Canes Find A Way, Win In Minnesota

Noesen wins it in the third after a puck goes off of his face and in

By Walt Ruff

@WaltRuff Hurricanes.com

February 28, 2024

ST. PAUL, MN. - It may not have been all pretty, but the Carolina Hurricanes earned a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Recap: Hurricanes at Wild 2.27.24

Chatfield Returns...

Looking to snap their two-game winless skid after the trip started with a shootout loss in Buffalo, the Canes welcomed back Jalen Chatfield to the lineup for the first time since February 17.

Drawing in for Tony DeAngelo, #5 missed four games due to an upper-body injury, but was needed to keep pace with a speedy Minnesota club.

Looking to create more offense after mustering just four goals in their last three games, Carolina got off to a good start. Claiming the game's first six shots on goal, they had Filip Gustavsson working and the Wild on their heels.

Then, a tripping minor to Teuvo Teravainen completely changed the makeup of the frame.

Tim Gleason's penalty killers were able to kill off the infraction, but during the momentum generated, Minnesota got the game's first goal.

Forcing the Canes to play from behind, they were able to respond before the end of the frame though. A Jaccob Slavin shot from the point stung a screening Jordan Martinook, but it left a rebound for Jordan Staal, who put it home to even the score.

Coming inside the final five minutes, it felt like Carolina was going to be able to get back to their locker room with a 1-1 score.

Instead, a harmless-looking shot from the point by Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin snuck through traffic and beat Pyotr Kochetkov in the final 30 seconds of the frame.

A deflating tally, it meant Rod Brind'Amour's group was trailing once again when they returned to the ice for the second period.

Wowww, Jalen Chatfield saves a goal.

It looked like that was going to be an easy tap-in for Marcus Johansson.

A nice effort to keep his team within one. pic.twitter.com/DClldSZYI9
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) February 28, 2024

Call and Response...

Although there was a big scrum at the end of the first period following a questionable push to Jack Drury at the buzzer, the second period was fairly tame and quiet.

It was not the period that Carolina needed offensively, as the group put just six shots onto Gustavsson, but their last one wound up being the most important one.

As Kochetkov racked up 12 saves, the Canes used a knockdown in the neutral zone by Staal to put together a zone entry in the final minute.

And like Minnesota in the first period, there was some late magic to be found.

Taking the initial feed from Staal, Seth Jarvis sent a pass across for Andrei Svechnikov, who sent the game to the third 2-2.

Jordo ➡️ Jarvy ➡️ Svech 🚨 pic.twitter.com/OJyrlb3Qqe
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 28, 2024

Noes' Face...

While Svechnikov's 13th goal of the season provided an opportunity to claim momentum, that was far from what actually transpired.

Minnesota started the third with a healthy pushback, holding Carolina to next to nothing through the first half of the period. Needing Kochetkov again for a string of saves, the young netminder kept his group from falling behind for a third time.

Killing off an early-period penalty to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Canes then put their power play opportunity to good use in the third period.

Although they didn't cash in during the two-minute segment, like Minnesota earlier in the game, again, they struck in the seconds following.

Teravainen got a puck low to Jack Drury, and Drury's shot hit Gustavsson's blocker, but was punched into the face of Noesen and in.

Coming with just 8:28 left in regulation, it would hold as the game-winner, sending the Canes to Columbus happy.

IT WENT OFF HIS FACE!!! pic.twitter.com/rfvb55k9P9
— Bally Sports: Canes (@CanesOnBally) February 28, 2024

They Said It

Rod Brind'Amour following the victory...

"It certainly wasn't a pretty game. We started out really well and then we got a penalty there in the first period and it got them going. Then it was just a struggle to get our game going. I give our guys credit though, we battled and found a way."

Jaccob Slavin echoing that it may not have been a perfect night, but the team's ability to dig in got them the result...

"Compete is something that our team always does night in and night out. It might not always be the smartest way that we work hard. Sometimes work ethic gets it done. We can definitely be smarter in the hard work that we do."

Andrei Svechnikov after another quality start from Kochetkov...

"Unbelievable. You just watch him and I feel like he grows every week, to be honest. He gets more experience and he feels confident. He's very calm. It's what I like to see. He's that kind of guy and he's very calm right now. He's just focusing on every game, every moment, and using the opportunity."