Aho, Hurricanes recover to defeat Canucks in OT for 4th straight win

VANCOUVER -- Sebastian Aho scored 47 seconds into overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes recovered after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 at Rogers Arena on Monday.

Aho took a pass from Shayne Gostisbehere alone in front and deked around goalie Kevin Lankinen before tucking the puck in on his backhand.

“Typical OT, a lot of open ice,” Aho said. “Jordan [Staal] did a great job winning the first draw, and I don't think we lost the puck. Then skill takes over when there's a little bit more open ice, and ‘Ghost’ played it nicely there and set up the goal.”

It was Aho’s 57th game-winning goal, tying Ron Francis for the most in Hurricanes/Whalers history.

“He's going to have all the records when it's all said and done, and he should,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He's the best player when his career is all said and done, I think, quite easily, and that's saying a lot. He just comes and plays and does it the way we ask him to do it every night, and tonight came up big for us.”

Martin Necas had a goal and an assist, and Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 saves for the Hurricanes (6-2-0), who have won four games in a row and finished their season-long six-game road trip 5-1-0.

“It's good teams. For me, it's a good measuring stick,” Brind’Amour said. “To play the way we're playing right now, give the guys a lot of credit, not the best circumstances with the road trip being as long as it was, but I thought every game we played fairly well and deserved what we got.”

Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes each had a goal and assist, J.T. Miller had two assists, and Lankinen made 28 saves for Canucks (4-1-3), who had won four straight games.

“I thought they were out working us the first half of the game,” Boeser said. “I thought we started to come on a bit in the second there, and I thought the third was a lot better, but I think it’s still huge that we came back and got a point.”

Hughes pulled Vancouver to within 3-2 at 7:56 of the third period with a one-timer through traffic from the left point.

“It's good to battle back and get a point out of that,” Hughes said.

Lankinen kept it a one-goal game at 10:19 when he fully extended to rob Seth Jarvis with his blocker on a short-handed 2-on-1

Pius Suter then tied it 3-3 with 3:05 left. He scored into an open net that was vacated after Kochetkov came out of the crease for an unsuccessful diving poke check on Daniel Sprong.

“He's got to learn,” Brind’Amour said of Kochetkov. “You can't give freebies, and that's basically what he did there. He just misread that … but part of what makes him good, too, is he's real aggressive.”

William Carrier put the Hurricanes ahead 1-0 at 5:40 of the first period, finishing a 3-on-2 rush with a one-timer from the top of the right circle. It was his first goal for Carolina since signing a six-year, $12 million contract on July 3.

Boeser tied it 1-1 at 7:17. Miller drove wide and around the net, leaving Kochetkov sprawled, and passed back up to Boeser from below the goal line for a one-timer from between the circles.

Vancouver appeared to take the lead when Arshdeep Bains put away a rebound at 9:15, but Carolina challenged successfully for offside.

Carolina then took a 2-1 lead at 15:33 when Necas scored blocker side with a wrist shot on a breakaway.

Jack Roslovic made it 3-1 at 1:53 of the second period, finishing another 3-on-2 rush from below the left circle off a cross-ice pass from Brent Burns. It was the fourth goal this season for Roslovic, who, like Carrier and Gostisbehere, is in his first season with Carolina after signing a one-year, $2.8 million contract on July 4.

“They're very impactful,” said Brind’Amour, who also singled out new defenseman Sean Walker for a good game. “Ghost made a good play in overtime to get us a goal. Carrier scores, Roslovic scores. When you lose as many guys as we lost, it's so important the guys you bring in fit, which they do, but they also contribute, and that's what you saw.”

NOTES: Spencer Martin dressed as Carolina’s backup after being recalled from Chicago of the American Hockey League earlier Monday. Frederik Andersen is day to day with a lower-body injury. … The Hurricanes finished 0-for-3 on the power play, the first time in six games they haven’t scored with the man-advantage. Vancouver was also 0-for-3 on the power play. … Boeser extended his point streak to six games (three goals, four assists). … Necas has eight points (three goals, five assists) during a four-game point streak.