Recap: Fast Scores Late to Lift Canes Over Blackhawks

CHICAGO - Jesper Fast broke a tied game with just 28.9 seconds left in regulation to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | STATISTICS

The Difference

Twice the Canes had a lead in the third period, and twice the Blackhawks scored to tie the game. Brandon Hagel drew the score even at two nearly six minutes into the third, and Dylan Strome netted a redirection for his second in as many games to make it a 3-3 game at the halfway point of the final stanza.
"I like the fact that when we had these bad things happen, we just kept playing," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said.
Third time's a charm.
In the last minute of regulation, the Canes won a faceoff in the defensive zone and worked the puck up the boards into the neutral zone. Jesper Fast laid it off to Vincent Trocheck, who was buzzing up the ice with speed. Trocheck weaved into the offensive zone and let go of a shot that bounced off Calvin de Haan. Kevin Lankinen kicked the puck out with his left pad, but Fast located the rebound in the slot and chipped it in with just 28.9 seconds left in regulation.

"I got a little weird bounce. I almost missed the puck, too, but lucky it went in," Fast said. "I'm very happy with that."
It was a night of weird bounces, and the Canes got the last one.
"You kind of felt like it was going to have to be a goal like that, a grinding goal," Brind'Amour said. "You have to drive the net and get to the greasy areas."
"He's a guy who fits our mold that we want to play. He's an absolute workhorse every shift," Jordan Staal said of Fast. "You know he's going to give it his all. It's great to see him get a big goal for us."

Fist Bumps

Warren Foegele
It was a big night for the birthday boy.
Warren Foegele, who turned 25 today, netted a pair of goals for his first multi-goal game since Feb. 22, 2020, when David Ayres made history for the Canes. According to

, Foegele is the second player in franchise history to net two goals on his birthday, joining Ron Francis who did it in 1983.
"It's nice to get a couple, but I'm happier to get the two points," Foegele said.
Foegele's first of the night, which doubled the Canes lead to 2-0, was a classic case of good things happening when you put the puck on net. From below the goal line, Foegele attempted to center the puck to Nino Niederreiter, who rotated into the slot. Instead, the puck bounced off Duncan Keith and squeaked through Lankinen.

"I was just trying to get it to Nino. … Just trying to throw pucks at the net. It's funny how this game works," Foegele said. "When you keep it simple and play hard, sometimes you get those bounces."
In a 2-2 game in the third, Foegele restored the Canes' lead with his second of the night. Dougie Hamilton pinched at the near point to negate the Blackhawks' clearing attempt, and Staal tracked down the bouncing puck in the high slot. He gave it to Niederreiter, whose point shot bounced off the end boards and right to Foegele along the near side of the net. Foegele backhanded the puck in between his legs, and Lankinen shoved it into the net with his left skate.

"Big birthday boy today. He had a great game," Staal said of his linemate. "When he's on, he's got all the tools. He can skate well, and he's got good mitts. When he goes to the net hard, he gets it done."
Vincent Trocheck
The Canes dominated the first period on Tuesday night but had nothing to show for it. They again controlled the first 20 minutes in the rematch and this time around took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.
"It was another great first period," Brind'Amour said. "We came ready to go."
Vincent Trocheck, who Brind'Amour said was the Canes' best player in his return from injury on Tuesday night, roofed a beauty of a shot to get the Canes on the board first. Hamilton slid a pass across the offensive zone to Trocheck, who stepped up at the left faceoff dot and blistered a shot off the bar and in.

The goal was Trocheck's 14th of the season, which ranks tied for second on the team.
In addition to recording the primary assist on Fast's game-winning tally, Trocheck was also the one to win the faceoff in the defensive zone.
"He's such a good skater and good with the puck. He's very important for this team," Fast said. "He really is a big part of this team, and it seems like he hasn't missed a beat after being hurt."

Stats Pack

8: Trocheck has recorded at least a point in each of the last eight games he's played (5g, 6a).
7: According to

, Fast is the seventh player in franchise history to score a game-winning goal in the final 30 seconds of regulation in a regular-season game.
1: With the bounce-back win, the Canes have still just once lost consecutive games in regulation (Feb. 22-25 against Tampa Bay).
"I thought we played pretty solid and stuck with it," Staal said. "Every time we had a bad bounce, we kept moving forward to try to get the next one."

Quote of the Night

"You need the points. We're not going to remember this game once we get home and focus on the next one. … Our guys bounce back pretty well. It's two points, and we'll move on." - Rod Brind'Amour

Up Next

The Carolina Hurricanes open a season-long, eight-game homestand with a two-game weekend series against the Dallas Stars.