The Carolina Hurricanes recorded their ninth-straight win by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks at PNC Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
Goaltender Antti Raanta recorded his 16th career shutout in Carolina’s rousing 3-0 win, making light work of Chicago’s offensive line. The Hurricanes (23-6-6) put up 49 shots on goal to extend a 14-game point streak to 15 with a dominant win over the Blackhawks (8-21-4).
“[Like] all teams in the league, we had a three-day break,” said center Martin Necas. “Obviously, it’s not really fun to play after three days off, but it was nice to leave hockey for a little bit, think about other things, be with your family. It was important to get back — we had a good start, which was huge, and a good game.”
Carolina dominated the first period thanks to a charging offense led by Necas, who scored the Hurricanes’ first goal of the evening. The 23-year-old thrived alongside right wing Andrei Svechnikov for the bulk of his time on the ice.
A little over five minutes later, right wing Jesper Fast strengthened Carolina’s lead to 2-0. Assisted by the dynamic defensemen duo of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, Fast’s goal early in the game gave the Hurricanes extra momentum, even though they wouldn’t score their third and final goal until the third period.
“Great start — that’s kinda what put the game in good shape for us,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Hard to get any rhythm going through that second, and the third was really good.”
Chicago goaltender Petr Mrazek is owed credit where credit’s due — the Czech netminder saved 46 of 49 shots on goal, one of Carolina’s highest attempts this season.
In the end, it was left wing and crowd favorite Jordan Martinook who upped the Hurricanes’ lead to a convincing 3-0. Martinook, who’s seen a resurgence on the ice since being placed on waivers Oct. 7, took the golden opportunity to put one more past Mrazek and cement Carolina’s win at home.
With this game, the Hurricanes moved to nine consecutive wins, matching their franchise record and marking one of their best Decembers to date. Should Carolina rally to beat the Florida Panthers this upcoming Friday, Brind’Amour’s talented squad of players can officially boast yet another record.
“We don’t really look behind [us],” Brind’Amour said. “Whether you’d won … eight, nine in a row or you lost eight — what have you done for me today? What’s important is what’s right in front of you.”
The Hurricanes will return to PNC Arena on Friday, Dec. 30 for a rematch against the Florida Panthers. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
