goal of last season until the season finale in Ottawa, coming in his 72nd game. Tonight, he scored twice to hit the 20-goal mark. Half of those goals have come in January, providing 10 goals and 19 points with one game to go. He was the Canes' most noticeable player on the ice, joining Gostisbehere with three points.
It wasn't but a few months ago that Svechnikov's name was floating around in trade rumors after he was put on the fourth line. Those rumors are no more than whispers lost in the wind. He has become the Canes' most consistent player this month. After two subpar games from the top line, they made the difference tonight to help get the group the win.
Additional Thoughts
It's a bit ironic that the power play was the catalyst in the late comeback after drawing a double minor. It wasn't looking good, even after scoring one in the second period to tie it. They finished the night 2-for-5 after Svechnikov's goal to make it 4-3. It still wasn't good tonight, but you'll take the positive result however you can get it.
Brandon Bussi didn't have his best game. He came up with a big stop or two, and he didn't get a ton of help from the group in front of him on some of the goals, but Bussi wasn't his sharpest. Yet, the group rallied to get him his 20th win of the season, making him the fastest goalie to 20 wins in NHL history. They don't all have to be pretty, so long as you're winning games.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes are scheduled to face their final back-to-back before the Olympics this weekend. They'll start in Washington, D.C., on Saturday before hosting the Kings on Sunday. With snow in the forecast this weekend, it could throw a wrench into some plans. Next week, the Canes close out their pre-break schedule at home against Ottawa on Tuesday and in New York on Thursday.