After two straight losses prevented the Carolina Hurricanes from capturing their 40th win of the season, they pulled off a sweeping 6-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Friday, March 3.
The Canes (40-12-8) wrapped up their short stint on the West Coast in style, thrashing the Coyotes (21-32-9) with two three-goal runs. With the win — and the New Jersey Devils’ shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights — Carolina keeps its spot atop the Metropolitan Division heading into the last quarter of the season.
In defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere’s season debut with the Hurricanes after general manager Don Waddell acquired him on March 1, the 29-year-old scored against his former team to give Carolina a 4-1 lead 12:26 into the second frame.
“It was a little weird, not gonna lie, being on the other side so quick,” Gostisbehere said. “[A goal] was definitely a good boost of confidence, for sure. Any way to help the team, and I think everyone has an identity on this team — you gotta know your job and do your job.”
Beyond Gostisbehere’s breakthrough performance, fellow defenseman Brent Burns put up four assists for the first time in his career. The 37-year-old became the fourth-oldest defenseman to produce four helpers in a game in NHL history.
“[He’s] the same every night,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Whether he’s on the score sheet or not, he looks the same. … He was solid.”
Center Sebastian Aho also had a great game, recording two goals to put him ahead of center Martin Necas for most scored this season on the team. Necas notched a biscuit of his own on the man advantage, giving the Hurricanes a 6-1 lead early in the third frame to more than cement their much-needed win against the Coyotes.
All in all, Carolina was 3-4 on the man advantage, an unexpected feat for the team who ranks 17th in power play goals this season. Caniacs — and Brind’Amour himself — have contested the NHL’s inability to give the Hurricanes the benefit of the doubt when it comes to penalties, but the Hurricanes finally took advantage of those opportunities against Arizona.
“We had decent puck movement, we were executing what we were trying to do, and we found the back of the net,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s how it goes some nights, where we’ve seen it the other way a lot. … Tonight, we were finding the back of the net.”
Goaltender Antti Raanta shined in an albeit underwhelming performance from the Coyote’s offensive line, saving 17 of 18 shots on goal to record yet another win. The Finn has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of his last 10 games, making him an invaluable player for the Canes heading into the last quarter of the season.
The Hurricanes will return to Raleigh on Sunday, March 5 for a mid-afternoon matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.
