The Carolina Hurricanes finished their three-game journey against the Metropolitan Division on Saturday as they visited the Columbus Blue Jackets. Thursday night they fell in New Jersey in the second half of a back-to-back, snapping their three-game win streak in the process. Against a Columbus team whose offense has been scoring in bunches this season, the Canes needed a stout defensive game to finish the trip with a win.
Pyotr Kochetkov led the group out to begin the game, fresh off his tenth win of the season in a 4-1 victory over the Flyers to begin the trip on Wednesday. The rest of the lineup remained the same, with some small tweaks from Rod Brind'Amour. Elvis Merzlikins started for the Blue Jackets, who won an entertaining 7-6 game in overtime against the Lightning on Thursday.
The first ten minutes were a track meet and the Hurricanes wanted little part in it. Dante Fabbro got it going early, burying a 2-on-1 after carrying the puck 3/4ths of the way up the ice. He caught Kochetkov guessing as he snapped it low. Jack Roslovic, making his return to Columbus after playing there for a few years, would get the Canes back even by snapping an off-balance shot over Merzlikin's glove over four minutes later.
Just past the halfway point in the frame, Jesperi Kotkaniemi's turnover turned into a Kirill Marchenko breakaway, which ended with the Jackets retaking the lead. It was starting to feel like Columbus' game against Tampa, but the scoring ended there for the period. The Canes tried to work their way back into it, though the Jackets maintained their advantage after one.
The second period was far kinder to the Canes. Jalen Chatfield tied the game with his second goal of the season, jumping into the play after two Blue Jackets collided on the other end of the ice. Columbus regained their advantage after Dmitri Voronkov scored on the power play, but Sebastian Aho responded with a power-play goal for the Canes after a beautiful seam pass by Martin Necas. Less than three minutes later, Jackson Blake put the Canes ahead for the first time, burying Kotkaniemi's pass after a give-and-go.
Along with timely saves from Kochetkov, the Canes maintained their advantage into the third period. They withstood a carry-over penalty from the second, but their biggest test of the night came when Aho was assessed four minutes for high-sticking with 8:05 left. Kevin Labanc nearly made them pay by hitting the crossbar. Instead, the Canes dug in and prevented the Blue Jackets from getting many more chances.
With the penalty killed, the Canes aimed to protect their one-goal lead with Merzlikins on the bench. Unfortunately, Marchenko and the Blue Jackets had other plans. Marchenko hammered a one-timer past Kochetkov with 66 seconds left to tie the game for the fourth time, sending us to extra time with his second of the night.
Neither team scored in overtime and Sean Monahan scored the only goal in the shootout to secure the second point for Columbus, but Pyotr Kochetkov wasn't in the net for the shootout. As Zach Werenski worked down the boards and tried to power to the front of the net against Sean Walker, Kochetkov slid out of the crease to poke the puck away. Walker's backside collided with Kochetkov's head, sending the Canes' goalie to the ice behind the net. Kochetkov struggled off the ice and Spencer Martin came into the game in his place. It was a somber moment to add to the Canes only getting one point.
There is no more important story coming out of this game than Kochetkov's health. Everything else is secondary. Kochetkov didn't have the best start to his night, but he is the reason the Canes were in a position to get at least one point. His timeliness knew no bounds in the second and third periods as the team tried to maintain their lead. Ultimately, it was his aggressiveness that put him in a tough spot. There's nothing Werenski or Walker could've done to avoid it.
The Hurricanes are now painted into an incredibly tough corner. While it's hard to know what Kochetkov's long-term status is, I would operate under the impression that Spencer Martin has been thrust into the starting role in the interim. The real question is who is going to be behind him? The options in the system are slim, with Yaniv Perets and Ruslan Khazheyev combining for less than one period of NHL experience. There is also Dustin Tokarski in Chicago, the Canes' AHL affiliate, who posted back-to-back shutouts earlier this week while on a PTO.
As for the rest of the game, there were small glimpses of good surrounding a disappointing result. After having his point streak snapped in Philly, Martin Necas picked up two assists, moving back into sole possession of third in the league with 33 points. Sebastian Aho has goals in three of his last five, and he added an assist on Roslovic's team-leading 12th goal. Jaccob Slavin had a Slavin-esque defensive night. Chatfield and Orlov continued to score points. The result wasn't good, but it was an ugly game that the Canes were fortunate to get something from.
Up Next: This week's slate is easily the toughest of the season thus far and they'll be doing it with uncertainty in the net. The week begins with the Dallas Stars in town on Monday and the New York Rangers following on Wednesday. Once Thanksgiving passes, the Canes will play a home-and-home with the Florida Panthers, beginning on Friday in Raleigh before moving to Sunrise on Saturday.