The Carolina Hurricanes emerged victorious from a high-scoring overtime thriller against Dallas, beating the Stars 5-4 thanks to center Martin Necas’ game-winning goal.
After a rollercoaster ride of regulation, goaltender Antti Raanta made some crucial overtime saves, allowing Carolina (18-6-6) to end the Stars’ (18-8-6) hopes of leaving PNC Arena with a win.
As time ticked down in the overtime period, Necas won possession and raced down the ice. He tried to find right wing Andrei Svechnikov on a one-timer in the crease, and while Dallas denied the Canes’ first attempt, Svechnikov found Necas on the rebound for the game-winner, sending the Stars packing and PNC into a frenzy.
“I mean, it’s always hard,” Necas said. “It’s at the end of a game, and then you have — you’re doing a shoot where you have those guys like Hans Robertson buzzing around you. So, kind of tough, but, you know, guys stick with it. Antti made a great save.”
Raanta was back in the crease for the first time since Dec. 1 — netminder Pyotr Kochetkov took a much-needed break after logging seven straight games and the longest shutout sequence by a rookie in franchise history. Saving 26 of 30 shots on goal, Raanta’s performance looked solid in light of Dallas’ early success on the power play. However, with two seperate two-point leads blown in the game, the Canes’ defense didn’t do its attacking unit many favors in the long run.
The 33-year old veteran goalie certainly faced several challenges on the ice — Dallas’ two-man advantage early in the second period forced a 2-2 game, and Carolina’s offense didn’t recuperate until it broke the deadlock just with a two-man advantage goal of its own.
After putting the Stars’ defense under siege with several shots on goal during the power play, left wing Teuvo Teravainen finally buried the go-ahead score that ricocheted off Dallas goaltender Scott Wedgewood’s shoulder and into the top-netting for his first goal of the season.
Before all of that, however, the Hurricanes enjoyed a 2-0 lead thanks to Svechnikov and right wing Stefan Noesen. In his first back-to-back goal of the season, Noesen knocked a bullet past Wedgewood four seconds into Carolina’s power play. Minutes later, Svechnikov scored his 17th goal of the season seconds after returning to the ice following a minor penalty.
And speaking of penalties, several Canes fans — especially the prolific Tweeters — lamented the sheer amount of time both teams spent in the box. By the end of the second frame, Carolina racked up seven penalties, and it wasn’t for nothing — both of Dallas’ goals through the first 40 minutes were scored on the power play.
Heading into the third period, Carolina’s lead seemed tenacious at best. On Thursday, the Stars overcame a 1-0 deficit against the Washington Capitals after scoring two third-period goals in two minutes, and they weren’t going to submit to the Hurricanes without a fair fight.
The Canes looked to put Dallas’ comeback hopes to bed as center Seth Jarvis slid into the crease and snuck the puck through Wedgewood’s legs, extending Carolina’s lead to 4-2. However, the Stars quickly drew level with their opponents after two rapid-fire goals halfway through the third period to push the game into overtime.
Once there, though, Necas and company did their thing, toughing out a nearly two-minute rotation on the ice that culminated in the center’s game-winner.
“The guys are stringing together wins here,” said defenseman Jaccob Slavin. “We’re getting great goaltending, which is huge. Special teams [are] trying to get the power play, which is big for us. And then, now, we’ve just gotta keep going, keep working hard.”
The Hurricanes will return to PNC Arena for their third game in four days on Sunday, Dec. 18 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m.
