The Carolina Hurricanes started the new year in Sunrise against the defending champions on Thursday night. The Canes were on the losing side to end 2024, falling 4-3 in a shootout to Columbus despite leading in the third period and the skills competition. With a new year beginning, the team hoped for a better result than their last trip to Florida.
Tyson Jost joined the growing list of injuries for the Hurricanes after leaving the third period on Tuesday with a lower-body injury. In his place, Juha Jaaska made his NHL debut on the fourth line. Pyotr Kochetkov took the start in the net for the Canes, while Sergei Bobrovsky started for the Panthers.
Sometimes, all it takes is a lucky bounce to kickstart a game. Brent Burns needed 35 seconds to get that bounce and the opening goal for the Hurricanes. His shot from the boards got some help from Aleksander Barkov's leg, deflecting past Bobrovsky to get the Canes out front.
The Canes controlled most of the first period, but Bobrovsky was in the zone. Jack Roslovic thought he had a goal before the Cats' goalie stuck out his left pad and took one away. On the other end, Kochetkov had to be just as sharp. Carter Verhaeghe had a breakaway chance late in the frame that Kochetkov pushed away to maintain the one-goal lead after 20 minutes.
The Panthers would get the goal back early in the second period. After Bobrovsky made a tough stop on a Sebastian Aho one-timer that hit a Panther, Evan Rodrigues won a battle behind the net on the other end. Jesper Boqvist found Anton Lundell, who lifted a backhand over Kochetkov's glove to draw even. Kochetkov would make up for it with another breakaway stop. This time, he denied the Florida captain by closing the five-hole.
The third period had a little bit of everything. Both teams had unsuccessful power plays. Both linesmen were in the direct line of fire. Both goalies made great saves, including a third breakaway stop from Kochetkov. It was clear Florida had some serious jump, but the Canes' netminder kept it tied.
The game-winning goal is one of the weirder ones you'll see. Kudos to the officials for clearly explaining the play after the fact. Matthew Tkachuk aided Jesperi Kotkaniemi into the net, causing a collision with Bobrovsky. As Tkachuk knelt on Kotkaniemi and kept him from escaping the crease, the Canes kept playing. Bobrovsky made one save, but Jaccob Slavin found daylight on the rebound chance to squeak one over the line to regain the lead.
The fans in Sunrise weren't happy with the officials, but the Panthers opted not to challenge the play. Instead, they pushed back to try and tie the game. Ultimately, they ran into a brick wall. Jalen Chatfield made a key play late to clear a pinballing puck out of the crease. Andrei Svechnikov's deflected pass was knocked into the net by Martin Necas to close the game with the empty-netter, helping the Canes pick up their first victory of the new year.
It was a very physical battle between two teams whose disdain with one another grows with every encounter. The Canes had the slight edge in the hits department, though both sides had some thunderous checks. Most of them were legal, too, though there was a close call when Verhaeghe caught Necas high early in the third period, causing the Canes' forward to miss the first few minutes.
It was a relatively quiet debut for Juha Jaaska, though all of the pre-game coverage of his rookie lap and other stuff was cool to see. He was the only forward without a shot in the game, though he made his presence felt physically. Jaaska was on the receiving end of a huge hit from AJ Greer in the first period, but he was able to dish it, too. He had a big hit on Tomas Nosek in the second period against the boards. He might've earned another game or two with the back-to-back coming up this weekend.
One of last season's best games featured Pyotr Kochetkov and Sergei Bobrovsky dueling in Raleigh in February. On that night, Kochetkov was tested the entire game, making 44 stops in a 1-0 thriller. While Bobrovsky was the busier goalie this time, stopping 37 shots on Thursday, Kochetkov had to be just as timely. Normally, one of the three breakaway stops he made would elude him. Instead, Kochetkov matched every movement to allow his team to eventually find the go-ahead marker. Not every game is beautiful for Kochetkov, but he steps up when the moment requires it.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will play their first two home games of 2025 this weekend. They'll start by welcoming the Minnesota Wild for their annual visit on Saturday night. The Wild are playing without Hart Trophy candidate Kirill Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon, though they served Washington a 4-3 shootout loss on Thursday. To finish the weekend, the Canes will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.