Only one team in the entire NHL had more comeback victories in the third period last season than the Hurricanes. After being down one goal entering the third, the Canes scored four unanswered goals in the final 10 minutes in a comeback win.
Although the score didn’t reflect the fact that Carolina (3-1-0) dominated the majority of the game, it outshot the San Jose Sharks (0-2-1) 42-16 and put together its most complete performance of the season.
Throughout the start of the season the Canes have failed to get off on the right foot in the first period, constantly giving up quality chances as the period went on. Against San Jose, Carolina tried to flip the script and it dominated the first three minutes. But after defenseman Jaccob Slavin pinched up to get a shot on net, Sharks left wing Fabian Zetterlund got in behind and scored on the Sharks’ first shot of the game.
It didn’t take long for the Hurricanes to get a goal of their own — just 51 seconds after San Jose’s first goal, center Seth Jarvis got his first of the season on the power play off a rebound from left wing Michael Bunting’s shot. Left wing Teuvo Teravainen recorded a secondary assist on the play, extending his point streak to four games.
Special teams defined all the key moments in the game, like it has all season. Of the nine total goals scored in the game, only three didn’t come with a team on the man-advantage. Carolina leads the league in total penalties drawn and is second in penalty minutes served, making for four games chock-full with power play and penalty kill opportunities.
After intercepting a pass at the blue line, Slavin broke away and scored off his own rebound while the Canes were shorthanded. Both of his two goals on the season have come shorthanded, making him one of two defensemen in NHL history to score multiple shorthanded goals in the first four games of the season.
As quickly as the Canes responded to the Sharks’ opening goal, the Sharks answered back to Slavin’s go-ahead goal on the same power play, 17 seconds later. Sharks right wing Filip Zadina ripped a shot past goaltender Antti Raanta to tie the game at 2-2.
San Jose got the lead back near the end of the second, scoring on the power play for the second goal in a row. A blast from the point rebounded off the glass behind Raanta and bounced back near the goal, where left wing William Eklund stuffed in.
Despite a slow-scoring start to the third period, the Canes answered with two power play goals of their own. Right wing Stefan Noesen was on the receiving end of a tic-tac-toe play and scored his first of the season. Three minutes later, the Hurricanes found themselves with a man advantage and once again it was Jarvis scoring his second power play goal of the night and ultimately the game-winning goal.
The momentum had fully swung Carolina’s way and despite Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood’s best efforts, the Canes piled it on.
Center Martin Necas doubled the Hurricanes’ lead, picking up speed and scoring his signature wrap-around goal.
15 seconds later, defenseman Brett Pesce scored the final goal of the game and his first of the year to seal the deal and stun the SAP Center into silence.
Nonetheless, the Hurricanes mounted this big performance without some big-time players. Center Sebastian Aho was surprisingly ruled out with an upper-body injury just thirty minutes before puck drop. Goaltender Frederik Andersen came out of the game just over five minutes into starting after a puck drilled his mask, meaning that Raanta had to close out the rest of the game.
After a day’s rest, the Hurricanes will continue their West Coast road trip when they travel to Seattle to take on the Kraken. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. EST on Thursday, Oct. 19.
