Hurricanes rally in final minute to force overtime, beat Sharks on Martin Necas’ goal
Have yourself a week, Martin Necas.
The Carolina Hurricanes forward first had an overtime winner on the road against the Dallas Stars.
Two nights later, Necas did it again, his overtime goal Friday beating the San Jose Sharks 5-4 at PNC Arena.
“It’s like they say, good teams find a way,” Necas said.
And what a way. The Sharks led 4-2 after an empty-net goal by Mario Ferraro with 1:52 left in regulation after the Canes pulled goalie Antti Raanta for a sixth attacker.
But Sebastian Aho, at his competitive best this night, scored his second of the game with 1:37 remaining off a Teuvo Teravainen pass. Then, just when it appeared time was running out on the Canes, Necas struck.
After Jordan Staal won a faceoff in the Sharks zone, Brent Burns got off a shot that was blocked. Andrei Svechnikov grabbed the puck and got off a quick shot that goalie James Reimer stopped, but Necas was waiting, alone, in the left circle and ripped one past Reimer.
Make it 4-4 with 11.5 seconds left in regulation, the Canes scoring with the extra attacker. Make it bedlam in the building.
There would be more.
“We believe in each other and there’s no quit in this team,” Aho said.
In overtime, Svechnikov grabbed the puck along the boards and sped down ice. It suddenly was a two-on-one with Necas, and Necas beat Reimer with a rising shot 55 seconds into OT.
Just like that, it was over. The Hurricanes (31-9-8) had snatched away the two points and should ride into Sunday’s showdown with the Boston Bruins at PNC Arena on a high.
“It’s crazy, “ Raanta said. “You kind of watch the clock all the time and you hope you can get to the OT, and a couple of minutes later you’re celebrating in the neutral zone.”
Raanta picked up his 12th win of the season and is 9-0-2 in his last 11 games. Aho now has 20 goals this season and Necas 21 as he continues to shine and realize his potential.
Defenseman Calvin de Haan had the Canes’ first score, in the first period, as the Carolina D-men continue to lead the NHL with 32 goals.
Aho’s first goal came on a power play 17 seconds into the third period, pushing Carolina ahead 2-1. The arena was rumbling then, too, but the Sharks (14-25-11) answered with goals from Nick Bonino, Mikey Eyssimont and then added Ferraro’s empty-netter.
“You just try to refocus,” Raanta said. “I was able to make a couple of good saves before they scored their fourth one.”
Former Canes forward Steven Lorentz, who went to San Jose in the offseason trade for Burns, returned to PNC Arena for the first time and was given a welcome-back ovation in the first period. Lorentz assisted on the game’s first goal, by Oskar Lindblom in the first period.
The game also had another on-ice meeting of the Svechnikov brothers in the NHL. The Canes’ Svechnikov had two assists and the Sharks’ Evgeny Svechnikov had the primary assist on Lindblom’s goal.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour called it a “great finish” after a “dull” first period and a slightly better second. He liked the Canes’ play in the third, which he called the team’s best, even though the Sharks moved back into the lead.
And the comeback?
“You’ve got to keep going and our guys do,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s what happened tonight. That’s not going to happen every night, but we have the ability to do that.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2023 at 9:48 PM.
