The Hurricanes Wait Until Overtime to Finish the Canucks, Win 4-3 to End the Trip

The sixth and final game of the Carolina Hurricanes' State Fair road trip took place in Vancouver on Monday night against the Canucks. The Canes followed their Alberta sweep by dominating the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night and earning their fourth win in five road games. Like the Canes, the Canucks came into the contest on a roll, winning four straight after a sluggish start.

Pyotr Kochetkov was in the net for the Hurricanes, looking to build on his win against the Flames last Thursday. Spencer Martin was called up on an emergency basis to back him up after Frederik Andersen was reported to be dealing with an injury. Kevin Lankinen started for the Canucks, taking control of the net with Thatcher Demko working his way back from an injury.

Both teams felt like they were shot from a cannon to begin the contest. It looked like a track meet had broken out on the ice. The scoring started early, too. The fourth line, coming off the game-winner in Seattle, combined to get the Canes on the board first. William Carrier uncorked a clapper from the right dot, beating Lankinen over his glove to secure his first goal as a Hurricane.

Brock Boeser responded quickly, fielding JT Miller's pass and beating Kochetkov, who had fallen and lost his stick. The Canucks thought they'd taken the lead after Arshdeep Bains poked the puck past Kochetkov. However, the Canes took advantage of their timeout, calling it to take a longer look. They challenged the play for offside, winning the challenge as Pius Suter snuck in early.

The successful challenge seemed to calm things down in the Canes' favor. It would result in Martin Necas regaining the lead with a beautiful breakaway goal. Jesperi Kotkaniemi chipped the puck ahead to Necas, who did a masterful job of staying onside. The Canes finished the period with a steep edge in shots and a 2-1 lead on the scoreboard.

The top line came out in the second period and extended the Hurricanes' lead. Brent Burns kept his point streak going, making an other-worldly pass to Jack Roslovic, who had a wide-open net to shoot the puck into. Lankinen was fixated on Burns as he swung down the wing, allowing the vacant net for the goal. The Canes had a million chances to make it 4-1 and put the game out of reach, but Lankinen made huge stops to keep it a two-goal game moving into the third period.

The Canucks had a clear edge in the final frame, throwing their bodies around and putting the Canes on their heels. The Canes' sluggishness allowed the Canucks to find their way back even. It started with Quinn Hughes stepping into a shot that Kochetkov will want back. Kochetkov bit off more than he could chew late, coming out of his net to play the puck. With the net empty, Pius Suter snapped it home to tie it up.

With their second overtime contest on the road trip looming, the Hurricanes had no desire to wait and finish it. Jordan Staal won the draw, allowing the Canes to get their stars on the ice. It took 47 seconds to put the Canucks away. Shayne Gostisbehere's pass to Sebastian Aho hit Aho's skate, Lankinen's pad, and Aho's stick before finding the back of the net, ending the trip with a 4-3 victory.

They took the long way to win this game, but it ended one of the best road trips in recent memory. It was a complete reversal from last season's State Fair disaster. Earning ten of a possible 12 points, the Hurricanes will return home for their first homestand of the season on a roll. It's easily the most grueling portion of their schedule, so to get it out of the way early with positive results is as good as it gets.

Pyotr Kochetkov's start was a mixed bag. None of the goals he allowed were good, but he came up with big stops when his team needed him to. He came up with a pair of stops on Pius Suter after coming out of the box before denying Suter a third time a few minutes later. After each of Vancouver's goals in the third period, Kochetkov stopped a chance from JT Miller. It's easy to look at the goals and chastise Kochetkov's night, but his stops in crucial moments ensured the Canes could get the job done.

After his incredible trip, Martin Necas might never want to leave the West Coast. He added two more points in Vancouver, scoring in the first period and tallying the secondary assist on the overtime winner. Sebastian Aho tied two records with his overtime goal, matching Ron Francis for the most game-winning goals in franchise history (57) and the most overtime goals by a Finnish player ever (13, tying Olli Jokinen). Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also added assists.

Up Next: For the first time in over two weeks, the Carolina Hurricanes will take the ice in Raleigh when they welcome the Boston Bruins to the Lenovo Center on Thursday night. It'll begin a four-game homestand, including divisional games against Washington, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.