No tricks, all treats: How the Hurricanes battered the Bruins to win fifth straight game
There were seven power plays and three power-play goals. There were three goals scored in 52 seconds. There were two players celebrating the same goal, five goals in all and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour.
And all that in the first period.
After spending six games on the road, the Hurricanes were finally back home at Lenovo Center on Thursday, facing the Boston Bruins — and treating the home fans to an 8-2 victory on Halloween night.
After the Canes (7-2-0) stopped taking penalties, they started scoring goals and kept it rolling, winning a fifth consecutive game.
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice. Jack Roslovic scored twice, Svechnikov assisting on the first goal. Martin Necas, consistently productive on the road trip, had a goal and three assists for his third career four-point game.
That made for a mostly stress-free night for goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who picked up his fourth win of the season. Now in line for added work with injured goalie Frederik Andersen expected to be out for a few weeks, the Russian netminder faced just 16 shots.
At game’s end, the Hurricanes received a standing ovation from their fans, who stayed loud during the Storm Surge postgame celebration that even had a Seth Jarvis lookalike -- albeit much, much younger -- join the big boys for the fun.
In the wild, wild first, Svechnikov scored on the power play, Jackson Blake at even strength and Necas on the power play -- all in a 52-second span. It was 4-1 Canes after the first.
In a weirdly fun sequence, Blake’s goal had the rookie forward and Dmitry Orlov both raising their sticks as they skated in opposite directions. Orlov, who got off a shot from the left circle, initially was credited with the goal, but a scoring change was made after the game when it was determined the puck had glanced off Blake’s stick in front.
In the opening period, Canes fans were howling in anger about penalties called against the home team and then celebrating penalties called against the Bruins and Carolina power-play goals.
Boston (4-6-1) came to the Lenovo Center off a listless 2-0 shutout loss to Philadelphia that had Bruins coach Jim Montgomery asking more from his team – a lot more. He didn’t get it as the Bruins dropped their fifth game in the last six (1-4-1).
Boston forward Brad Marchand, never a popular guy in Raleigh, scored on a 5-on-3 advantage in the first period before Brind’Amour went off on the refs at 13:25 of the period.
“Normally you know the officials, we have a pretty good rapport. We go back and forth,” Brind’Amour said. “He usually comes over and gives you warning. He’s let me have my vent. And he didn’t give me the warning.”
The Canes minimized the damage with some active penalty killing on the second Bruins 5-on-3 -- “That was huge. We killed it and got right back on it,” Brind’Amour said.
“Those kind of things happen and you try to stay focused,” Svechnikov said of the penalties. “It was 3-on-5, but the boys did an amazing job. We just had to stick with the game.”
Boston’s Hampus Lindholm scored early in the second to make it 4-2. But the Canes, still energized after winning five of six on the road, had too much jump and firepower in their first home game since Oct. 15.
Svechnikov and Roslovic each picked up their second goals of the night for a 6-2 lead. Svechnikov poked in a loose puck on a power play, then Roslovic ended the night for Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman with 10:28 left in the period as Joonas Korpisalo took over in net.
After Jordan Martinook won the puck on a forecheck battle, Roslovic had an open shot and did not miss. A free agent signee, the forward has six goals in nine games while Martinook earned his 200th NHL point.
Defenseman Sean Walker notched his first goal of the season, and first with the Canes, in the third. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had the final Canes score, his first of the season.
Andersen update
After Thursday’s morning skate, Brind’Amour updated the lower-body injury to Andersen, and it was not positive. Brind’Amour called the injury “week to week.”
“That’s a little more time than I was hoping,” Brind’Amour said.
That also meant it would be Kochetkov’s net, for the most part, until Andersen returns. At 25, the Russian goaltender is seemingly poised to push Andersen for the No. 1 slot in net and now has a chance to get a lot of work early in the season.
“I think he really wanted that, so we’ll see how it all works out,” Brind’Amour said. “He’ll be getting a good run out of it.”
Andersen played Saturday at Seattle, picking up the win, but came up a “little gimpy,” according to Brind’Amour. Kochetkov was in net Monday for the 4-3 overtime win at Vancouver in the final game of the trip.
The Canes quickly recalled goalie Spencer Martin from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, and Martin likely will get a few starts.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 9:55 PM.
