Bruised and battered, Oliver Moore lifts Blackhawks past Hurricanes in shootout
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- Blackhawks deny Hurricanes five power plays, win 4-3 in six-round shootout.
- Oliver Moore scores winning shootout goal on his 21st birthday after fight.
- Alexander Nikishin lands TKO via three rights, sparks crowd and physical tone.
It’s funny how things work out in sports, sometimes, and the highs and lows that come in games.
Take Oliver Moore of the Chicago Blackhawks, for example. The forward, on his 21st birthday, had the winning shootout goal Thursday in a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center.
Moore was mobbed by his teammates after getting the puck past Frederik Andersen, who otherwise had a solid game for the Canes over 65 minutes. It was a moment he will remember.
But there was another moment he’d like to forget, one Canes fans will relish and remember, even from a loss. It came in the second period, when Moore challenged Canes defenseman Alexander Nikishin and soon wished he hadn’t, taking three big punches to the head and going down in a heap, a bloody gash under his right eye.
The Canes (31-15-5) forced overtime with 5:40 left in regulation as Jackson Blake went to the front of the net and scored off a centering pass from Logan Stankoven. After the overtime, it took a six-round shootout to end it, Andrei Svechnikov scoring for the Canes against Spencer Knight, and Connor Bedard and then Moore scoring for the Blackhawks to win it.
Chicago (21-22-7), second on the penalty kill in the NHL, denied the Canes on all five power plays while Ilya Mikheyev score shorthanded in the first period. Nick Lardis had a second-period goal and Connor Murphy scored in the third while Knight, sharp in net, finished with 28 saves.
“It was a tough night for that,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the power play. “We did have some good looks but couldn’t bury them, and you can’t give up a ‘shorty’ in a tight game.”
Nikishin had not had an NHL fight. Now, he has. And he was a winner by TKO, perhaps sending a message to others in the league who might want to physically take on the big Russian D-man.
“That was great to see. We always want our group to be as physical as we can.” said Canes captain Jordan Staal, whose second-period goal tied the score 2-2.
Nikishin had flattened Lardis with a hard hit in front of the Blackhawks bench and Moore quickly skated over in his teammate’s defense. He gave Nikishin a look and began shaking off his gloves. So did Nikishin. It was on.
At 5-11 and 188 pounds, Moore was giving away four inches and 30 pounds to Nikishin. He got off a couple of short punches but was quickly overpowered.
Nikishin got off three rights and Moore went down. When Moore got back up, he was bleeding. Moore and Nikishin both were assessed five-minute fighting penalties and Moore a roughing penalty.
“It was a great hit and a clean hit and also backing that up when guys come calling,” Staal said of the play. “It was a great individual effort and great to see,”
Canes fans gave Nikishin a loud ovation after the fight, and again later as he left the penalty box and skated across the ice to the bench.
Niksihin’s defensive partner, Joel Nystrom, also got a big hand for a big shot. The rookie from Sweden scored his first career NHL goal in his 36th game, unloading a shot from the left circle after a strong forecheck by the Canes and a nice setup pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
“It was nice to get my first goal and I’ve been waiting for it,” Nystrom said. “It was a great pass from KK and I had a lot of space there.”
Before the fracas, the Canes and ‘Hawks were involved in a hockey version of punch/counter punch.
Chicago scored first as Mkheyev, on the penalty kill, picked off a K’Andre Miller pass and beat Andersen – the 25th time this season Carolina allowed the first goal of the game.
That lead lasted 1:38 before Nystrom’s big moment. The Canes’ forechecking resulted in the defenseman’s goal, William Carrier’s check allowing Kotkaniemi to grab the puck and find Nystrom open
Landis scored in the second as Nikishin and Nystrom allowed the forward enough room for a good chance. But Staal countered for a 2-2 tie, beating Knight to the glove side with a shot on the move from the right circle.
Then, in the third period, it was Murphy for the Blackhawks and Blake with the tying goal 42 seconds later.
Nikishin wasn’t the only one getting in big hits for the Canes. Svechnikov hammered Frank Nazar and Sean Walker all but deposited Alex Vlasic on the Canes bench.
But it was Moore, stitched up and ready for more, who got in the last, winning blow.
Moore, speaking to Chicago media after the game, called Nikishin a “big boy” and said Nikishin told him it was his first fight. “Can’t buy that,” Moore said, smiling.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
