The Carolina Hurricanes countered four straight goals from the Los Angeles Kings with their own four-goal streak to win a home game 5-4 in overtime. In very similar fashion to the Canes’ win over the San Jose Sharks, the exciting Carolina team would not quit despite a huge deficit. Center Sebastian Aho scored the game-winning goal in front of the Raleigh crowd, who cheered all throughout his postgame interview as the first star.
The Hurricanes (33-9-8) picked up essential points to close in on the Boston Bruins in their fight towards the top of the Eastern Conference, while the Kings (28-18-7) grind for first place in the Pacific Division. Despite the loss for the Kings, their OT point ties them up with the Seattle Kraken.
The first period saw good action from the Canes, who jumped ahead with the first goal of the game. Right wing Andrei Svechnikov gave a backhanded dish to defenseman Brent Burns, who wristed in his eighth goal of the season. Svechnikov would collect one more assist to become the second star of the night.
The Canes ended with nine shots to the King’s eight in the period. Despite the low number, the Kings had plenty of solid chances to score already, including a hard redirect and a near-breakaway early in the period. Up to this point, goaltender Frederik Andersen had won six games since returning to the ice on Jan. 12. The win tonight extended his streak to seven.
The Kings fired back with an overwhelming four straight goals in the second period. They quickly gained momentum when they scored right on Andersen’s backdoor despite an excellent save by the goaltender, then scored three more, including a power-play goal six seconds into the advantage on a set play. Down 4-1 in the second period, the Canes needed to pick up their offense to close the gap.
Center Paul Stastny answered first, putting in a rebounded shot to bring excitement back into the building and getting the ball rolling on a comeback. With renewed energy, center Jordan Staal and his line of veterans brought Carolina to within one on a redirect score from defenseman Brett Pesce. Staal would become the third star of the night.
With 7:50 left in the period, the Kings caused a delay of game and awarded the Canes with their only regulation power play, and the Canes wasted no time as left wing Teuvo “Turbo” Teravainen slapped in the tying goal. PNC Arena was ecstatic at this point, and Carolina had all the momentum in the world going into overtime.
Staal was the designated faceoff man and won all three of his faceoffs, giving the Canes the majority of OT on offense. Center Sebastian Aho had three shots, including a close wraparound try early in overtime, but his third was the one that mattered. After Svechnikov drew a tripping minor, the Canes went man-up in the offensive zone. Aho lost the faceoff, but the puck was quickly gathered back by Carolina, and after a cross-ice pass by Burns, Aho sealed the deal to take the game 5-4.
Carolina will play against the Buffalo Sabres in New York on Feb. 1. The tight turnaround after tonight will be hard for the Canes, but it is the final game before the All-Star break. The Canes then play the New York Rangers in PNC Arena on Feb. 11.
