Riding Pyotr Kochetkov’s goaltending heroics, Hurricanes home after fruitful road trip
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour recently was asked if he keeps a close eye on the NHL standings.
“You don’t really need to,” Brind’Amour said. “You know everyone wins in our division, so you just try to keep pace.”
One way to keep pace is to go on a six-game road trip and post a 5-0-1 record, securing 11 of a possible 12 points.. That’s what the Canes did, finishing up the swing with a 1-0 victory Tuesday over the Detroit Red Wings as goalie Pyotr Kochetkov had 27 saves, notching his second straight shutout.
The Canes were back in Raleigh on Wednesday and held a limited practice at Invisalign Arena. Among the nine skaters was Max Pacioretty, who wore a non-contact jersey but went through his first practice session with the team since his preseason Achilles injury and surgery.
Pacioretty is “certainly not close” to being able to play, Brind’Amour said. But it was another step in the right direction for the veteran forward, who had some zip on his shots Wednesday.
“It’s good that at least he’s starting to get in the mix with the guys,” Brind’Amour said. “This is the first step to being optimistic that it’s around the corner.”
As of Wednesday, the Canes (16-6-6) were in second place in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the New Jersey Devils. The Pittsburgh Penguins also have 38 points (in 29 games), followed by the New York Islanders (35 points) and New York Rangers (35), and the Washington Capitals (34).
That’s a tight squeeze in the Metro. The Hurricanes have points in their past eight games and 12 of the past 13 games, and have gone 11-3-5 away from home this season. That’s some strong stuff.
Kochetkov, 23, has been a big part of it. He was recalled Nov. 8 from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on an emergency basis when Frederik Andersen was sidelined with a knee problem.
The question now is whether Kochetkov will go back.
Kochetkov started five of the six games on the road trip, coming in for Antti Raanta in the third period against St. Louis and picking up the win. The Russian has played in 10 of the past 11 games with Andersen out. He has the back-to-back shutouts, blanking the Islanders 3-0 with 16 saves on Saturday,
The callup has become the Hurricanes’ No. 1 goaltender.
“At the end of the day he’s a real competitor,” Brind’Amour said Tuesday. “He wants to win. It shows in the way he plays, aggressively. The guys love playing for him, that’s pretty clear.”
Kochetkov, called “Koochie” by his teammates, received one of the “C-5” T-shirts that Brind’Amour hands out — or throws — to the stars of the game in the locker room after wins. He ranks third in the NHL with a 2.02 goals-against average and tied for third with a .926 save percentage among goaltenders playing nine or more games.
The Canes will face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at PNC Arena in the first of four consecutive home games. Brind’Amour said center Sebastian Aho, who has missed the past two games with a lower-body issue, is “still not 100 percent” and is doubtful to play.
Brind’Amour said forward Jesper Fast, who also did not play against the Islanders and Wings, likely would return.
In one personnel move Wednesday, the Canes reassigned defenseman Maxime Lajoie to the Wolves.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 3:03 PM.
