Recap: Aho Scores Overtime Winner In Victory Over Vegas

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes kicked off a stretch of four games in six days with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday.

The Rundown
For Vegas it was the second game in as many nights, traveling south after picking up a 1-0 shutout victory over the Washington Capitals Monday. They came out of the gate with a strong couple of shifts, establishing strong pressure on the Canes as they were attempting to escape their own zone, causing a few turnovers and headaches for the home side in the opening moments.
Carolina eventually got it going though, transitioning play into their favor for what would be the remainder of the opening 20 minutes. They were not able to beat Laurent Brossoit, who was playing in the first game for his team in over three weeks. His Golden Knights were limited to just five total shots on goal to start the night, two of which came in the first 3:04.
Things started to open up more in the middle frame, with two goals just 57 seconds apart giving the Canes the first lead of the night. Nino Niederreiter put home a second effort to start the scoring and then Vincent Trocheck put a two-on-one with Andrei Svechnikov into the back of the net.

Vegas was able to trim the lead to just one before the end of the second period though, taking advantage of a forced turnover behind Frederik Andersen.
This sent the game into the final frame of regulation with a 2-1 score, but the Canes would get their two-goal lead back 8:32 in. Just five seconds into a power play, Sebastian Aho tipped home a Tony DeAngelo shot for his 18th marker of the season and the first of what would be two on the night.
The lead held true for just over five minutes, but then within a span of 4:22, Vegas had made it a 3-3 game. Pete DeBoer's club was able to put together a third period push, scoring twice and forcing Frederik Andersen to come up big several times to keep the game from swinging in favor of the visitors.
For the fifth time this season the Hurricanes needed overtime.
In the extra frame, a mishap by two Vegas forwards forced their defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo, to give the puck away from his defending end. Svechnikov was there to pick up the free offering, then setting up Aho for the game-winning tally. The goal gave the Finnish center a bit of franchise history, becoming the organization's new all-time leader with his seventh overtime goal.

They Said It:
Sebastian Aho on the overtime winner:
"Great read by Andrei Svechnikov]. Not just reading the play, he won his battle there. He wanted that puck, which is the thing he does really well. He's strong and fast and made a nice play. Great pass. I had to bury that one.
***Nino Niederreiter*** sharing his thoughts on the importance of Frederik Andersen in tonight's contest:
"Freddie's been important for us all season long. There's a reason why he is an All-Star goalie. Every single night he keeps us in the game. At the end of the day we can't always rely on him, so we have to make sure we put him in a position to be successful at all times."
***Rod Brind'Amour*** offering thoughts following the victory:
"Both goalies played well. Their goalie kept them in it, I thought, early. Freddie, in the third period especially, made some big saves. Overtime, too, he made a couple there. That's what overtime does for you, you go back-and-forth there. We know he has to be one of our best players in there if we want to be successful and he has been all year."
**What's Next?:**
The Canes are scheduled to practice Wednesday before flying north of the border for a Thursday meeting with Ottawa.
**Bonus Notes:**
**Worth A Click:**
[Writers Roundtable: The Third Month
Canes Trio Named All-Stars