The Carolina Hurricanes closed their four-game homestand on Thursday night by inviting the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Lenovo Center. The Canes' win streak reached seven games on Tuesday in an ugly win against the Flyers, aided by another stellar performance from Martin Necas. This was the second meeting of the season for the two teams after the Canes beat the Penguins 4-1 in Pittsburgh to start their State Fair trip.
For the fifth straight game, Pyotr Kochetkov manned the net for the Hurricanes, aiming to rebound after a subpar performance on Tuesday despite extending his win streak to five. Former Hurricane Alex Nedeljkovic stood across from him, trying to burn his former team one more time. The former Calder finalist entered the night with five wins in seven starts against the Canes.
Needing to find a better start than they had two nights prior, the Hurricanes got the initial spark from the Staal line. Less than a minute into the game, Jordan Staal feathered a pass to Jordan Martinook as he crashed the net, allowing Martinook to tip the puck over Nedeljkovic's shoulder to open the scoring. After being snake-bitten for ten games, Martinook has goals in consecutive contests.
The Canes owned the lead, but the Penguins made life miserable for Carolina. They were playing a Carolina-esque game by throwing everything at the net. The defense had a stronger game than they did against Philly, led by Kochetkov as the last line of defense. Jack Roslovic extended the lead less than nine minutes into the game with a snipe from the slot, scoring his team-leading eighth goal. Still, the Penguins pushed. A successful four-minute kill allowed the Canes to end the frame up 2-0 despite a 10-4 shot disadvantage.
The Penguins were gifted a power play early in the second period on a soft tripping call assessed to Andrei Svechnikov. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby tortured Kochetkov with chance after chance. Kochetkov didn't budge, making stops around the crease to help the Canes survive. It might've been the most important two-minute stretch of the night, preventing the Penguins from stealing the momentum.
To thank their goalie, the Canes padded their lead with a pair of goals in the middle frame. Roslovic earned his second of the night, receiving a great seam pass from Svechnikov to make it 3-0. The top line would create another goal a few minutes later. Roslovic picked up his first assist after Sebastian Aho found Jaccob Slavin at the point for a drive into the back of the net. After 40 minutes, the Canes owned a four-goal lead.
There were only two things left to decide in the third period. The first concerned Martin Necas' point streak being extended. We got a quick resolution to that mystery early in the period. Necas and Eric Robinson completed a near-identical play to Staal and Martinook in the first period, allowing Necas to extend his point streak to eight games with an assist on Robinson's goal.
The second thing to decide was whether Pyotr Kochetkov would get the shutout. Unfortunately, Blake Lizotte broke it by scoring after Kochetkov flailed and lost sight of the puck, allowing it to pop free. The Canes got one last penalty kill before putting it in cruise control for the rest of the night. The homestand ended with a 5-1 win, extending the winning streak to eight games.
The duality between the meetings in this season series has been stark. In Pittsburgh, the Hurricanes dominated, but Joel Blomqvist allowed the Penguins to stay in the game. In Raleigh, the Canes made the most of their scoring chances, scoring on two of their first three shots and four of their first 12. They were doubled in shots by the Penguins, but the shoe was on the other foot in the goalie department.
While he didn't get the shutout, Pyotr Kochetkov stole the show for the Hurricanes. Rod Brind'Amour could've turned to Spencer Martin after how Tuesday transpired. Allowing four goals on 16 shots is hardly ideal. Instead, he stuck with Kochetkov. The Penguins tested him early and often, finishing the night with 36 shots. Kochetkov put his last start behind him, turning in a masterpiece on Thursday. The penalty kill early in the second period was the piece de resistance.
This was the type of game we needed to see from the Canes' top line. They've been good, but they could hit a new gear. The Aho line contributed to three of the five goals, two of which came off Jack Roslovic's stick. With how well Martin Necas has played, Svechnikov's and Aho's starts have flown under the radar. Svechnikov has points in seven straight games and ten of the 12 games this season. Aho has 12 points in 12 games, including two helpers in this one. Roslovic has been the largest benefactor, scoring nine goals with his new linemates.
The third defensive pair deserves some love, too. While they experienced some growing pains to begin last season, Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield have been a match made in heaven. They've turned into a reliable pair who are seeing the points accumulate. Orlov has points in four straight games, including his two-goal game against Washington on Sunday. Chatfield picked up his first point on Sunday before adding three assists in this game, the first three-point performance of his career.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes are back on the road for three games out west, beginning on Saturday in the Mile High City. The Avalanche are a battered bunch, but they're still one of the most skilled rosters in the league. The same could be said for the Vegas Golden Knights, the second stop on the trip on Monday. The trip concludes next Wednesday against the Utah Hockey Club.