The Carolina Hurricanes came out on top in overtime for once in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The Canes (12-6-5) secured both points on a quirky game-winning goal by defenseman Brett Pesce. The Penguins (11-8-4) got caught in the middle of a line change, allowing Pesce and right wing Andrei Svechnikov to approach the Pittsburgh net undefended and easily beat Pens netminder Tristan Jarry.
Pesce’s game-winner is his second in as many games. After scoring the go-ahead goal in Carolina’s 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames, Pesce’s offensive efforts are finally paying dividends.
“He’s been solid all year,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “He got a little snake bit and hadn’t scored, but he’s been in many, many chances. He’s a great player for us, nice to see him get that. [It was a] good play by Svech on the wall to give it to him and then a nice finish.”
The Hurricanes held their own for over 62 minutes against a very physical Penguins squad. Pittsburgh racked up 49 hits for the game compared to just 23 from Carolina. For a Canes squad playing in its fifth overtime period in its last seven games, coming out on top in OT shows a lot of grit.
“I didn’t love our first period,” Brind’Amour said. “Especially after the first power play, [the Penguins] got life. But after that goal, I felt like we really played a solid game. I felt we could have a bunch of goals tonight. I like the effort through about 55 minutes of that game. After a slow, little sluggish start I thought we were really solid.”
Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov squared off against Jarry in the crease all night, keeping his team in the game after center Sidney Crosby netted the opening goal. A quality screen by the Penguins in the waning moments of the third period saw left wing Jake Guentzal beat Kochetkov and force OT, but the Canes provided enough offense to compensate. Center Martin Nečas and Svechnikov doubled up on Jarry in the second period to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.
It was a good night to be a “Marty,” as left wing Jordan Martinook played his 500th NHL game. The 30-year-old veteran has 253 of his career games in Carolina going back to 2018-19. Nečas also continued his breakout season, scoring his 11th goal of the year. The 23-year-old Czech is just three shy of his 2021-22 goal total through just 23 games.
The Canes will continue their six-game road trip on Thursday, Dec. 1 by taking on the Blues in St. Louis. The Hurricanes will hope to stay on pace in the Metro despite a taxing road schedule early in the season.
“You’d love to say, ‘Hey, this is gonna build into something,’” Brind’Amour said. “But I’m not a big believer in that too much. It’s a new day tomorrow and a new game coming up against another great opponent. But I think it puts the guys at ease a little bit, knowing that the hard work is paying off.”
