Aho has hat trick, assist to help Hurricanes top Sabres

RALEIGH, N.C. --Sebastian Aho had a hat trick and an assist to help the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 at PNC Arena on Friday.

It was Aho's fifth NHL hat trick and first since May 3, 2021, against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"I'm not going to lie, it felt good to get the hat trick," Aho said. "[Martin Necas, Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi] have been bailing our line more this season than us to them. It's kind of nice to return the favor there."
Necas had a goal and two assists, and Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis and Teuvo Teravainen each had two assists for the Hurricanes (8-2-1), who have won four in a row, including a 4-3 shootout victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Antti Raanta made 22 saves.
"We're a confident group, that's for sure," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "What I see is just consistency with [Aho's] play. Every night is pretty much the same. Elite players, that's how they go. Every night, if they're not your top guy, you notice them and they're impactful."
Victor Olofsson scored his ninth goal of the season, Jack Quinn had two assists, and Craig Anderson made 28 saves for the Sabres (7-4-0), who had won three straight.
"We weren't as sharp tonight, and I would say there were a handful of guys that didn't look like themself," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "It happens. They tried to fight through. I don't question their compete, I don't question their effort."
Jacob Bryson gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead 28 seconds into the first period when the rebound from his shot went in off Svechnikov.

Aho tied it 1-1 at 8:07, one-timing a pass from Teravainen from the right face-off circle.
"It wasn't easy but, obviously, we scored a goal pretty early there and got the confidence going," Aho said. "My line was pretty good today, so it definitely helped me."
Olofsson put Buffalo back in front 2-1 at 10:06 when his one-timer trickled past the glove and pad of Raanta, but Aho tied it 2-2 at 12:45 with a one-timer off a pass from Necas on a power play.
"They had us on the ropes there early. We were clearly not ready to go at that pace," Brind'Amour said. "Because we had a couple high-end plays, we were able to kind of toss that period out. It didn't kill us."
Necas gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead at 4:03 of the second period off a cross-crease backhand pass from Aho.
"Everybody knows what kind of player he is," Necas said. "Great shot by him, great pass. His pass was a little nicer [than mine]."

Kotkaniemi scored his first of the season to extend it to 4-2 at 9:22 of the third period by tapping in a pass from Necas.
"It feels pretty good," Kotkaniemi said. "Not the nicest one I've had so far, but we'll take it. It will come if we just keep playing like that as a line."
Aho completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal at 17:46 to make it 5-2.
Rasmus Dahlin scored with one second left on a power play for the 5-3 final.
"Their skill players took advantage of some situations they got in," Granato said. "Some of our younger guys that are gaining experience as they go, they'll have to take a look at film. These are the games you want to play against top players in a building like this. You'll learn from mistakes."
NOTES:Necas has at least one point in 10 of Carolina's 11 games, and 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a career high six-game point streak. … Dahlin has at least one point in 10 of Buffalo's 11 games, and six points (two goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak. … Aho had at least four points for the seventh time in 456 NHL games, the first time since Dec. 7, 2019, when he had five points (three goals, two assists) against the Minnesota Wild. He tied Kevin Dineen for the fourth most four-point games in Hurricanes/Whalers history, trailing Ron Francis (30), Eric Staal (12) and Blaine Stoughton (10). … Sabres defenseman Kale Clague had an assist for his first point in four games with Buffalo after signing a one-year contract July 13.