Another Hurricanes win, another different lineup. How the Canes make it work
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- Rookie defensemen Joel Nystrom and Charles Legault recorded their first NHL points.
- Rookies skated major minutes with vets and helped Carolina secure a 6-3 win.
- Coach Brind’Amour shuffled defense corps after Jalen Chatfield’s indefinite absence.
The Carolina Hurricanes took the ice Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres with a different look — again.
Forwards William Carrier and Eric Robinson were back in the Canes lineup. Defenseman Jalen Chatfield was not, as the Hurricanes took a 6-3 victory at Lenovo Center.
Canes power forward Andrei Svechnikov, the game’s first star, blasted a one-timer for a power-play goal in the second period, assisted on Sebastian Aho’s goal in the first and stayed in attack mode. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a goal and assisted on an Eric Robinson score in the third.
For the Canes (10-4-0), the real fun came when rookie defensemen Joel Nystrom and Charles Alexis Legault both picked up their first NHL points. Nystrom assisted on the Kotkaniemi score, and Legault first assisted on Robinson’s goal, then scored on an empty-netter for a two-point night in being named the second star of the game.
“You dream of scoring one since being a kid and being able to get one tonight was a great feeling,” Legault said.
Was a long empty-net goal in that childhood dream?
“Not really,” he said, smiling. “But a goal’s a goal.”
Who’s in, who’s out?
In a season that has remained in flux, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Saturday that Chatfield would be sidelined indefinitely. Chatfield took a heavy hit from Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick — to the chest and chin — in the first period of Thursday’s game.
Pitlick, after a fight with Canes captain Jordan Staal that left him with a bloody nose, was given a game misconduct penalty and ejected but received no further discipline from the NHL.
Brind’Amour said he was not sure if Chatfield suffered a concussion on the play, which had the Canes shuffling five defensemen in the 4-3 victory.
Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who has missed the past four games with a lower-body injury, took part in Saturday’s morning skate but did not play. The Canes still are waiting for defenseman Jaccob Slavin (lower-body) to return to practice and games.
Carrier and Robinson each had been out the past six games — Carrier with a lower-body issue and Robinson an upper-body injury — after leaving the Oct. 23 road game at Colorado. Both were activated off injured reserve Saturday.
“We need those guys in there. Just bigger bodies,” Brind’Amour said. “This league is big and strong, and missing those guys, you notice it.”
With the two veteran forwards available, the Canes on Friday reassigned rookie forward Bradly Nadeau to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Nadeau, 20, had a solid three games with the Canes, averaging 11:30 in ice time, notching his first NHL goal and posting four points.
Carrier was back on Jordan Staal’s line Saturday, and Robinson played on a line centered by Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Patchwork defense
The back end had a rookie paired with a veteran. Defenseman K’Andre Miller was making his second start since coming back from an injury and played with Nystrom. Alexander Nikishin was paired with Sean Walker and Legault with veteran Mike Reilly, who also has stepped in and played well.
Nystrom picked up his first NHL point when he assisted on Kotkaniemi’s second-period goal that pushed the Canes to a 3-1 lead. Circling the net with the puck, the Swede found Kotkaniemi open in the left circle.
“It’s all about the guys coming in, knowing how we do things,” Canes forward Jordan Martinook said of the rookie D-men. “It hasn’t just been one or two games but a pretty good sample size now. Obviously they’re leaning on the veterans back there, but they’ve done a great job.
“The big key is they all skate well. You look at Nystrom and he skates well. Charles skates well. If you don’t skate well in our system you get exposed pretty quickly.”
The two hang out together and ride to the rink together, Legault said. It’s been more than they expected, but they’re making the most of it.
Legault was on the ice in the final couple of minutes of regulation after Buffalo pulled goalie Alex Lyon for a sixth attacker. The Sabres (5-6-4) had scored twice in the third to make it 4-3 and were after a tying goal.
“Those guys have been solid,” Brind’Amour said of Nystrom and Legault. “We’ve asked a lot of them, thrown them in there so many minutes against top-end players. And Nikisihin is in the same boat. They’re all new to the league.”
