PITTSBURGH — Martin Necas had a goal and an assist, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Friday night.
Jackson Blake, a 21-year-old rookie, tied it 1-all with 6:36 left in the first period with his second NHL goal and the first of four consecutive for Carolina. Necas and Shayne Gostisbehere scored on the power play in the second period, and Jack Roslovic extended the lead to three goals in the third.
Frederik Andersen made 25 saves for the Hurricanes. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had two assists.
Drew O’Connor scored his third goal in six games for the Penguins, providing a short-lived lead at 12:20 of the first. Joel Blomqvist had 35 saves.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — the Penguins’ superstars and future Hall of Famers — were held without a shot on goal. Crosby was held under 20% on 5-on-5 Corsi For percentage for the first time in his career, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Crosby finished with a 19.35 Corsi For percentage tonight, the first time IN HIS CAREER he's been under 20%, according to @NatStatTrick
Also, in the last three seasons, his two worst Corsi For games were against … the Hurricanes. pic.twitter.com/GfosGzA6jb
— Cory Lavalette (@corylav) October 19, 2024
Blomqvist gave up more than three goals for the first time. The 22-year-old rookie played for the fourth time in six games with three starts. Tristan Jarry, the regular starter, has struggled with a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage in three starts.
Carolina took advantage of a four-minute power play after Andrei Svechnikov took a high stick from former teammate Michael Bunting at with 3:56 left in the second period. Ahead 2-1, Gostisbehere took a one-timer from the point, scoring in a second straight game for the two-goal lead.
Carolina had a 24-10 shot advantage through two periods and hasn’t allowed more than 27 shots on goal through three games this season. The Penguins had 43 shots against the Sabres on Wednesday.
The Hurricanes play at St. Louis on Saturday in the second half of a back-to-back.
