RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 26: Brendan Lemieux #28 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates the puck against Vince Dunn #29 of the Seattle Kraken during the second period at PNC Arena on October 26, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)Photo: Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Martin Necas’ two goals and three point night were enough to finish a comeback in overtime, helping the Carolina Hurricanes topple the Seattle Kraken, 3-2 before 18,780 at PNC Arena on Thursday.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Devin Shore scored in the first period while Joey Daccord was lights out. Nobody made more saves in a single game, in Kraken history than him, with 42 stops. But the Hurricanes got back in the game with a late first period goal from Necas, tied it up on a rush up ice by Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and then finished with Necas’ winner with nine seconds left.
Frederik Andersen made 24 stops in net for the win. Both teams are done for the season series, with the Kraken going 1-0-1 against the Hurricanes.
THREE TAKEAWAYS:
1. We’re just going to call this the “Joey Daccord game.” If not for Daccord, where would the Kraken have finished this one? Scary to think, based on the shot volume that Carolina generated on net, the offensive zone time they generated, and another first period workload that had Daccord nearly doubling over.
He refused to wilt and was a massive reason, if not the top reason, why the Kraken were able to even get a point out of this game and three of four this season against the Hurricanes. He’s now 3-0-1 this season, and this game, by far, was his best effort to date. Though Philipp Grubauer is the anointed starter and has played well despite a lack of offensive support, Daccord’s presence is a vital sign the Kraken are headed in the right direction if this trend continues. Successful teams often base their foundation in net – and in this day and age, need both goaltenders.
2. Your turning point: It’s easy to look at Kotkaneimi’s goal with 4:24 to go and look at that as where this game turned on its head. Rightfully so. But Carolina had been dumping a ton of pucks on Daccord already, and the Kraken were in position to try to hang on for the last four minutes.
The first period is where the Kraken found the game begin to turn. Up 2-0, Brian Dumoulin lost his edge which coughed up a loose puck to the Necas line beneath the dots, and Necas finished a Tony DeAngelo centering attempt to get Carolina back in the game. Perhaps the Hurricanes, who had lost four of six previously on the road, were scuffling physically and mentally if they trailed by two at the end of the first period. The road back was less daunting after that, and the dye was cast.
3. Oliver Bjorkstrand on the board again: Perhaps another sign of an offensive that’s thawing is the production of Oliver Bjorkstrand, now with seven points in the last six games while taking the right wing duties on Alex Wennberg’s line. His first goal was a thing of beauty, and an on brand Bjorkstrand goal: using time and space, he uncorked a snap shot past Andersen for the game’s first goal. That’s a sign of confidence in his game the Kraken need to be successful.
Secondly, care to enjoy that pass that Devin Shore knocked out of the air and settled to score on a breakaway? Wow.
The road won’t get easier: Saturday has a 3pm PT face-off in store against the Florida Panthers, the defending Eastern Conference champion, at Amerant Bank Arena.