12.18.22 Recap

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes snapped the Pittsburgh Penguins' seven-game win streak Sunday, taking an important Metropolitan Division battle by a score of 3-2.

The Story

Playing their second game in as many nights, the Canes relied heavily on netminder Pyotr Kochetkov in the early stages of the game.
The Penguins produced 11 shots in the first 10:34, but the rookie was up to par on all tests early on and allowed his team to ride out the early wave of momentum for the other side.
A scoreless first period quickly gave way during the middle frame though, as Derek Stepan etched his second tally in three games.
Some quality work along the wall by linemates Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen created the opportunity, giving the Canes the first goal of the contest for a fifth consecutive game.

PIT@CAR: Stepan snaps in a shot from the circle

However, on the wrong end of trends for Carolina, it would be a second straight night of allowing their opponents to get their first goal of the night on the power play. Rickard Rakell tipped home an Evgeni Malkin setup in the slot, sending the game to the third tied at 1-1.
Then, 5:03 into the third, Pittsburgh then earned their first lead of the night.
Former Hurricane Brock McGinn capitalized on a failed drop pass by the home side in their attacking end, putting home a setup from Kasperi Kapanen at the other end of the ice.
The Penguins' lead would last just 3:14 though, as Brady Skjei pulled the contest back even.
Another board battle won by Carolina allowed the defenseman to fit a shot through traffic, giving him his 12th even strength goal of the calendar year. Only three defensemen in all of the NHL have more since January 1.
Just over five minutes later the home team was able to add another though, this time putting them back in front for good.
What began as possession in the offensive zone for Carolina quickly became a scramble after a failed shot from the point, but the puck found its way to Jesper Fast's tape, who then fed one across the crease to Jordan Staal for the eventual game-winner.

PIT@CAR: Staal puts the Hurricanes ahead in the 3rd

Despite a push with the extra attacker on by Pittsburgh, Kochetkov was able to hold down the fort and get the game to the final horn. The rookie advances to 9-1-4 with the win, stopping 26 tonight.

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They Said It

Rod Brind'Amouroffering his thoughts on the contest, post-game...
"We kind of survived the first 10 minutes and then it kind of settled down. We actually put together a decent period. The second period was weird, but I thought the third period was really solid. I was proud of the group, they were tired for sure. Obviously it's a lot of games and we're missing a lot of pieces, but we're getting a lot of contributions now."
Derek Stepanafter netting his second goal in three games...
"The bounces are starting to come and the confidence is there. It doesn't matter how long you've been in the league, when it goes away it's hard to find it back. Then when it does the floodgates open and it just pours. It hasn't changed throughout my entire career."
Jordan Staalgiving his insight on a hard-fought win...
"It was a tight game. There wasn't a ton of mistakes or room out there. I thought we started to build a game. It was an average start, Stepan got us going and I thought in the third period we took control of the puck. We started to play our style, play in their end and created some offensive chances. When you do that you give yourself a pretty good chance to win."

Bonus Notes

  • The Canes advance to 19-6-6 with the victory, giving them a share of the Metropolitan lead. They now are locked at 44 points with the New Jersey Devils, who come to PNC Arena on Tuesday.
  • Carolina's point streak (11 games) is now tied for the fourth-longest in franchise history.
  • With an assist on Derek Stepan's game-opening goal, Stefan Noesen now has four points (2G, 2A) in his last five games.

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