Nothing is ever handed to you in life, and the Carolina Hurricanes found that out very quickly in its matchup against the Florida Panthers. Scoreless through over 59 minutes of play, the game-winning goal by the Canes did not come until 19 seconds left, bringing the final score to 1-0.
The only goal of the game was tallied by center Sebastian Aho, who has yet to have a slow stretch of games. Aho has now had eight consecutive 20-goal seasons, and tonight the budding star scored his 60th point of the season.
“It felt good,” Aho said. “Especially how I missed that shot in the first [period], so it felt a little extra special, especially at a crucial time in the game.”
The Canes (34-17-5) entered Thursday night’s showdown buzzing from a 6-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks days prior. Florida (37-16-4) is a much better team than the Blackhawks though, coming into Raleigh looking for its seventh win in a row. With their last meeting being on Nov. 10, 2023, the two teams were itching to prove who was the best on the ice.
Carolina netminder Pyotr Kochetkov got the start in the crease for the Hurricanes, facing off against legendary Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The game came down to excellent goaltending in both zones and swift defense from both rosters. Kotchetkov tallied his third shutout of the season and the seventh of his career.
“I mean, he was the difference maker,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “He made many, many saves and I mean obviously we only got one goal, so he needed to be perfect.”
The first period started slow for both teams, with the goaltenders making crucial saves. Despite having multiple breakaway situations, the Canes could not get the puck past Bobrovsky, including a two-on-one opportunity shot wide by right wing Andrei Svechnikov. The closest scoring attempt by either roster came from left wing Jordan Martinook, who hit the crossbar late into the first frame.
Power plays became an important part of the matchup, with Florida getting the first man advantage late into the first period on a tripping call. Ranked third in the NHL on the penalty kill, the Canes battled through the final minutes of the first and the beginning seconds of the second period to keep the game scoreless.
The second frame saw the Hurricanes more focused on creating flashy plays than shooting pucks at the net. Both teams moved the puck up and down the ice but neither could create enough momentum to do something substantial.
“[Florida] is not going to give you a bunch of opportunities,” Brind’Amour said. “I think we had three opportunities where we were right there … they’re not going to let that pass. They’re a good team, so we overdid it a bit.”
When the puck dropped to start the third period, the tension throughout PNC Arena was visible. The fans were chirping at the referees and players on the ice started to trade jabs. A crucial part of the game came when center Jordan Staal received a four-minute double-minor on a high sticking call. Despite only allowing four power play goals in the last 11 games, the Canes were tense on the ice but made the stops needed to kill the extended man advantage.
Kochetkov was the hero of the four-minute penalty kill, robbing Florida players left and right. By the end of the game, the netminder stopped all 44 shots that came his way.
“What else can you ask for from a goalie,” Aho said. “[He] gave us every chance to win this hockey game and it’s good to see him feeling good about himself.”
The tension within the arena worsened when the Panthers got the puck past Kochetkov with about three minutes left in the period. The goal ended up being overturned because the Panthers were offsides.
“To be honest we didn’t need to wait to hear [the whistle],” Brind’Amour said. “I just saw it on the replay, it wasn’t even close. So we just yelled to the ref right away.”
Still tied at 0-0, tensions really started to flare due to some missed calls from the referees. Everyone was wondering who would be the hero of the game, and Aho stepped up to the challenge. With 19 seconds left, Aho received a rebound off of a shot by Svechnkov and ripped the puck past Bobrovsky.
Next, the Hurricanes will stay in Raleigh to take on the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m.
