
The Carolina Hurricanes stormed back from a two-goal deficit to win 4-3 over the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night at the United Center.
The Canes’ Train just keeps on rolling.
No matter the score and no matter how much adversity they face, the Hurricanes just keep on chugging along and it has led them to a 9-0-0 start, one game shy of the all-time NHL record for the best start to a season.
Just like in the first meeting between the two teams, it didn’t take long for the scoring to get off the ground.
It was Chicago — yet again — striking first after a high flip through the neutral zone landed perfectly for Alex DeBrincat to split the Hurricanes’ defense and shoot it home past Frederik Andersen.
DeBrincat has become the latest Carolina Killer as the young forward has 13 goals and 18 points in just 16 career games against the Hurricanes, so luckily for the Hurricanes, Chicago is back out in the Western Conference this year.
But the lead was short lived as the Canes came storming back after a successful penalty kill led to the ice tilting to the other end.
Seth Jarvis won the offensive zone faceoff and the puck worked its way behind the net, where Andrei Svechnikov picked it up, took it around the boards and sent it to the slot where Tony DeAngelo got it and laid up the perfect one-touch pass to Derek Stepan for the shot into the empty net.
Tic-tac-goal! pic.twitter.com/hcocVWu6IO
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 4, 2021
The momentum kept carrying for Carolina as they shook off the sluggish start and started to pile on the chances.
But whatever magic they had going in the back half of the first period, they lost it in the intermission.
Less than three minutes into the second period, the Blackhawks sprung a 3-on-1 rush, that Stepan made a great backcheck on to break up, but Chicago kept the zone and Patrick Kane found a soft spot in coverage, deflecting a shot from the blueline in.
Soon after that, Brett Pesce went down hard into the boards and, while he seemed to shake it off for a few shifts, he would not return in the third period.
His status remains unknown.
Piling it on, not long after that blow, Brady Skjei did just about everything wrong that he possibly could do as Mike Hardman bullied him one-on-one up the ice and eventually it was none other than DeBrincat who finished the chance into an open net.
BA DA BING BA DA BOOM part II pic.twitter.com/UGwDueGW0B
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 4, 2021
If the first few shell shocks weren’t enough, that final one got the Canes back into the game.
After a few good chances, it was Seth Jarvis off to the races on a breakaway where he managed to beat Marc-Andre Fleury through the five-hole for his first career NHL goal.
Seth Jarvis gets his first!! pic.twitter.com/TTEx6V3fMO
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 4, 2021
This is when the comeback started to get rolling.
For two periods, the Hurricanes had started flat, but, as they say, the third time was the charm and 17 seconds into the final frame, Jesper Fast tied the game.
Quickie with a quickie!! pic.twitter.com/fdL5bKJCwD
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 4, 2021
A few minutes later, Carolina was leading after Fleury couldn’t get enough on a Martin Necas blast from the faceoff dot.
This. Team. pic.twitter.com/lpsA9MnQoc
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 4, 2021
It got choppy from there as the Canes had to kill off three straight penalties including a four-minute infraction in the final five minutes of play, but Carolina’s kill came up big as the team held on to extend their winning streak to nine straight.
The team will continue on its road trip as it heads down south for a meeting with both the Florida Panthers on Saturday at 6 p.m. and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday at 7 p.m.