Hurricanes warm up for outdoor game with 6-2 win over Canadiens as Seth Jarvis stars
The Carolina Hurricanes won their last game indoors before their first game outdoors.
And Seth Jarvis scored his first career NHL hat trick, winding up with a face full of shaving cream courtesy of Martin Necas.
The Canes ignited for four goals in the third period, two by Jarvis, to surge past the Montreal Canadiens 6-2 at PNC Arena on a memorable night when former goalie Cam Ward was inducted into the team’s new hall of fame.
“I think ‘Wardo’ should come more often,” a smiling Jarvis said after the game.
The Hurricanes (36-10-8) will face the Washington Capitals on Saturday in the 2023 Stadium Series game at Carter-Finley Stadium. That will be a historic night and game for the Canes franchise, but first there was the matter of playing the Canadiens (23-28-4), who had won three straight.
Jarvis played on a line Thursday with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov and benefited from it — Aho setting him up in front for his first goal, in the opening period as Svechnikov assisted.
Jarvis’ second goal, early in the third, was a tap-in. It came after defenseman Brent Burns deftly puck-handled his way down the slot to get off a shot that Jarvis followed up.
The third, the one that had hats flying onto the ice, came shorthanded, Jarvis zipping in to beat goalie Sam Montembeault.
Adding to the moment for Jarvis was having his father and brother fly in Wednesday night and be in the stands to take it in.
“That means the world to me,” he said. “That’s something I’ve dreamed of from when I was a little kid.”
Jarvis isn’t always used shorthanded but said he “begged” assistant coach Tim Gleason to put him in after Jesperi Kotkanimei was called for a late penalty.
“I was tugging on his pant leg to let me out there,” Jarvis said.
Gleason did. Jarvis took a pass off the boards from Derek Stepan and was off on a breakaway, lifting a backhander past Montembault with 19.8 seconds left in regulation.
“It was nice to see him kind of cap off a pretty special night in a dramatic way,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Aho finished with a goal and assist, Kotkaniemi scored against his former team in the first period off a forehand and Svechnikov tied his career high with three assists for the Canes.
Goalie Antti Raanta, making his second start for the Canes since Jan. 27, picked up his 14th win. Raanta had several scrambling and acrobatic stops among his 20 saves.
Montreal’s Michael Pezzetta had the game’s first goal, getting behind the Canes’ defense for a breakaway, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard had a power-play goal in the second that tied it 2-2.
But Aho, Jarvis and then Jordan Staal all scored in the first five minutes of the third for a 5-2 lead. That was that.
“We played hard,” Brind’Amour said. “Tonight we were solid.”
Jarvis was named the game’s first star, had Canes fans chanting his name after the game and was then surrounded by media in the locker room. Just as he was finishing up, Necas sneaked through the crowd with a towel full of shaving cream. Bam.
Jarvis could only laugh as he cleaned himself up.
“At least he could get some whipped cream,” he joked.
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 9:56 PM.
