How a resurgent Jackson Blake helped the Hurricanes to an OT win over the Rangers
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- Jackson Blake redirected Sebastian Aho’s power-play shot for a 3-2 OT winner.
- Blake used a Christmas break reset, scoring in consecutive games to regain form.
- Canes absorbed injuries; Brandon Bussi replaced Kochetkov and delivered key saves.
Not long ago, Jackson Blake stood in a corner of the Carolina Hurricanes locker room, glumly taking the blame for making key mistakes in a late collapse and tough loss to the Florida Panthers.
That was just before the Christmas break. Since the break, the second-year forward has been at his pesky best, scoring goals in the past two games.
Blake’s second goal was the biggest. It came on the power play with 12.6 seconds remaining Monday as the Canes pulled out a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers that had Lenovo Center rumbling.
Blake, positioned in front of the net, redirected a Sebastian Aho shot past goalie Igor Shesterkin for the winner against the best road team in the NHL this season.
Just like that, Blake became the game’s first star. He beamed as he was interviewed on the bench. He smiled in the locker room this night.
Reminded that it was quite the change from the aftermath from the 5-2 loss to the Panthers, Blake nodded his head.
“I mean, it’s probably going to happen again in my career and it’s a terrible feeling,” Blake said Monday. “For me personally, it’s not even a ‘me’ thing. You feel like you’re letting your team down, and that’s not what you want to do.
“But I put it to rest. You never want that to happen but if it does, you’ve got to flush it because it’s a long season.”
Blake headed back to Minnesota, was with family for Christmas, and said he returned to Raleigh fully refreshed.
“Having the break was big for me,” he said. “I didn’t think about that (game) one time.”
Once back, Blake scored the Canes’ first goal Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, again on a tip. It jump-started his team, which fell behind 1-0 despite a strong first period but bounced back for a 5-2 win to end a three-game winless streak.
The overtime victory Monday was a joyful end to what had been a sour day for the Hurricanes. Brind’Amour said goalie Pyotr Kochetkov would have surgery for a hip ailment and likely would be lost for the season. That was a collective body blow for a Canes team that has been hit by injury this season.
But the Canes had an answer. Brandon Bussi, the winning goalie against the Wings, was back in net and again made some sparkling stops in matching Shesterkin. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was unable to go Monday because of a lower-body issue, but K’Andre Miller, out Saturday, returned to play against his former team.
The Canes again fell behind 1-0 in the first period as defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov scored a power-play goal, but Carolina tied the score on Aho’s power-play strike later in the period.
Jonny Brodzinski’s tap-in goal in the second, after the puck hit the skate of Canes defenseman Jalen Chatfield, pushed the Rangers back in front again. But the Hurricanes again tied it in the third, as Jordan Martinook went to the front of the net and had the puck go off his skate and past Shesterkin on a Chatfield shot.
“The bounces weren’t going our way and then they did, finally,” Brind’Amour said.
With both goalies making key stops down the stretch – Shesterkin had 31 saves for the night – the game went to overtime.
When the Rangers’ Matthew Robertson was called for tripping Taylor Hall, the Canes had a four-on-three advantage and coach Rod Brind’Amour went with four forwards on the power play: Blake, Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov.
“You’ve got to go for it,” Brind’Amour said of the strategy.
Blake, in the wrong spot at the wrong time, was hit and hurt by an Ehlers shot with 43 seconds left in the OT but did not turn for the bench.
“No, I didn’t think about hopping over the boards in overtime,” Blake said, smiling. “That one definitely stung and (Ehlers) apologized right after the game. It stung, but I had to go right back to the net front.”
Brind’Amour grinned when told Blake said there was no way he would leave the ice in OT.
“When you’re on the power play you’re going to try to stay out, you know,” he said. “That’s just the nature of it.”
And Blake having the Christmas break to re-set and then rebounding?
“Again, you’re going to have ups and downs in your career and especially as a young guy it’s what you take from it, the good and the bad,” Brind’Amour said. “And he’s done that. You can see that.”
This night, Blake could celebrate the good.
This story was originally published December 29, 2025 at 11:26 PM.
