The Carolina Hurricanes showed overwhelming teamwork in their 5-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes, with five different players scoring goals. Two former Arizona draft picks, left wing Jordan Martinook and left wing Michael Bunting, found the back of the net as Carolina took sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division.
It took just 16 seconds for the Hurricanes to light the lamp when Martinuk, a former Coyotes draft pick, scored his ninth goal of the season and eighth of the calendar year. Martinuk ran down the ice to avoid landing, and defenseman Brady Skjei found him unmarked in front of the net and quickly rewarded him, putting the Canes up 1-0 as fans were still searching for seats. took the lead.
The Canes got back into the game a few minutes later on a brilliant play from center Martin Necas. He used his elite speed to gain offensive zone, got behind the net and set up a wraparound pass to defenseman Jalen Chatfield, who fired the puck past diving Coyotes netminder Karel Weimelka. Ta.
The Hurricanes allowed the Coyotes to stay in the game despite being dominant for most of the period. Chatfield turned the puck over at the blue line, creating a golden opportunity for Arizona right winger Dylan Gunther to break through and fire a shot past goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov.
Although the Coyotes were down 2-0 early, they outscored Carolina 16-15 and kept the momentum going with a final goal to end the period.
The momentum didn't last long as center Seth Jarvis took the lead with his second goal off a lucky bounce. As Arizona tried to force the puck out of the zone, the puck hit Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz's skates and directly onto Jarvis' stick, who quickly shot it into the right corner of the net for a 3-1 lead. .
Jarvis put his body on the line to block a shot early in the period, and it was only a matter of time before he was rewarded. The 22-year-old center continues to impress in his breakout season, making plays from 200 feet, blocking shots and scoring goals.
Both teams' offense slowed down in the second frame, as evidenced by their 14 total shots on goal, but Carolina capitalized on its opportunities. On the first power play, left wing Teuvo Teravainen cleaned up the rebound, giving the Canes a 4-1 lead heading into the locker room.
As usual, the Hurricanes dominated on special teams. They scored on the man advantage and stopped all four of Arizona's power plays. This is not surprising since Carolina ranks in the top five of the league in power play and penalty kill percentage.
Entering the third period with a 4-1 lead, the Canes were able to survive the final 20 minutes knowing they were playing the first game of a series. Despite being on the sidelines, the Hurricanes tickled the strings again courtesy of another former Coyote. Necas found Bunting between the faceoff circles and slipped a shot into Weimerka's five-hole for a 5-1 lead.
The offense gave him five goals, and although he didn't see much action after the first period, Kochetkov was once again solid at the net, saving 27 of 28 shots. Losing looks like Kochetkov's job, even with goaltender Frederik Andersson's return looming.
The Hurricanes are scheduled to carry the momentum from this game and take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Las Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, February 17th. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30 p.m.
