Hurricanes’ Martin Necas ‘starting to emerge’ as the team continues to deal with COVID
Rod Brind’Amour never seems to get the name right.
When the Carolina Hurricanes coach mentions forward Martin Necas, he usually pronounces the last name “NEE-cash.” That’s not quite right, according to Martin Necas, who says it’s “NEH-chus.”
Whatever the pronunciation, Necas just wants his head coach to use the name as often as possible, and in a good way. Like on Thursday night, for example.
The Canes, coming off a long COVID-19 break, were in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning at PNC Arena. Neither team had scored and neither goalie, the Canes’ Petr Mrazek nor the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, wanted to be the first to break, to blink.
But 3-on-3 play and open ice suits Necas well. Speed is his thing. The Czech can fly. He also can handle the puck while flying.
“He’s got that ability I call game-breaking,” Brind’Amour said on the postgame media call. “Five on five is hard and it’s tight, and then you have those specialty times, you need to have those special players.”
Overtime against Tampa
The overtime opened with Jordan Staal winning the draw, then quickly leaving the ice for Sebastian Aho. The trio of Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton kept the puck for a while, then Necas came on the ice, then Staal.
Necas took a pass from Hamilton in the Canes zone and pushed it ahead to Staal on the left wing. Necas then accelerated up the middle, using that see-ya speed to leave Tampa Bay forward Tyler Johnson in his wake, took a perfectly executed saucer pass from Staal and knocked the puck past Vasilevskiy at 1:12 of overtime.
“A beautiful sauce,” Necas described it. “There’s always chances (in overtime). It’s 3-on-3 on the ice and it’s always an advantage for better skaters. There’s a lot of space. If someone is a little asleep on you ... “
Make it 1-0, Canes, over the 2020 Stanley Cup champion. Make it another shutout for Mrazek and a complete-game win for the Hurricanes in their first home game of the season, albeit one played before an empty house during the coronavirus pandemic.
Five regulars out of the lineup and on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list and the Canes found a way.. They killed penalties, they fought for pucks, they closed in around Mrazek when needed and went on the attack when possible.
Necas a more mature player
That’s Necas’ game. Put him in transition and he’s in his element, with his footspeed. But the former first-round draft pick also is beginning to fill out his game, become a more mature NHL player.
Necas’ goal Thursday was his first of the season for the Canes (3-1-0) and his first NHL overtime winner. He had 16 goals and 36 points in 64 games in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, then a goal and three assists in eight postseason games.
“He’s starting to emerge, you can see it,” Brind’Amour said.
With the Canes short on penalty killers, Necas was used Thursday. Brind’Amour liked what he saw and Necas said, “When I was younger I used to play PK. It’s good to be part of the PK, I like it.”
Brind’Amour also had to like the play of the Vincent Trocheck line with Necas and Nino Niederreiter on the wings. They were active much of the game, pushing the pace.
Especially No. 88, that “NEE-cash” guy who likes it fast.
Players off COVID list
Forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Martinook and Warren Foegele have been removed from the NHL COVID-19 protocol list, but Canes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and forward Jesper Fast remained Friday. Brind’Amour said Friday the players who have been cleared can practice but not yet are cleared to play.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 12:55 PM.
