Thanks to a shutout from goalie Petr Mrazek and a balanced attack from their young guns up front, the Carolina Hurricanes topped the Arizona Coyotes 3-0 at PNC Arena Sunday to snap a three-game winless streak.
The Canes (14-13-5) got goals from forward Sebastian Aho (who is on a five-game point streak and three-game goal streak), Warren Foegele and Andrei Svechnikov, and a shutout from Mrazek against the Coyotes (14-16-2).
“It was pretty steady; there wasn’t any real lulls,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We just stuck to our game plan, so it was nice to see. We did have a couple of breakdowns and Petr was really good. So I guess that’s how you want to do it.”
Mrazek was perfect in net against the Coyotes, stopping 23 of 23 shots for the team’s first shutout of the season. The Canes played strong defense in front of Mrazek, but he made timely saves when called upon.
“That was the key today for us,” Mrazek said. “Playing good in the defensive zone. Great penalty kill; we managed the puck really well in the D-zone.”
Aho nearly broke the ice about halfway through the first period, but Coyotes goalie Adin Hill made a diving stick save to deny him.
The Coyotes made a push late in the first, but Mrazek made a few sharp stops to keep the game scoreless.
“It settled me a little bit there,” Mrazek said. “I didn’t have much in the first 10 minutes; I think I had one or two shots. The last six minutes in the first they came hard. They had some chances there.”
Foegele put the Canes up 1-0 about halfway through the second period, firing home the rebound of a point shot from defenseman Calvin de Haan. The tally was Foegele’s first in 28 games, as he last scored in the team’s fourth game of the season on Oct. 9.
“I don’t think I’ve ever gone that long without producing points like that,” Foegele said. “But I’m more happy that we got the win and I get to contribute anyway I can.”
Svechnikov doubled the Canes’ lead a few minutes later; he took a pass from defenseman Justin Faulk off the rush and buried a shot top shelf to make it 2-0. Svechnikov extended his point streak to three games with the goal, and forward Justin Williams earned an assist to extend his to five.
Carolina got a golden chance to push its lead to three early in the first; after the team killed a penalty to Aho, he was sprung for a breakaway out of the box, but Hill stopped his backhand try.
The Coyotes appeared to cut the lead in half as forward Alex Galchenyuk batted a point shot out of the air, but it was immediately waived off as his stick was above the crossbar.
The third time was the charm for Aho after the Coyotes’ no-goal; he took a pass from de Haan at the offensive blue line, steamed in on Hill and beat him five-hole to make it 3-0. Forward Teuvo Teravainen got the other assist on Aho’s goal, extending his point streak to three games.
“I think it was second shift, he robbed me,” Aho said. “It was a really good save from him and then the breakaway and a couple other ones. It felt good to get the goal, finally.”
Svechnikov left the game in the third period with an injury; Brind’Amour said he “tweaked something” but did not have a further update.
Carolina will continue this five-game homestand with a visit from the Detroit Red Wings Thursday.
Right wing Andrei Svechnikov fights for control of the puck against the Arizona Coyotes, Sunday, Dec. 16 in PNC Arena. Svechnikov scored one goal, aiding the Hurricanes in a 3-0 victory.
