In a game that could only have followed a script written by the best in Hollywood, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Los Angeles Kings 6-5 in a back-and-forth affair. The Canes recorded their second win in as many games and started off their West Coast road trip with a win. 

After being up three goals multiple times in the contest, the Canes (2-0-0) were pushed to the brink by the Kings (0-1-1) but still managed to clinch the two points thanks to a bottom-of-the-ninth shootout winner from left wing Jordan Martinook. 

Carolina looked like the better team to start the first period and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in under seven minutes. The opening goals came from defenseman Brent Burns and center Sebastian Aho, who each recorded their first goals of the season. 

Aho’s goal marked the second consecutive game the team scored a shorthanded goal and moved him up to fourth all-time on Canes franchise’s top goal-scoring list.

Aho wasn’t the only Fin to get a goal on the day — center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and left wing Teuvo Teravainen also scored one apiece. Kotkaniemi’s first goal of the season came later in the first when he used his body to get around a defender and fired a puck from a low angle, sneaking it through the goaltender’s legs and putting the Canes up 3-0 in the first. 

Teravainen’s goal came much later in the game, also on the penalty kill, when Aho set him up on a breakaway one-timer. With two short-handed goals on the night, Carolina scored as many goals on the Kings’ powerplay as they did.

Following Kotkaniemi’s goal in the first, the Kings got into a groove and quickly took control of the game from that point. After getting off to a slow start and taking eight minutes to record their first shot on goal, they stormed back and ended up having 15 shots on goal by the end of the period compared to the Hurricanes’ nine.

Los Angeles’ hard work didn’t go unrewarded in the first period. In the closing minutes, defenseman Drew Doughty found himself some space on the weak side, winding up a slap shot and cutting Carolina’s lead to two goals.

Similarly to the first, the Hurricanes found a groove to start the second period and this time left wing Brendan Lemieux was the benefactor. In his Carolina Hurricanes debut, Lemieux scored his first of the season against his former team. 

From then on, the game entered a long stretch of each team trading power plays and penalty kills. The frequent man disadvantage for the Canes made it impossible to set up their renowned forecheck, which the Kings took full advantage of. 

In the second, Kings center Anze Kopitar and left wing Trevor Moore each notched a power-play goal proving that no matter how good your penalty kill is, if you give the opponent seven power-play opportunities you will be punished.

At this point, Carolina was playing on its backfoot and it was only a matter of time before the Kings tied it up. Los Angeles defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov put away a fortuitous bounce and put the Kings within one. 

With just under a minute and a half left in the third, the Kings pulled their goalie after a power play and Kopitar found himself unmarked at the back post to put away his second goal of the night and tie the contest at 5-5.

Three straight goals from the Kings made it feel as if the comeback was inevitable and an overtime loss was imminent. However, the Canes managed to escape overtime unscathed and push the game to a shootout.

Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois scored the shootout’s first goal in the top of the second, giving Los Angeles the upper hand. After the Kings’ next shooters both missed it came down to Aho to decide whether the Canes would extend the shootout.

Aho, cold as ice, went backhand-to-forehand, moving Copley from one side to the other and slotting in the tying goal in superstar fashion.

Shootout rounds 6, 7 and 8 saw the goalies stand strong and make saves but Martinook delivered the final nail in the coffin. Going backhand-bar down the Hurricanes escaped with an important two points.

The Canes are set to continue their west coast road trip against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, Oct. 15 with a puck drop at 8:30 p.m. EST.