Center Jordan Staal spearheaded the Carolina Hurricanes’ effort to get back in the win column as the Canes came back to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Friday, March 4.
Staal netted a pair of goals as Carolina (38-12-5) clawed back from a 2-0 first-intermission deficit to take down the Penguins (34-14-9). A game-winning overtime goal by right wing Andrei Svechnikov sealed the victory as the Canes asserted their spot atop the Metropolitan division.
“I always want to get involved,” Staal said. “The more ice time, the better. I’m going to continue to push and try to create more ice time for myself and play the way this team needs me to play.”
That fight-back mentality manifested itself on the ice in more ways than one, as center and Pittsburgh native Vincent Trocheck sent the Carolina crowd into a frenzy when he beat Mark Friedman in a fight late in the third period. Trocheck had his jersey pulled over his head towards the end, but even that lack of vision couldn’t stop him from taking Friedman to the ground.
“Everyone has different personalities in how they play,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We want to be competitive but he’s got a little extra gear… that was what we saw tonight.”
The Canes’ persistence in attacking the opposing net was another big factor in the victory. Carolina was not afraid to let the puck fly at any point in the night, outshooting Pittsburgh in every period for a 42-24 shots on goal advantage overall. Pens goalie Casey DeSmith did well to keep the Hurricanes from running away with the contest, but his efforts couldn’t stop the Canes from getting the W.
Goaltender Antti Raanta got back into the win column as well with his 22-save performance. The Canes’ 4-3 OT loss to the Detroit Red Wings on March 1 did not impact his goalie record, so this result made it back-to-back wins against the Penguins for Raanta after a 4-3 win in Pittsburgh on Feb. 20.
The win marks a promising start to a four-game homestand for Carolina. After a pair of rough road results in Detroit and Washington, the Canes have an opportunity to rebuild some momentum as the playoffs draw closer.
“It’s tough in this time of year,” Brind’Amour said. “So many games just coming one after another. I think it’s just hard to garner that every night. Obviously, in our rink, it helps just to come in here and the building’s electric.”
The Hurricanes will be back in action on Sunday, March 6 when they take on the Seattle Kraken at home. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
