Before breaking for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Carolina Hurricanes had one more job to do. Entering Saturday afternoon on a three-game losing streak after Thursday's loss in Minnesota, the Canes looked to start their break on a good note against the Utah Hockey Club. While the offense has been scarce, the chances have been there and they hoped to get back on track in Utah's first visit.
Mikko Rantanen missed the game with a lower-body injury after friendly fire late in Thursday's loss. He stuck it out and played the final few minutes against the Wild in serious discomfort. The Canes went 11/7 as Scott Morrow returned to the lineup. Pyotr Kochetkov was in the net for the home team, while Karel Vejmelka tried to duplicate his performance from earlier this season in Utah's net.
The contest started well for the Hurricanes. They dominated the frame, earning the first goal from an unlikely duo. Jalen Chatfield created the chance by making a strong defensive play. He pushed the puck up to Andrei Svechnikov, who sprung Jordan Staal and a streaking Chatfield for a 2-on-1. Staal had been stopped on an odd-man chance earlier, so he passed it to Chatfield to snap home midway through the period.
The only blemish in the Canes' first period was a bad goal allowed. After Brent Burns sat for tripping, Josh Doan dragged the puck around Dmitry Orlov and sniped it over Kochetkov's glove from just inside the right dot. The shot was perfect, but there was no traffic screening the goalie, giving him a perfect look. Despite an overwhelming edge, the Canes were in a deadlock on the scoreboard.
The second period was a two-man show, featuring Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho. Jarvis helped bring the power play alive early in the period by cranking a one-timer past Vejmelka to restore the lead. Just over two minutes later, the Utah goalie flubbed a pass thanks to Jarvis' pressure, sending it to Aho. Instead of shooting right away, Aho waited and buried a backhand without wasting the gift.
The elation was halted after Clayton Keller stripped Orlov of the puck and slid a shot through Kochetkov's five-hole to bring Utah within a goal, but the fun resumed with more short-handed magic. Jarvis outworked Michael Carcone below the Utah goal line, sliding a pass to an unmarked Aho to score the group's seventh short-handed goal of the season. To finish the wild period, Jarvis buried a breakaway on his backhand, giving him three points as the Canes exploded for a 5-2 lead after 40.
Give credit to Utah. They refused to go quietly. They peppered Kochetkov with 20 shots in the third period. However, they only managed to get one past him during a 5-on-3 late in the game as Keller scored his second of the afternoon. For good measure, the Canes scored twice more. Jordan Martinook scored into the empty net and Jack Roslovic kicked the extra point by lifting home a rebound. The Canes went into the break on a happy note, beating Utah, 7-3.
When you're in a rut, you ask for your big guys to lead the charge. That's exactly what Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis did on Saturday afternoon. Before representing their respective countries next week, they made sure the offense got back on track. Scoring all four goals in the second period, Jarvis and Aho finished the game with seven points, with the former recording his second four-point contest.
It felt like everyone jumped in to get the group off their schneid. Jalen Chatfield, who isn't known for his offense, had an excellent game, scoring a goal and adding a short-handed assist. Andrei Svechnikov and Jackson Blake provided two assists each. Juha Jaaska earned his fourth assist. Ten of the Canes' 18 skaters found the scoresheet in the win.
Pyotr Kochetkov could've let the goal he allowed late in the first period dictate the rest of his afternoon. Instead, he turned it around and made some tough stops on his way to a 36-save performance. He also showed his patented snarl, getting into it with Karel Vejmelka twice during the second period. It was a fitting way for him to earn his 20th win of the campaign.
With the victory, the Hurricanes hit the break with 70 points and a comfortable spot in the Top 3 of the Metropolitan Division. They have the third-most points and the second-best points percentage in the conference, though it doesn't feel like it with how up and down the group has been. With two weeks between games, this break should be a chance to get their legs back under them for the stretch run.
Up Next: Four Hurricanes are slated to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off, though Rantanen's status could be in the air after not playing on Saturday. As for the rest of the group, they'll play together again on February 22nd as the Carolina Hurricanes head to Toronto. After facing Montreal a few days later, the Canes will return home with seven of their next eight games at the Lenovo Center.