No one felt sorry for the Carolina Hurricanes after an abysmal effort on Tuesday night. The Canes fell 5-1 in Columbus to the red-hot Blue Jackets, who extended their point streak to ten games with the win. Andrei Svechnikov scored the only goal for Carolina, and Nicolas Deslauriers dropped the gloves and laid six hits in his debut.
Frederik Andersen looked for his fourth straight win after extending his streak in the team's 4-2 win in Tampa over the weekend. Eric Robinson returned to the lineup, taking Deslauriers' spot after one game. Stuart Skinner took the net for the Penguins. He was excellent in Raleigh last week, stopping 40 shots. The team welcomed Sidney Crosby back to the lineup after missing the last 11 games.
Despite an early push from the Penguins and taking the first penalty of the game, the Hurricanes managed to break the ice. While short-handed, Jordan Staal's chip off the boards allowed Jordan Martinook to face Skinner one-on-one. The Canes' winger made no mistake, shooting in stride to get the Canes off and running. The rest of the period stayed in their favor, but the score remained 1-0.
You knew Crosby would get involved at some point, and that's what happened midway through the second. Rickard Rakell's physicality on Jalen Chatfield allowed the puck to find the captain, and he buried it through Andersen's pads. However, Jackson Blake took care of business after a failed power play. He found daylight and powered one home, restoring the lead before the break.
The third period was absolutely insane. Erik Karlsson buried one in the opening minute on a 5-on-3 after two very questionable calls. Taylor Hall got it back a few minutes later, finishing a beautiful passing sequence between all three forwards on his line, putting the Canes back ahead. However, the lead was short-lived after Jaccob Slavin fanned on a shot and Bryan Rust buried a breakaway.
The Canes' power play gave the group its fourth lead of the game. Nikolaj Ehlers found Logan Stankoven in the slot to make it 4-3. The Penguins refused to quit, eventually earning their first lead. Karlsson deked and planted Aho before picking the corner on a screened Andersen. Then, Ben Kindel finished a breakaway chance, giving the Penguins a 5-4 lead with under five minutes to go.
Facing the prospects of earning nothing tonight, K'Andre Miller got a bounce to tie it up. His shot to the front of the net redirected off a Penguins' defender, sending the game to overtime and securing a point for each side. The Penguins had a few chances to win the game, but Andersen stood tall. In the final minute, Aho found Sean Walker for a one-time bomb, claiming the second point in a 6-5 win.
The Stankoven line's fingerprints are all over this game
After a little bit of a hush for the line that returned from the pause on a tear, the Stankoven trio was absolutely noticeable tonight. All three forwards recorded multi-point efforts, led by another three-point night by Jackson Blake. His goal in the second period was his 20th of the season, while he added helpers on his linemates' goals in the third.
All three connected for a gorgeous tally, responding to Pittsburgh's early goal in the third, and ending with Taylor Hall finishing on his backhand. Mike Reilly deserves a lot of credit for his middle-lane drive. Then, on the power play, Logan Stankoven found a soft spot in the defense, giving Nikolaj Ehlers the perfect target. It gave all three forwards a goal tonight, as they ended with seven combined points.
In eight days, we've gotten two very entertaining, yet frustrating games
I'm not a fan of scheduling games between the same teams so close together. Nevertheless, tonight marked the second of three meetings between the Canes and the Penguins in 12 days. Both games thus far have ended with the Canes emerging victorious in extra time. Pittsburgh is a very resilient team, and they deserve credit, but these have been two sloppy defensive games by the Canes.
Last Tuesday, they held a two-goal lead before Pittsburgh scored twice with Stuart Skinner on the bench. Tonight, the Penguins had a response for everything the Hurricanes did, taking the lead after a pair of loose plays. The Canes probably should've finished this game in regulation, but they'll take what they can and be happy about earning two points.
Additional Thoughts
He waited until the 65th minute to do it, but Sebastian Aho reached another milestone by setting up the winning goal in overtime. His assist marked the 700th point of his career, making him the third player in franchise history to hit the mark. The pass was right in Sean Walker's wheelhouse to bury the first overtime goal of his career on his game-high seventh shot.
There are so many other things that need to be mentioned. Nikolaj Ehlers had three helpers tonight, pushing his assist streak to three games. K'Andre Miller scored a massive goal to tie it. He and Walker had a very big game, especially over the final 25 minutes. While his numbers weren't great, Frederik Andersen made some big stops in overtime. It wasn't a pretty script, but a win is a win.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes are on the road for the next three games, taking a trip to the Northeast and Eastern Canada. The journey begins in Toronto on Friday night, concluding the season series against the Matthews-less Maple Leafs. These two teams will clash for the fourth and final time in Pittsburgh on Sunday. To close it out, the Canes will battle the Canadiens on Tuesday.