Sebastian Aho scored just 59 seconds into overtime, giving the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Monday.
Aho received a pass from Martin Necas in the slot and fired a slap shot into the net. Aho now has four overtime goals this season, tying him for the most in the NHL with Leon Draisaitl from the Edmonton Oilers and Nick Suzuki from the Montreal Canadiens.
“We both can skate, and obviously we have some good history in the OT, so we have a little confidence when we go out there,” Aho said. “Another great pass by [Necas], and I’m lucky to put that in.”
Frederik Andersen, who was playing his first game since October 26 due to a knee injury, made 22 saves for the Hurricanes (28-16-3) in his 500th NHL game.
“It was nice,” Andersen said. “It’s obviously something I was looking forward to for a long time, just to be back and playing. It’s obviously what’s fun and what we like to do. It’s a nice moment (500 games), obviously. You move on pretty quick from these. You’ve got to go again tomorrow. It is kind of nice to acknowledge that and keep building those memories together.”
Petr Mrazek stopped 44 shots for the Blackhawks (15-28-4). Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Donato each had a goal and an assist.
“He was awesome,” said Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall about Mrazek. “He’s been really good for a huge portion of this season. He works hard and he’s always positive. He’s a very good teammate. That would’ve been a nice win to get for him, especially playing his former team.
“We got just a bit overwhelmed by their shot quantity and just how much time they spent in our end. We couldn’t hold onto a lead, with that being said. So yeah, just, we had a goalie that played more than well enough to get a win, and we couldn’t do it.”
Jordan Staal tied the game at 3-3 for the Hurricanes at 13:37 of the third period, tapping the puck into the net after Mrazek tried to cover it. This goal marked Staal’s 700th NHL point (295 goals, 405 assists) in his 1,300th game.
“You’ve got to give credit to the captain,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour about Staal. “We talked about him before the game. It’s the same stuff every night. Without him, I’m not sure where we’d be because he just drags us in it every night.”
Kurashev gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 9:46 of the first period. Ryan Donato carried the puck up the right-wing boards and made a backhand pass to Kurashev in front of the net. Kurashev had been a healthy scratch for four straight games and eight of the last nine.
“It’s definitely nice for me personally, but now I’ve got to do it again and try to help the team win,” Kurashev said. “It wasn’t always pretty, and we definitely didn’t have always good shifts, but I think we just kept it simple and worked off each other.”
Tyler Bertuzzi made it 2-0 for the Blackhawks at 16:55 when he knocked the puck down in front of the net, got it behind the net, and banked it off Andersen’s back.
Seth Jarvis scored for the Hurricanes on a short-handed goal at 1:25 of the second period, cutting Chicago’s lead to 2-1. Jarvis skated past Chicago defenseman Seth Jones and beat Mrazek with a backhand shot.
“Oh, yeah, we were dead in the water,” Brind’Amour said. “Not a good start. They’re on a power play there. They get one, and it’s probably lights out.”
Jesperi Kotkaniemi tied the game at 2-2 for the Hurricanes at 7:26, tapping in a pass from Eric Robinson behind the net.
Donato put the Blackhawks back in front at 19:41, taking a pass from Hall behind the net and scoring past Andersen’s stick side.
