It wasn’t what you’d call a banner performance, but, needing a bounce-back win at PNC Arena Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes got the job done. Thanks to 35 saves from goalie Curtis McElhinney and a balanced offense that saw 12 players record a point, the Canes topped the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 on a day when all of the teams they’re jockeying with for playoff positioning lost.
The Canes (39-25-7) got goals from forwards Lucas Wallmark, Andrei Svechnikov, Justin Williams and Jordan Staal against the Sabres (30-32-9). The team started slow in the first 10 minutes of the game, but eventually got going to start a five-game homestand on the right foot and rebound from a 3-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets the night before.
“I thought we played much better in the second and third last game than we did all night tonight,” Staal said. “But we found a way to bury our chances when we had them and found a way to win.”
McElhinney played a strong game in net, stopping 35 of 37 Buffalo shots and making the big stops he needed to, particularly to keep the Canes in the game through a slow start.
“It feels good,” McElhinney said. “Everybody’s kind of doing their job right now. It’s a critical time of year; it’s been fun to be in that conversation right now to be in a spot and to keep picking up points. Huge efforts by everybody.”
The Sabres jumped out in front less than three minutes into this one; former Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner’s centering pass got through McElhinney’s legs to make it 1-0.
After chasing the game for the first 10 minutes, the Canes got going, and tied it at one with 6:08 to play in the opening frame. Forward Jordan Martinook squeezed a shot through Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark’s pads, and Wallmark got to the loose puck in the crease to even the score.
“I think [Wallmark’s goal] gave us a reset,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I think we were on our heels there to start and they were flying. I think it just kind of settled it down and we actually from then on had a pretty good period and kind of got things going at least in the direction we needed to.”
Svechnikov pushed the Canes ahead 2-1 just over a minute into the second period, tapping in a perfect cross-ice pass from forward Teuvo Teravainen.
The Sabres nearly tied it after the Canes turned the puck over in the neutral zone about eight minutes into the second, but McElhinney came up with a breakaway stop on Sabres forward Evan Rodriques.
“I can’t say enough about our goaltending,” Brind’Amour said. “We were running around, especially in the second there, for whatever reason. We lost a lot of coverages and [McElhinney] had to come up with some big saves. It just settles the group when obviously you’re not chasing the game because our goaltending has been so solid.”
Williams put the Canes up by a pair with a little under three minutes left in the middle frame; he somehow squeezed a shot from the side boards between Ullmark’s pad and the goal post.
Forward Nino Niederreiter nearly made it 4-1 right after Williams’ goal, but struck the goal post with a wide-open net.
Staal sealed the game with a spinorama backhander from the slot to put the Canes up 4-1 with less than five minutes to play. The goal gave him 500 career points.
“Not exactly my style,” Staal said. “But I wasn’t playing great that whole game anyway, so I kind of just went for it this time. Maybe I should do that more often. Not exactly what I pictured as [500th point] but I’ll take it.”
Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons made it 4-2 with 1:01 left, but it was too little too late for a Buffalo comeback.
The Canes will continue this five-game homestand with a monumental showdown against the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night. With their win, and losses by the Penguins, Blue Jackets (in overtime) and Montreal Canadiens Saturday, the Canes are in a good spot with 11 games to go.
Carolina trails Pittsburgh for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division by two points with a game in hand, leads Columbus by one point for the first wild card spot with a game in hand and the Montreal Canadiens outside the playoff picture by four points with a game in hand. Losses by the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals leave the Canes within shouting distance of second (Islanders, four points) or first (Capitals, six points, game in hand) place in the division.
“The intensity’s going to keep going up,” Staal said. “This team here has played playoff hockey for awhile. We’ve played desperate hockey. The teams now, everyone’s starting to do it. We’ve got to keep doing what we’re going, playing the way we’re playing and find ways to win.”
Center forward Lucas Wallmark sneaks in a point behind Buffalo Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark during the first period in PNC Arena, Saturday, March 16.
