Led by right-wing Andrei Svechnikov’s 100th career goal and second hat trick of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes (9-4-1) beat the Edmonton Oilers (8-7-0) 7-2 in PNC Arena on Nov. 10, 2022.
“It’s special for sure to be at home and score my 100th goal,” Svechnikov said. “It was a couple tough games for us and we bounced back. We played hard today. The boys did a great job, for sure.”
Although it would certainly change after the game, the biggest news heading into Thursday night was goaltender Frederik Andersen’s continued absence. Although his injury is technically undisclosed, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said the star netminder “tweaked something” on Nov. 8.
Carolina recalled goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves that same day, and he made his season debut for the Hurricanes on Thursday evening. Kotchetkov, who posted a 3-0-0 record last season, saved 30 of 32 shots on goal in 60 minutes.
After a tough loss on Nov. 10 to the Florida Panthers, Carolina looked a little sluggish on the ice at the top of the first frame. Even the return of the “SAT line,” composed of forwards Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, couldn’t save the Hurricanes from a few whiffed shots and missed opportunities.
That being said, both lines started to look up in the back half of the first period. With 20 seconds remaining, Svechnikov put Carolina on the board with a slick shot past Edmonton goaltender Jack Campbell.
Veteran defenseman Brent Burns gave the Hurricanes their second goal five minutes into the second period, cementing Carolina’s hot streak after Svechnikov’s bottle rocket. Minutes later, however, Edmonton left-wing Zach Hyman narrowed the Oilers’ point deficit while center Jesperi Kotkaniemi sat in the box for interference.
This was to be expected — Edmonton’s offensive strategy when up a man is just too good to let the opportunity pass by. The Oilers’ power play is second in the division, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche. Edmonton center Connor McDavid, last season’s top power play scorer, assisted Hyman’s goal. However, the Oilers’ two-goal deficit wouldn’t last for long with Svechnikov notching his second goal of the evening less than two minutes later.
Kochetkov was a beast on the ice in his season debut, making some truly incredible saves. After a questionable penalty, Edmonton left-wing Dylan Holloway had the opportunity to put one past Kochetkov about halfway through the second frame. The netminder sprawled to save Carolina from a close game, spurring one of the most magical moments of his career to date.
“[Kochetkov] played great,” left-wing Jordan Martinook said. “He played great for us last year — we know what he is. … He just competes, which is something that you want out of your goalie. It was good that we gave him a little bit of support and he stood tall back there.”
And if that wasn’t enough, center Jordan Staal raised the Hurricanes’ lead to 4-1 with exactly one second left to go in the second period, setting Edmonton up for a tricky — but not impossible — third-period stretch.
Carolina was able to maintain a three-point lead over the Oilers until McDavid, who’s arguably the best player in the NHL, scored his 15th goal of the season on a backhand pass right over Kochetkov’s left shoulder. Granted, that would mark Edmonton’s last goal of the night.
The top of the third frame felt slower for the Hurricanes, but that lack of momentum didn’t last for long. A sweet alley-oop past Cambell from Martinook marked the 10-year veteran’s third goal of the season to up the score to 5-2, looking more like a hit from Aaron Judge than your traditional goal.
Finally, to sweeten the deal, Svechnikov scored his third goal of the game and 100th career goal with less than five minutes to go in the third period, sparking a flurry of hats from the rambunctious crowd. Right-wing Jesper Fast followed up Svechnikov’s goal as best he could, raising the score to 7-2 with less than three to go in regulation.
“We needed a response,” Fast said. “We had two games that we lost, so we wanted to have a good game today and bounce back and get back on the winning track. We deserved a win today.”
The Hurricanes’ next outing is a road trip to Denver to face the reigning Stanley Cup Champions on Saturday, Nov. 12 with puck drop set for 9 p.m.
