Hurricanes rally, beat Devils in OT as rookie goalie Pyotr Kochetkov wins NHL debut
Rookie goalie Pyotr Kochetkov of the Carolina Hurricanes speaks no English, so it’s hard to say what his emotions were Saturday after winning his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils.
But Kochetkov was jumping around in celebration after the Canes rallied late in regulation to tie the score, then won 3-2 in overtime on a Seth Jarvis goal. His body language was all about being a very thrilled 22-year-old, and he was quickly mobbed by some very happy teammates.
The Canes trailed 2-0 in the third period, but Brady Skjei’s score with 4:36 left in regulation and then a goal by Nino Niederreiter with 1:56 left tied it. Skjei had his shot go off New Jersey’s Kevin Bahl and past goalie Jon Gillies, and Niederreiter jumped on a loose puck after Tony DeAngelo’s shot hit the Canes’ Jesper Fast in front moments after Kochetkov was pulled for a sixth attacker.
It was on to overtime and Jarvis, who had the game-winner Thursday against Winnipeg, did it again. After pressure from Sebastian Aho forced a Devils turnover, Jarvis took a pass from DeAngelo and ripped a shot past a sliding Gillies at 1:39 of OT.
The Canes collected the puck as a keepsake for Kochetkov, who finished with 17 saves and looked comfortable in the crease. Jarvis, with a smile, said Kochetkov “muttered out thank you” in the locker room after the game when asked to stand up and say a few words.
“It was electric. Everyone was super happy, super pumped for him,” Jarvis said.
The victory lifted the Canes (51-20-8) to 110 points and two points ahead of the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers were beaten 3-1 by the Boston Bruins later Saturday.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour noted Kochetkov made two quality saves after the Devils had taken a 2-0 lead. The biggest came on a third-period breakaway by Jesper Boqvist.
“It’s a great moment for him,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s the NHL. It’s special. He’ll remember this forever, especially the way this game ended up.”
The Canes believe they could have something special in the 6-foot-3, 205-pound goalie from Penza, Russia. He was their fifth pick in the second round of 2019 NHL draft, 36th overall, and he has experience this season both in Russia’s KHL and the American Hockey League after coming to the Chicago Wolves.
After the lower-body injury suffered by goalie Frederik Andersen last week at Colorado, Kochetkov was recalled from Chicago on an emergency basis. With the Canes playing the Devils and Islanders in a back-to-back, the decision was made to give Kochetkov his first start Saturday.
“We’ll give him a shot and see what he’s all about,” Brind’Amour said.
Kochetkov had a slow first period, facing six shots. He then allowed his first NHL goal in the second period on a Devils power play on a tip by Yegor Sharangovich. In the third, Nico Hischier beat him to the far side as New Jersey took the 2-0 lead.
With Gillies playing well, making all the saves, it appeared Kochetkov’s first game might be memorable only as his NHL debut. But the Canes’ forecheck finally produced some better offensive chances in the third.
“It felt like we tilted the ice a little bit in the third and had some few nice bounces,” Skjei said.
Canes goalie Antti Raanta created a buzz this week about Kochetkov. After his first look at the newcomer in a practice, Raanta said he was “a little bit of a Russian mix of Vasilevskiy and Bobrovsky.”
Meaning Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers. Meaning two former Vezina Trophy winners. That’s a high bar.
Another scouting report came from Canes goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder said this week:
“Just dynamic, big kid, covers a lot of net, can move quick east/west, good hands. He’s a big presence in net. He’s dynamic. A lot of these Russia-born goalies you see in the league, they have this dynamic edge to them. They’re not cookie-cutter. They can get outside that technical box and he has the ability to do that.”
The Canes players seem to like him, calling him “Pete” or “Peter.” Andrei Svechnikov has helped him as best he can — Svechnikov as a translator in an interesting role reversal.
“Svech is taking him under his wing,” Skjei said.
Kochetkov was 13-1-1 in the AHL before the call-up. He was the league’s rookie of the month in March, helping the Wolves clinch another Central Division title in the AHL.
Brind’Amour said he has not had much conversation with Kochetkov but said he only needed three words: “Stop the puck.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2022 at 11:03 AM.
