Jaccob Slavin netted the game-winning goal nearly eight minutes into the third period, while Jake Guentzel scored two empty-net goals, helping the Carolina Hurricanes secure a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
“It was during a four-on-four play, and Sebastian (Aho) had control of the puck in the center,” Slavin explained. “He passed it perfectly to me, and I just had to redirect it into the net. That’s all there was to it.”
Slavin’s goal came when both teams had a reduced number of players on the ice. The win marked Carolina’s fourth consecutive victory and their sixth in the last seven games.
“I thought we had some standout individual performances, and our goalie was outstanding,” praised Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We executed some key plays at crucial moments. We did what was necessary to secure the win.”
Seth Jarvis and Jordan Martinook also contributed goals for Carolina, with Frederik Andersen making 29 saves to improve his record to 13-2-0. For the Blues, Jordan Kyrou and Zack Bolduc found the back of the net, with Jordan Binnington stopping 37 shots.
“Certainly, I can’t fault the effort. Our team put in a strong effort tonight,” commented interim Blues coach Drew Bannister. “We made three costly mistakes on the first three goals, and they capitalized on them, which is what good teams do.
We had plenty of chances to take the lead or extend it, but we couldn’t convert on some of our opportunities.”
The Blues had won two games back-to-back, but after Vegas’ 7-2 win against Minnesota later on Friday, St. Louis found out they wouldn’t make it to the playoffs.
“We, as a team, no matter the situation or how tough it gets, never stopped fighting, and we won’t stop now,” said Robert Thomas. “That’s the positive I’m taking away from this.”
Guentzel’s two goals into the empty net brought his season total to 30. “Sure, they were empty-net goals, but they still played a significant role in the game,” commented Brind’Amour. “Especially the first one. He knows how to step up when needed.”
Kyrou scored his 30th goal of the season on a power play at 5:31 of the second period, taking a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle after a pass from Thomas, who assisted on both of St. Louis’ goals.
This is Kyrou’s second consecutive season with 30 goals, a first in his career. Since 2000, only four other Blues players have achieved this feat — Vladimir Tarasenko, Brad Boyes, Keith Tkachuk, and Pavol Demitra.
With 60 assists, Thomas becomes the first Blues player to have 60 or more assists in a season since 1993-94 when Craig Janney had 68.
