Recap: Canes Drop Last-Minute Heartbreaker In Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - The Carolina Hurricanes erased two separate one-goal deficits to tie the game in the third, but Brayden Point scored with 52 seconds remaining to help the Tampa Bay Lightning steal a 3-2 victory at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.

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Searching for its first win in five games, Tampa started on the front foot and took a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. Carolina responded in the second stanza, as Andrei Svechnikov knotted the score 6:31 into the period with a lofted backhander past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Three minutes later, though, the Bolts restored their lead on their third power-play opportunity of the night, reclaiming a one-goal lead heading into the final frame.

Chasing the tying tally, the Hurricanes found it just before the midway point of the third period when Jordan Staal deflected a Brent Burns shot past Vasilevskiy. Carolina pushed from there but failed to further dent the Russian netminder, and Point finished a Nikita Kucherov feed in the final minute of regulation to give Tampa its third and final lead of the night.

Pyotr Kochetkov made 31 saves on 34 shots in his 26th start of the campaign.

Stats & Standouts

• Andrei Svechnikov's goal tonight snapped a nine-game goal drought. Despite his struggles at times in that department this season, he is ranked tied for third on the team with his 13 tallies.
• It was a milestone night for defenseman Brent Burns, who tied Steve Larmer for the sixth-longest 'Iron Man' streak in NHL history. Playing in his 884th consecutive game, #8's streak started way back on Nov. 21, 2013. Next up? Burns' longtime teammate and Hurricanes legend Patrick Marleau, who played in 910 contests in a row. Mark Mar. 15 in Philadelphia on your calendar for that one.
• Tonight was the first time this season that Pyotr Kochetkov suffered a loss when facing more than 30 shots. The backstop had been 5-0 when tested more than 30 times in 2024-25.
• On a night when the Canes didn't start with their best stuff, there's plenty of pride to be taken from their pushback. Per Natural Stat Trick, Carolina was outchanced 23-15 in the opening 20 minutes but rallied with 48 scoring chances to 37 for the Bolts in the final two periods. The late goal was a gut punch, but turning the tides on the road against a talented Tampa team with just a single power play is certainly something to build on with three more home games on deck this week.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour following the defeat...

"Those are the worst ways to lose. You'd almost rather not even come back because it's just a kick in the teeth [to lose like that]. The guys fought back. I didn't like our start. (Their) first goal wasn't good enough. It was too light around our net, [we were] just waving sticks around the puck while it's sitting there. We gave them one, but we fought back. We got ourselves in the game, the difference was their power-play goal. They floated one in and got a bounce. That's really the difference in the game. There wasn't a lot going on for both teams tonight. Both teams were working hard. We came up short."

Rod Brind'Amour on the third period, where the team put together a push, tied the game, and had a chance to get to overtime...

"That was probably our best period. We at least had zone time. It didn't generate a ton of chances, but we weren't giving up much and that was the key. We got one, got it back in a position where we could win the game, but obviously, they made a nice play at the end and that's the difference."

Andrei Svechnikov on Pyotr Kochetkov, who was strong tonight...

"It was a big game for him. I thought he was really good, especially against high-end players. He kept us in the game and tried to stop a lot of pucks. He was really good today."

What's Next?

The Canes will return to Raleigh immediately following tonight's game and are scheduled to practice on Wednesday before taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Lenovo Center on Thursday.

Next Game: Thursday, Jan. 7 vs. Toronto | 7:30 pm | Tickets | Parking | Upcoming Theme Nights