Recap: Canes 'Never Got To Our Game' Against Seattle

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes fought back to tie the game twice after trailing early, but two late tallies lifted the Seattle Kraken to a 4-2 victory at Lenovo Center on Tuesday.

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A Seattle goal just 19 seconds into the contest put the Canes behind the eight ball, but Eric Robinson leveled the score at 3:56 as Martin Necas found him wide open in front following a turnover. A sleepy second stanza saw Seattle snag the lead once more, however, sending the game into the third with Carolina trailing by one.

The Canes went to work on their first power play of the contest in the final frame, and Necas promptly knotted the score with a spectacular breakaway goal set up by Sebastian Aho at 5:43 of the period. The Canes appeared to take the lead midway through the frame, but the goal was chalked off for goaltender interference following a Seattle challenge.

Forty-six seconds later, the Kraken took the lead for the third time in the contest. An insurance marker at 15:03 sealed the win for the visitors.

Returning to play following a four-game absence, Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 saves on 28 shots in just his third loss of the season.

Stats & Standouts

• After posting a pair of rousing comeback efforts last week, the Canes started the third in similar fashion but couldn't finish the job on Tuesday. The turning point was undoubtedly the coaches' challenge and subsequent disallowing of Jack Drury's would-be go-ahead goal after Necas knotted the score. The Kraken got new life from the call and turned it into two goals to take the win.
• Speaking of Martin Necas, the NHL's First Star of the Month for November was once again among the most impressive players on the ice on Tuesday. Factoring in on both Carolina goals - including a stunning move and finish for the game-tying tally early in the third - Necas had his creativity on full display against the Kraken.
• Necas' goal came on the power play, where Carolina has found twine in six of its last seven games. The Canes' man-advantage units are clicking at 27.5% on the year - good for fifth in the league at the time of publishing.
• Carolina recorded just seven shots through 40 minutes, including a season-low-tying two pucks on net in the second period, and their 17 total shots tied the lowest they've posted in a game this season. The Canes' vaunted forecheck was inconsistent at best, allowing the Kraken to escape pressure with ease and limit Carolina's offensive zone time.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour following the loss...

"First of all, they played a good game. You have to give them credit, let's not take that away from them. But we stunk. Our top guys have got to come (to play) and that includes everybody. We have a lot of top players who weren't good tonight. If we're going to win, we're going to have to have those guys being top guys. We've got to look the part and it's just hasn't been there."

Martin Necas sharing similar thoughts...

"Our overall game wasn't good. I don't even know how many shots we put on, but usually, we outshoot teams and are in their end the whole game. We didn't get on the forecheck, it wasn't good enough. It's hard. We've been chasing games in the beginning and we've got to get better at that."

Martin Necas continuing on the team's third straight defeat...

"We never got to our game. It's hard when you're just turning pucks over. (I) don't really know what we're doing out there. We've just got to stick together. There's going to be phases in the regular season when it's going to go up and down, but we're a good enough team and a great team in the locker room to turn this thing around and it starts with tomorrow."

Martin Necas when asked what needs to change...

"It starts with ourselves, looking in the mirror. Next game (we have to) go out there and do our best. It starts with the first shift of the game and if you're chasing the game every game, it's tough. We've got to get to our game and dig in."

What's Next?

The Canes are scheduled to practice on Wednesday. They'll return to game action on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche.

Next Game: Thursday, Dec. 5 vs. Colorado | 7:00 pm | Tickets | Parking