Recap: Canes Tie Franchise History With Ninth Consecutive Win

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes continued their hot streak on Tuesday, coming out of the holiday break with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Story

Returning to action after having three days off for the NHL's holiday break, the Canes picked up right where they left off when the puck went down.
It took just 3:36 for the home side to take the game's first lead, with Martin Necas beating former teammate Petr Mrazek.

Necas' team-leading 34th point of the year was then quickly followed by a tally from Jesper Fast, who made it first period goals in back-to-back games.

As Necas and Fast built the foundation early for Carolina, the two goals in the opening ten minutes allowed Antti Raanta to settle into a groove. Albeit he was not tested much in the opening 20 minutes, he was able to set the tone for what would become his first shutout of the regular season.
It was the third appearance in as many games for the veteran netminder after he started both last Thursday and Friday in victories over Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Pyotr Kochetkov was in the net most commonly held by the starter at morning skate, however, Raanta said post-game that he knew there was a chance it would be his net.
A scoreless second period allowed Carolina to carry their 2-0 advantage into the final frame of play and in it, Jordan Martinook would extend the lead to three. Following an eight-point evening for his line on Friday, the gritty winger put home a loose puck in front for his ninth goal of the year.
That would be all that was needed for the home side, as Raanta shut the door and the team closed out their ninth consecutive victory.

They Said It

Rod Brind'Amourgiving his synopsis of the victory...
"We had a great start. That's what really put the game in good shape for us. We took penalties and that took the flow right out of it in the second, but I thought the third was really good."
Antti Raantafollowing his 24-save shutout...
"There's been a few games this year where I've felt like I haven't been able to make those key saves. There's been too many goals where I've been like 'oh no, why did I do that?' I think it all becomes too much thinking and too much of worrying about something. It became an every day thing and then you have to stay in your head that you have to stay in the moment. I had to worry about what was happening next, not what happened two minutes or what's going to happen in five minutes. Obviously it was a big team win and it was nice to keep the clean sheet."
Martin Necason what he feels has allowed the team to be successful during their now nine-game win streak and 15-game point streak...
"We always stay with the same game plan. For example, last game we had problems in the third period, but we stuck with it. All the guys have been playing great."

Bonus Notes

• The Canes advance to 23-6-6 (1st in the Metropolitan Division) with the victory.
• Carolina had 23 shots in the first 20 minutes, the most in a single period this year.
• Tonight was Antti Raanta's first shutout since March 10, 2022. He made 36 saves in a win over Colorado.
• The Canes wrap up the season series with Chicago 2-0, winning both by a score of 3-0.

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What's Next?

The Canes are scheduled to practice tomorrow afternoon at PNC Arena. They'll then take on the Florida Panthers Friday to conclude their 2022 schedule.
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