RALEIGH — Some long-held keys to winning in the NHL include getting timely goaltending and scoring at the end of periods. And certainly having someone get a hat trick.
Carolina rookie goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, making his first NHL start of the season, stopped a shorthanded breakaway and penalty shot in the game’s first 10 minutes, Andrei Svechnikov got his second hat trick of the season against the Oilers, and the Hurricanes scored late goals in both the first and second periods to beat Edmonton 7-2 in front of 18,118 Thursday at PNC Arena.
The high-scoring win came a day after the team was shut out in Florida, and it ended a two-game losing streak in which Carolina totaled just one goal.
“I think we needed a response,” said Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast, who had his second goal of the season. “We had two games in a row that we lost, so we wanted to have a good game today and bounce back and get back on the winning track. I felt we deserved to win today.”
Kochetkov, starting the back end of consecutive games, got the nod after being recalled two days earlier when Frederik Andersen didn’t make the trip to Florida for Wednesday’s game against the Panthers. He improved to 4-0-0 in his career in the regular season — and did so in style.
With Carolina on a power play just three minutes into the game, Kochetkov (20 saves) was up to the challenge early when he stopped Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a shorthanded breakaway.
Then Edmonton’s Dylan Holloway was awarded a penalty shot at 9:19 of the game, but Kochetkov denied the fellow rookie his first career NHL goal.
“I really liked Koochie’s game,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the team’s 23-year-old goalie. “He came in in a tough spot against a high-powered team, and he made some huge saves there. So that’s the difference in the game for me. He kept us in it early and then we just kind of settled in.”
It took until the end of the period, but Carolina got the game’s first goal — one of two end-of-period tallies that helped the Hurricanes keep momentum. The initial goal started with a big play in the defensive end.
Defenseman Brett Pesce denied Connor McDavid a sure goal at the net that the Oilers captain eventually shot off the post. The Hurricanes then went the other way and Teuvo Teravainen separated McDavid from the puck along the boards and flipped a short pass to Svechnikov. Svechnikov’s attempted pass to Sebastian Aho glanced off Edmonton defenseman Tyson Barrie’s stick and went in for a 1-0 lead.
Then with the Hurricanes up 3-1 in the final seconds of period two, Jaccob Slavin forced a neutral zone turnover. On a counterattack with the clock running down, Jordan Martinook feathered a pass to Jordan Staal, who quickly elevated a backhand that snuck past Oilers goalie Jack Campbell (25 saves) with one second left in the middle frame to extend Carolina’s lead to three.
“That’s a huge one at the end of the period,” Brind’Amour said. “Everybody’s saying, ‘We’re in good shape,’ and now we’re in great shape going into the third. The big moments kind of went our way tonight.”
A dazzling goal by McDavid at 7:26 of the third gave Edmonton hope, but the Hurricanes responded with three goals in the game’s final 5½ minutes.
First, Martinook scored a highlight-reel goal of his own, tipping a point shot, then sweeping the rebound at the net while falling down before chopping at it again to flutter it over Campbell.
“I just hit it,” Martinook said of his third goal of the season. “I was just trying to keep it there. I wish I had that athletic ability. But hey, it worked and I’ll take it.”
Svechnikov — who scored his second goal of the night on a long-distance wrist shot in the second period — capped off his hat trick by flipping a backhand over a down-and-out Campbell and past Edmonton’s Devin Shore for his 11th goal of the season and the 100th of his career.
“It’s special for sure to be at home and score my hundredth goal here,” Svechnikov said.
Lastly, Jesper Fast delivered the final haunting of Campbell’s nightmare evening, knocking down the goalie’s clearing attempt and firing the puck into the vacant net at 17:42.
Three Hurricanes — Aho, Teravainen and Martin Necas — finished with two assists. The line of Staal, Martinook and Fast was credited with 11 scoring chances, and the trio combined for three goals and five points.
“We deserved that,” Fast said of his line’s success. “We’ve been working hard the last couple games, been hard on the puck, but it hasn’t really gone our way with the bounces. It was a good feeling for us to get a little production there.”
Notes: Teravainen did not play following Brent Burns’ power play goal at 5:58 of the second period, picking up an assist on the play but then missing the remainder of the game with an upper-body injury. Brind’Amour said Teravainen pulled himself from the game and would be checked out Friday. … Svechnikov’s 11 goals rank third in the NHL behind McDavid, whose goal was his 15th of the year, and Vancouver’s Bo Horvat (12). … Necas is tied for seventh in the league in scoring with 19 points, and Svechnikov and Aho are tied for 15th with 17. McDavid again leads with 31, followed by teammate Leon Draisaitl (one assist Thursday) with 27. … Carolina improved to 9-4-1 on the season, while Edmonton fell to 8-7-0.
