Taking the ice for their final game in October, the Carolina Hurricanes brought a two-game win streak with them as they hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Lenovo Center on Thursday night. The Canes returned from their road trip with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, getting a late goal from Sebastian Aho to win the battle of the East's division leaders.
The Hurricanes saw no need to change a thing for Thursday's contest. Everything remained the same, including Pyotr Kochetkov, who went for his ninth straight victory to begin the season and his spot in franchise history. Jet Greaves was in the net for the Blue Jackets. He has struggled to begin the season, but he isn't far removed from a 31-save shutout against the Rangers.
The home team was swirling throughout the first period, but Columbus' netminder didn't give them much to work with. It took a friendly bounce for the Hurricanes to finally get something into the net late in the frame. Jordan Martinook's shot deflected off Eric Gudbranson's skate and fooled Greaves, giving the Canes a well-deserved 1-0 lead after one.
The second period wasn't nearly as good for the Canes. Columbus started to push back a little, forcing Kochetkov to be very sharp. However, when they found a little bit of daylight, the Canes pounced. Nikolaj Ehlers made an exceptional pass, leading Logan Stankoven into a soft spot. He fired it under Greaves' blocker to double the Canes' advantage.
When Mark Jankowski scored 16 seconds into the third period, it felt like the Canes might've finished the job. Columbus wasn't as convinced. Denton Mateychuk ended the shutout during a 4-on-4, getting a good bounce off the iron. Kent Johnson added another on the power play soon after to shrink the lead to one. The tying goal never came. The Canes locked it down to hold on for a 3-2 win.
Kochetkov sets a new standard while tying another with win #9
While he didn't seem super enthused on the bench during the first-star interview after the game, Pyotr Kochetkov needs to be easier on himself. He was outstanding once again. Neither goal was on him, and he made big stops all night to make sure Columbus didn't get any life before they finally broke through in the third period. He faced 26 shots, the most he's seen this season, and stopped 24.
Kochetkov was good against everyone all night, but he was particularly sharp on a few chances from Adam Fantilli. In the first period, Kochetkov made a big attacking save as Fantilli tried to corral the puck. In the second, Fantilli had two more golden chances, both of which Kochetkov handled. Fantilli led all skaters with four shots. None of them beat the Canes' netminder.
By picking up his ninth win in a row to begin the season, Kochetkov moves past Frederik Andersen for the longest season-opening streak in franchise history. Mind you, Kochetkov hadn't played in an NHL game since last December before facing the Flyers at the beginning of the month. He'll end the month with at least a share of the league lead in wins. He has run away with the starting job.
The middle six stepped up to provide the offense tonight for the Canes
Seth Jarvis looks like he's back to normal after just four games. Only one player had multiple points tonight, and it was the Canes' winger. Both of his helpers were of the primary variety, setting up his linemates for the goals. He also should've had a penalty shot after being tripped by a diving defenseman, but he didn't get that chance.
As for the scorers, Jordan Martinook might've gotten a good bounce, but the goal was very much earned. The Canes had been knocking on the door the entire first period, so getting one before the break was important. Mark Jankowski got one, too, and it turned out to be way more consequential than we initially thought. The third line was the group's best tonight, and they were rewarded.
Not to be lost in the shuffle, the second line scored again tonight. It started because of a bad pass, but it was a pretty one that finished it. Nikolaj Ehlers's pass was sensational, and Logan Stankoven made a precise snipe to beat Jet Greaves. Given how things were rolling in the second period, this goal was sorely needed as Ehlers and Jackson Blake extended point streaks to five games.
The Canes started well but lost their urgency over the final 40 minutes
Both teams entered the night with wins in back-to-back games, albeit in different ways and in very different spots this season. The Canes came out and looked like a well-oiled machine. Greaves was doing everything in his power to make sure his team stayed in it, conceding just one goal in the first period. Carolina could've scored at least three or four.
The Canes outshot the Blue Jackets 16-8 to start the game. The longer the night went on, the closer that differential became. Columbus might not have been the better team all night, but they had moments that kept the Canes on their heels. It's almost remarkable that the Canes ended the second period with a bigger lead because they didn't look very good.
Columbus flipped the script in the third, outshooting the Canes 11-6. They outscored them, too. It's a very good thing that the Canes scored on the first shift of the frame. Penalties played a part in that, with Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho sitting for two minutes. The Canes will gladly take the win, but it wasn't pretty. Regardless, it's two more points in the bank.
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