Necas gets 4 points, pushes streak to 13 in Hurricanes win against Blues

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Martin Necas had two goals and two assists to extend his point streak to 13 games, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1 at Lenovo Center on Sunday.

Necas has 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) during the streak.

“He’s certainly driving the ship for us, there’s no doubt about it,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Pretty much on a nightly basis, so it’s very, very good to see.”

Eric Robinson had a goal and two assists, and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for the Hurricanes (13-4-0), who have won 11 of 13 and extended their home winning streak to seven games. Pyotr Kochetkov made 29 saves.

Jake Neighbours scored for the Blues (8-10-1), who are 1-4-1 in their past six games. Joel Hofer made 20 saves.

“I thought we competed hard. I thought we had a good start,” St. Louis coach Drew Bannister said. “We’ve got to clean up some of the mistakes. Still, I can’t fault the effort. Offensively, we had a lot of good chances. We’ve got to bear down and finish them.”

Neighbours gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at 6:05 of the first period. Jordan Kyrou forced a turnover on Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere in Carolina's defensive zone before feeding Neighbours for a tap-in at the top of the crease.

“I thought we outplayed them. I thought we deserved better,” Neighbours said. “I think the difference at the end of the day is that they scored on their chances and we didn’t.”

Svechnikov scored a power-play goal to tie it 1-1 at 19:35. Necas found Svechnikov at the right post for a one-timer that beat Hofer five-hole.

Robinson put the Hurricanes ahead 2-1 just 17 seconds into the second period. Hofer stopped Dmitry Orlov’s initial shot, but Robinson drove the net and converted on the rebound in the slot.

“It’s a good mindset when you know the ‘D’ are ready to shoot,” Robinson said. “You can just crash the net. Lucky on that one the rebound popped right out to me.”

Necas extended it to 3-1 at 12:26 with his 10th goal of the season. Robinson’s centering pass deflected off the skate of Kyrou, and Necas scored on a fluttering shot from the right hash marks.

“We added ‘Robbie’ in there, and he’s been really good. Understated maybe a little bit what he’s been able to do,” Brind’Amour said. "[Jesperi Kotkaniemi] and ‘Nechie’ have been playing together for a long time, but this little mix is working.”

Kochetkov was especially sharp in the second period. He stopped consecutive backhand chances from Kyrou early in the period, then denied Brandon Saad cutting to the net on his backhand late in the second. Kochetkov, who left Carolina’s 4-1 loss at the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday with a minor injury, did not dress for the Hurricanes 4-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

“For me, no big deal (stopping) the backhand,” Kochetkov said. “I had an extra day off. I felt good, more energy today. Sometimes, I want to skate (to) feel the puck. It’s not for me to stay home and sleep. (But) it helped me today.”

Necas scored his second goal of the game on a wrist shot under the crossbar at 16:47 of the third period for the 4-1 final. He tied his career high with four points.

“When things are going your way, you’re kind of in the zone,” Necas said. “That’s what I’m feeling, and I’m trying to get there and stay there as long as I can. Just like we talk about, (it’s) consistency. Try to bring it each night.

“It’s not about just one guy, obviously. We’re getting a lot of points, and mainly we’re outplaying guys 5-on-5, which is huge.”

NOTES: Necas’ four-point game was his second of the season and fourth in the NHL. … With 12 points (five goals, seven assists), Robinson has surpassed his point total (10 points in 47 games) with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres last season. … The Blues went 0-for-1 on the power play and have gone 2-for-20 with the man-advantage over their past nine games.