Carolina Bounces Back with a 4-2 Victory Over Pittsburgh

Saturday night was the response needed by the Carolina Hurricanes.

After a disappointing loss on Wednesday versus Philadelphia, Carolina bounced back against another Keystone State team.

In the first period, the game was back and forth. Sebastian Aho was denied twice at the top of the crease on a bang-bang play in Carolina’s best chance of the opening stanza.

The Penguins took advantage of a mismatch with their top line against the Canes’ fourth line and third defensive pair. An awful defensive breakdown by Tony DeAngelo and Dmitry Orlov led to an easy goal by Sidney Crosby.

The Hurricanes did not convert on the lone power play of the first period, and the teams went to the locker room with a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.

In the second period, Carolina’s first scoring opportunity was with Jordan Staal, who had a great shot on a rush down the left wing.

Later in the stanza, there was an awful call on Jack Drury for tripping. The Canes had two great shorthanded chances to start, while Antti Raanta came up with a big save on the only Penguins chance on the man advantage.

After the halfway mark of the second period, the Canes got in a rhythm offensively. At the seven-minute mark, the offensive pressure paid off.

Aho made a great steal and pushed a quick pass to Seth Jarvis. He got it to Teuvo Teravainen, and Turbo dished it to Fishy for the one-timer to the back of the net.

Brady Skjei had fantastic stickwork late in the second to deny the Penguins on a wide open net.

Immediately after, the Canes were down a man after Andrei Svechnikov was tagged for goalie interference. Once again, the Carolina penalty kill stifled the Pittsburgh power play.

The Hurricanes had a pair of two-on-ones followed by a dangerous two-on-two break to end the period with the offensive momentum.

After a Raanta breakaway save, Carolina went on the power play early in the third.

An average start to the advantage became a spirited effort near the end of the power play. Great puck movement by Svechnikov and Jaccob Slavin led to a one-timer Brent Burns goal just as the advantage expired.

The Canes’ first lead of the night was followed by fast-paced, back-and-forth play by both teams.

Raanta denied a grade-A Bryan Rust chance off a beautiful pass by Crosby to preserve the Carolina lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

A minute later, Svechnikov’s first goal of the season was denied on a replay, showing that Martin Necas was offside heading into the zone before the would-be primary assist.

A few moments after the replay challenge, Crosby puts the team on his back and ties the game at two apiece.

At the eight-minute mark, an imposing forecheck by the Canes allowed Slavin to find a seam in the slot for a Jarvis tip-in.

The next several minutes were the same as most of the second half of the game. The teams were skating well and creating a lot of chances. Raanta’s save on Reilly Smith from a beautiful Evgeni Malkin pass was the highlight of those few minutes.

Pittsburgh pulled their goalie, and Carolina brought the pressure. That on-puck pressure created a clear path for Aho to reach the empty net, but Erik Karlsson tripped him up to draw the final penalty of the evening.

After the Penguins cleared the zone, the goalie was pulled once again. The Hurricanes’ pressure was again too much, and Jarvis tallied his second of the night into the empty net. That goal, being a power play marker, was the cherry on top.

Jarvis finished with two goals and one assist. Aho, Burns, Slavin, and Teravanien each had two points, and Svechnikov tallied an assist.

Raanta stopped 23 of 25, and the penalty kill was a perfect two for two.

Although there are still adjustments to be made on the defensive end, the Carolina offense was much better after the first period.

The Aho-Teravainen-Jarvis line was spectacular. It was encouraging to see Staal and Jordan Martinook get some great looks, and hopefully, the disallowed Svechnikov goal can spur some offense from that youngster.

Third Star: Brent Burns

Second Star: Antti Raanta

First Star: Seth Jarvis