RALEIGH — Jaccob Slavin didn’t wind up with the game-winning goal Saturday against the Kraken, but no one will remember it that way.
The Hurricanes defenseman, playing for the first time since Dec. 19 and in just his sixth game of the season, got his 300th career point driving to the net with just over six minutes left in regulation to help Carolina pull off a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Kraken at Lenovo Center.
The goal was announced as his on the ice and after the game when he was named first star, however, William Carrier was later credited with it.
Hurricanes right wing Seth Jarvis stole the puck in the neutral zone and crossed the Seattle blue line. He drew two defenders and dropped the puck to Slavin as he jumped into the play.
Slavin dished the puck to Jordan Staal at the bottom of the right circle and crashed the net, then shoveled the return pass toward it and past Kraken goalie Joey Daccord (31 saves). He coasted to the boards with his arms raised and was surrounded by teammates. And after Carolina blanketed Seattle for the balance of the game to earn its fourth straight win, he was again mobbed during the celebratory Storm Surge.
Carrier got credit for the goal, but the night was all about Slavin.
“I try to be smart about it,” Slavin, who wound up credited with his 300th career point on the assist, said of jumping into the play. “Obviously, my job is to be a defenseman, but when the opportunity presents itself, yeah, I like to get up there. But I don’t try to force it too often.”
The night didn’t start as well for the Hurricanes’ shutdown defenseman.
With Carolina up 1-0 in the first period on Logan Stankoven’s 10th goal of the year — his fourth straight game finding the back of the net — Seattle tied the game after Slavin got turned around by Kraken center Matty Beniers.
Beniers carried the puck through the neutral zone and deked past Slavin before closing in on Brandon Bussi (10 saves) and scored to even the score at 14:13.
“He’d like to have the one back, but Beniers made a nice move on him,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of Slavin being beaten on the goal. “And he probably wasn’t expecting that. And he’s been out for half a year, so it’s a little bit of rust probably there. But I think he got going as the game went on.”
Another miscue put the Hurricanes down one, this time at 5:56 of the third period.
Bussi came out to play a Seattle dump-in, but his pass was intercepted by Ryan Winterton, who quickly passed the puck in the slot to Berkly Catton. The Kraken rookie snapped the puck past Bussi to restore the visitors’ lead.
“That’s going to happen,” Brind’Amour said of Bussi’s mistake. “And your teammates have to pick you up.”
They did.
Staal set up behind the Kraken net, drew in Beniers before going to the other side of the net and sliding the puck under Adam Larsson to the front of the net, where Jordan Martinook banged it in for his seventh goal of the year and a tie game at 10:37 of the third.
“He always says I’m the one hanging out behind the net and he wants to be there sometimes, and maybe I’ve got to let him go, let him spread his wings,” Martinook said with a laugh.
That set up Slavin’s heroics — even if the history books won’t show it as such.
“A little welcome back in the first period, but he came back, obviously not surprising,” Staal said of Slavin, “with a big goal to cap it off. … It was nice to have him back.”
Notes: Noah Philp did not play (concussion). … Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Mike Reilly were healthy scratches. … Bussi improved to 16-2-1 with the win. … Alexander Nikishin had four blocked shots. … There were just two penalties called, one on each team. … Staal has two assists in a game for the first time since Jan. 23, 2025.
