Martin Necas’ overtime goal beats Kraken, ends Carolina Hurricanes losing streak
When a game goes to overtime, Martin Necas with the puck on his stick is never a bad thing for the Carolina Hurricanes.
It wasn’t Thursday. Returning from a six-game road trip with a three-game losing streak, the Canes badly needed a victory as they faced the Seattle Kraken at PNC Arena and Necas’ overtime goal decided it, 3-2.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s score off the rush with 4:24 left in regulation pulled the Canes into a 2-2 tie and had the arena rumbling. Soon it was on to overtime and Necas delivered with 9.7 seconds left in the OT.
“That’s his time, for sure,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He loves that.”
Just when it seemed the game might need a shootout to decide it, Necas took a pass from Tony DeAngelo at the top of the slot and let it rip. Goalie Joey Daccord, who had made many big saves for the Kraken, couldn’t stop the rising shot and that was that.
Necas, who had four overtime winners last season, now has eight is his career, using his speed and the open ice to get scoring chances.
“I like it,” Necas said. “There’s lots of space to make some plays, go one-on-one, odd-man rushes.”
Necas, named the first star of the game, had two goals and an assist for the Canes (4-4-0). Kotkaniemi had a goal and assist, tying the score with a shot from the low slot off a Necas pass after defenseman Brady Skjei knocked the puck away from Jordan Eberle, carried it in transition into the Kraken zone and backhanded a pass to Necas.
“It’s huge,” Skjei said of the win. “To get that good feeling back in the locker room is big. Obviously, it wasn’t the road trip we wanted to start the year. To get back in front of our fans is enormous. It felt more like our hockey and how we need to play.”
The Kraken (2-4-2), which beat the Canes 7-4 a week ago in Seattle, scored the game’s first two goals to quiet the crowd. Necas’ goal, the winger beating Daccord in tight, made it 2-1.
Goalie Frederik Andersen, recovered from an upper-body injury, allowed the two goals in the first but then steadied and made 24 saves.
“Goaltending keeps you in the game,” Brind’Amour said.
The Hurricanes will stay put to host the San Jose Sharks on Friday to complete a back-to-back set.
Canes get a break to score
Trailing the Kraken 2-0 late in the first period and the crowd getting restless, the Canes got a break and took advantage.
Kraken defenseman Brian Dumoulin fell trying to play a pass from Daccord in the left corner in the Seattle end. Kotkaniemi jumped in to grab the puck, passed behind the net to Michael Bunting, who found Necas in front of the crease.
Necas, playing with a new stick with a different curve to his blade, banged the puck past Daccord as he was falling for his third goal of the season.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Devin Shore had the Kraken goals in the first, Shore getting his first of the season on a breakaway.
Latest on Svech
Forward Andrei Svechnikov was activated Friday from injured reserve by the Hurricanes and was set to play Friday night against the San Jose Sharks at PNC Arena
Svechnikov has not been in a game since March 11, when the power forward suffered a torn ACL against the Vegas Golden Knights at PNC Arena. His rehab from knee surgery has been long and grueling, and the Canes have waited for the team doctors’ full medical clearance and for Svechnikov to declare himself good to go.
Svechnikov was at the Canes’ practices in preseason camp, always wearing a yellow, no-contact jersey. The yellow jersey came off at Monday’s practice, and he put in another full practice Wednesday after the Canes returned home from a 3-0 loss at Tampa Bay.
“I’m there. I just need to get comfortable,” Svechnikov said this week. “With this injury you don’t want to rush it. You don’t want to get injured again.”
Not many whistles
The Canes killed off their only penalty against the Kraken — in the second period — as Carolina’s Sebastian Aho had the best offensive chance shorthanded in the two minutes. Aho was high on his shot on a breakaway.
Only two penalties were whistled in the game, one against each team. Said Brind’Amour: “That game was officiated very, very well. They let the players play and I think it was an exciting game. Tons of offense.”
The Canes went into Thursday’s game 28th in the NHL on the penalty kill at 68.8%. After finishing second in the league on the PK last season at 84.4%, Carolina has allowed 10 power-play goals on 32 attempts — 10 of 28 on the road trip.
Of note: Kochetkov to AHL
The Canes said Thursday they had reassigned goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. Kochetkov appeared in three games with Carolina, going 0-3-0 with a 4.33 goals-against average and .836 save percentage.
This story was originally published October 26, 2023 at 9:57 PM.
