Like a game of call and response, the Carolina Hurricanes had a reply for every Chicago Blackhawks move — answering each of the three Chicago goals promptly. But that strategy, to the extent that the NHL Rulebook allows, was only good enough for one point.
Falling in a drawn out shootout loss, the Hurricanes (31-15-5) came up short against the Blackhawks (21-22-7), only finding the net once out of six attempts in the shootout. After an 0-for-5 performance on the power play and having given up a sloppy short-handed goal, the Canes had blown their chances to take an authoritative lead.
“Yeah, it was a tough night for those guys,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We did have some good looks … you can’t drop a shorty in a tight game. So that’s probably when you look back, that’s the difference.”
The short-handed goal in question? A culmination of loose passing in the offensive zone, and relatively poor rebound control on the initial shot.
Canes defensemen K’Andre Miller passed the puck into the reach of the Hawks defense, leading to a 2-on-1 Chicago rush. Canes goalkeeper Frederik Andersen made the initial save, but Blackhawks right winger Ilya Mikheyev got his own rebound and slotted it in.
a shorthanded goal to open the scoring✅ pic.twitter.com/RjdXY3AQa2
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 23, 2026
The Canes quickly responded as defenseman Joel Nystrom evened the game just two minutes later with his first ever goal in the NHL on the assist from right winger Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Five minutes into the second period, a well-worked attack by the Blackhawks saw center Ryan Donato find left winger Nick Lardis, whose one-timer beat Andersen at the near post, reestablishing the Blackhawk lead.
Center Jordan Staal took it upon himself to respond, pickpocketing a Chicago player in the defensive third and taking it the length of the ice before burying it in the top of the net.
The loudest moment of the night came when defenseman Alexander Nikishin laid on a powerful hit and Blackhawks center Oliver Moore took offense. The two threw down their gloves and traded punches. Nikishin’s right cross put Moore on the ground. While his opponent was on the ground, Nikishin landed one more for good measure before skating directly to the penalty box to the sound of the crowd’s thunderous applause and a five-minute timeout.
“It was a great hit, and a good hit and clean hit, also backing that up, you know, when guys come calling,” Staal said. “There was a great individual effort.”
With six minutes left, the Canes suffered a massive defensive miscommunication, leaving Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy in acres of space. A composed Murphy took his time and outmaneuvered Andersen, giving the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead.
But once again, the Canes had a response. Less than a minute later, center Logan Stankoven made a streaking wrap around the net run and crossed the puck centrally. Right wing Jackson Blake positioned himself perfectly with a back post cut and equalized the game at 3-3 — good enough to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Canes struggled to possess the puck, but Andersen made two crucial saves to push the game to a shootout.
He continued his strong performance, saving four out the first five shots, but the Canes just couldn’t convert their attempts, also netting one of their first five shots. In the sixth round, Moore — despite his public shaming earlier at the hands of Nikishin — beat Andersen, finding the back of the net and winning the game for the Blackhawks.
The loss snapped the Canes’ five-game home winning streak and marked their 14th overtime game of the season (9-0-5). Despite the loss, Carolina remains top of the Metropolitan with an eight-point lead.
Next up, the Canes travel to the Land of Maple to take on the Ottawa Senators (23-19-7) on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+ and FanDuel Sports Network South.
