RALEIGH, North Carolina: After a 4-0 shutout win against Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators, the Carolina Hurricanes hoped to finish a weekend back-to-back on a high. This time, it was with a more personal aspect.
Sunday’s game marked Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Lenovo Center, one of the NHL’s yearly theme night traditions. For the Hurricanes, and the community who loves the organization deeply, Hockey Fights Cancer Night is one of the most important nights of the regular season. The Raleigh-Durham area, known as “The Triangle” to locals, remains one of the largest cities in the United States for cancer research. Partnering with The V Foundation last year (cancer research foundation formed in honor of the late North Carolina State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano – the Hurricanes and NC State’s men’s basketball teams share an arena), the Carolina Hurricanes organization and the community remain tightly knit together. Before the game and during intermissions, the ice was lit purple in honor of those who have dealt with cancer. Siren sounders were cancer researchers, doctors, and survivors in the area. HFC organizations and the Staal Family Foundation were all in attendance.
The St. Louis Blues, like the Hurricanes, entered into Sunday’s game on the second game of a back-to-back.
The Carolina starting lineup was officially released as:
Svechnikov – Aho – Roslovic
Robinson – Kotkaniemi – Necas
Martinook – Staal – Carrier
Jost – Drury – Blake
Slavin – Burns
Orlov – Chatfield
Gostisbehere – Walker
Kochetkov
The St. Louis lineup appeared as:
Neighbours – Buchnevich – Kyrou
Saad – Schenn – Holloway
Torochenko – Faksa – Walker
Texier – Sundqvist – Joseph
Hofer
This game marked Kochetkov’s first game – and start – since a lower-body injury on Wednesday night in Utah. Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker collided with Kochetkov on a routine play, and Kochetkov was later pulled from the game. Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been out with a lower-body injury since October 26. There is no timeline on Andersen’s return. Other injured players for the Hurricanes include Jesper Fast, who is currently on the LTIR for a neck injury sustained last May during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets; and Seth Jarvis, a Carolina superstar. Known to fans as “The Prince of Raleigh”, Jarvis was a major role in the Hurricanes’ success last season, and had signed an eight-year deal with the organization during the offseason. Ty Smith, called up from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, was the team’s healthy scratch.
For the Blues, Pierre-Olivier Joseph was out with a lower-body injury. Zack Bolduc and Kasperi Kapanen were the Blues’ two healthy scratches.
FIRST PERIOD
For Hurricanes fans, many of whom in attendance had been on the Lenovo Center lots since the morning tailgating, the return of Kochetkov was a question mark. While it was a relief for many to have a more consistent goaltending duo of Kochetkov and Spencer Martin, Kochetkov’s quick return raised questions on how ready he would be for in-game action.
As it turned out, it was like he’d never left. Making major saves early on in the first period, cheers of “Kooch” were heard all throughout the stands of Lenovo Center. In midseason form, Kochetkov was poke-checking Blues players shooting the puck near the net within the first few minutes of the game. With a fired-up St. Louis offense and three early shots on goal, Blues right-winger Jordan Kyrou shot the puck to left-winger Jake Neighbours; capitalizing on a hot start and scoring.
The Hurricanes second line has been one gaining national media’s attention in the past several weeks. Built from Hurricanes newcomer Eric Robinson, Jesperi Kotkanemi on a comeback year, and a blonde Martin Necas on a fresh two-year contract after a summer of trade rumors, arbitration discussions, and other possible outcomes for an RFA rumored to be frustrated with his ice time; the second line has been an unexpected surprise — and a very positive one for Canes fans. Kotkanemi and captain Jordan Staal took a majority of the first period’s faceoffs. Kotkanemi’s first faceoff, after being swapped with Necas, gained audible fan responses inside of the arena.
The differences in the first period were marked by fearlessness. Both teams made mistakes and were able to capitalize off of opposing errors, such as Blues defense taking the puck after Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho turned it over; or Necas doing the same when the Blues turned the puck over. What helped get Neighbours his early goal was a fearlessness on the Blues offense to make big shots, going near the net, and continuing to make said shots early on.
The period ended with a penalty.
Blues forward Oscar Sundqvist was sent to the penalty box on a two-minute hooking penalty, giving the Hurricanes a powerplay.
One of the most evident changes this season is the powerplay. By the end of Round 2 of last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs, Hurricanes fans inside Lenovo Center were audibly groaning as their team went on the advantage. The powerplay before has been notorious for doing nothing. After a seven-minute scoreless powerplay, Hurricanes fans could be spotting posting online a variation of, “Welcome back, Carolina Hurricanes powerplay.”
But this season, there is a new fire when it comes to the powerplay. That fire is a defenseman: Shayne Gostisbehere. Signed on July 1 in a return to Raleigh, Gostisbehere started the season on a hot streak, sparking the powerplay into frequent scoring. The defenseman has since reignited a new streak. Passing the puck to Necas, who then passed it to star right-winger Andrei Svechnikov, tapping the puck into Hofer’s crease for the Hurricanes’ first goal of the night; tying the game at 1-1. Svechnikov’s goal was his one-hundred-and-thirty-seventh career goal, making him one goal away from tying former teammate Teuvo Teräväinen for eighth-highest number of goals scored in franchise history.
Necas’s assist put his point streak at thirteen games.
SECOND PERIOD
Seventeen seconds into the second period marked a turning point for the Hurricanes.
Starting with a Dmitry Orlov slapshot to Necas, who then passed the puck to left-winger Eric Robinson towards the front of the Blues net. Robinson scored, boosting the game to 2-1, Carolina.
Shortly afterward, the Hurricanes received their first penalty of the night. Rookie Jackson Blake was given two minutes for interference, putting the Blues on the powerplay. In the box, Blake could be spotted in a heated discussion with the officiating staff surrounding the penalty. With an 85% on the kill this season, the Hurricanes proved exactly how they got said percentage. Holding the Blues to 0-1 on the powerplay, the game remained in the Hurricanes’ favor — a break from what was expected after last season’s penalty kill.
Fans saw more of the Martinook — Staal — Carrier line on-ice this period, but the second line continued to hold attention. Necas took more faceoffs, emphasizing noticeable growth from earlier seasons. And he did it again.
At twelve minutes and twenty-six seconds in the second period, Necas scored again — his tenth goal of the season. Sent from a backwards pass by Robinson for his second point of the night, and into the net from the player who helped the Czech Republic into a Worlds gold medal, Necas’s point streak is continuing with a bang.
And he’s showing zero signs of slowing down. In his postgame presser, Kochetkov told media, “[I] don’t want talking about him, because [I] want him to stay with what he’s doing… Oh my gosh, It’s unbelievable.” Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour described Necas as “driving the ship.”
THIRD PERIOD
A strong second period bled into the third, with the Hurricanes having the power of statistics on their side. When the team is ahead after the second period, its record is undefeated—at puck drop, it was 11-0-0.
During an early break in the third period, Svechnikov was honored with a video of his impact on the franchise thus far. Drafted in 2018 as a second-overall pick, Svechnikov has been the symbol of the Carolina Hurricanes ever since. He was the first draft pick in an era of new ownership under Tom Dundon and new leadership under former GM Don Waddell and Brind’Amour at the realms. He was the first draft pick after a decade of poor records and playoff droughts, after rumors of relocation. He was the first sign of hope for a franchise that had none. Svechnikov’s draft was a clear message to naysayers and doubters: Hockey is staying in North Carolina. Hockey belongs here — forever.
The video highlighted Svechnikov’s lacrosse goals, more famously known as “The Michigan.” Svechnikov was the first player in the NHL to successfully complete the goal, making history on October 29, 2019, on home ice in Raleigh. The move has become his signature one. Svechnikov has completed a lacrosse goal three times, with the most recent being at TD Garden against Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins last spring. Over the summer, he was featured in an ESPN documentary, “The Michigan“. Svechnikov’s goal, particularly his first against the Calgary Flames, has brought the move into hockey at all levels, particularly youth hockey.
Svechnikov’s hat tricks were honored, particularly his first career hat trick during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. In a bubble and playing against the New York Rangers, Svechnikov, who was in his second season in the NHL, boosted the Hurricanes to a playoff win. He’d also set a record: first hat trick ever scored in Carolina Hurricanes playoff history.
Svechnikov was given a standing ovation by Hurricanes faithful after the video, all of whom hold special places in their hearts and hockey fandom for 37. Everyone in Raleigh, hockey fan or not, has a Svechnikov story.
There will never be another Andrei Svechnikov in North Carolina.
Mathieu Joseph was sent to the box on a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game. In frustration, Joseph slammed his stick against the doors of the penalty box. Later on in the third, Matthew Kessel was sent to the box for interference. The Hurricanes did not score on either powerplay.
The game ended similarly to how it began: with a Martin Necas point on the board. At sixteen minutes and forty-seven seconds in the period, Necas scored his second goal of the night, with assists from both linemates — Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. With this goal, Necas broke the franchise record for most points in seventeen games. This goal placed Necas, with 30 goals for the season, above Eric Staal’s previous record of 29 points during the 2005-2006 season. The streak’s longevity has beaten other franchise point records, placing Necas above Dougie Hamilton, Staal, and Sebastian Aho’s prior streaks. Across the NHL, only the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are in the same degree of point statistics.
The evening’s three stars of the game were Kochetkov, with twenty-nine saves for the evening; Robinson, and Necas.
After the game, Robinson referred to Necas as the “obvious answer” on the second line’s success, noting that Necas is a “special player” and that the line is “getting used to playing with each other, getting some chemistry… [We’re] all feeling kind of good right now, so it’s going well.” Robinson also distributed the line’s success to a “snowball effect,” noting that “Confidence is everything, and if your line’s scoring… [you] just keep feeling better.” Necas himself stated, “[It’s] about my linemates, about me” when asked if he was feeling superstitious around his blonde hair, dyed after a lost golf bet with former teammate Brendan Lemieux.
After tonight’s game, the Hurricanes are now at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 13-4-0 record. They currently are in first place in the Metropolitan Division.
