RALEIGH, N.C. - Forward Mikko Rantanen etched his first goal with his new team on Thursday, playing a pivotal role in the Carolina Hurricanes' 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
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It was a whirlwind day for Rod Brind'Amour's group, who went into battle without Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall due to an illness spread throughout the locker room. Although they had Jack Roslovic, who missed Tuesday's win in New York because of that same bug, the team had to recall 2019 first-round draft pick Ryan Suzuki to round out their still-shorthanded lineup.
Playing in his first NHL game after 199 in the American Hockey League, the longtime prospect watched his team nab the first goal of the night, a shorthanded connection between once Wolves teammate Juha Jaaska and Seth Jarvis.
Chicago would counter before the conclusion of the first frame, but Carolina picked up right where they left off in the front half of the second stanza. Roslovic had a dazzling setup to bring Rantanen's first in Raleigh to light and just 67 seconds later, Jaccob Slavin doubled the team's insurance.
The insurance proved to be necessary because the lone goal for the remainder of the contest belonged to 2023 first-overall selection Connor Bedard, who made it a one-goal game. That would be as close as Chicago would get, though, as Pyotr Kochetkov kept the door closed from there and improved to 19-9-3 after stopping 18 of his 20 shots faced.