Recap: Canes Skate By Penguins In Back-And-Forth Battle

RALEIGH, N.C. - A tussle atop the Metro Division went the distance and then some on Tuesday, as the Carolina Hurricanes knocked off the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in a shootout at Lenovo Center.

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Hitting home ice for the first time in March, the Canes came out firing and opened the scoring through Logan Stankoven, who potted a Mike Reilly rebound at 7:46.

Before they could carry that lead into the intermission, though, Pittsburgh equalized and gained momentum for the middle frame. That's where penalty trouble began to haunt Carolina, ultimately allowing the Penguins to take a 2-1 lead on their third power-play of the period. 

Down by one entering the final 20 minutes, it didn't take long for the Hurricanes to regain their footing. Mark Jankowski put home his own rebound at 2:49 to knot things up once more, 59 seconds before Seth Jarvis' slick finish on a breakaway lifted his team to its second lead of the night. Alexander Nikishin's power-play blast at 11:21 made it a multi-goal advantage, but Tuesday's tilt had one more twist up its sleeve: a pair of Pittsburgh goals in the final 2:08 flipped the game on its head and forced overtime.

Despite a Penguins power play and a late 2-on-0 for the Canes, neither side was able to find the deciding goal in the extra frame. Ben Kindel put Pittsburgh ahead early in the shootout, but goals from Jackson Blake and Andrei Svechnikov carried Carolina to the extra point.

In addition to going 2-for-3 in the breakaway battle, Frederik Andersen finished with 24 saves on 28 shots during regulation and overtime.

Stats & Standouts

• Defenseman Alexander Nikishin scored his ninth goal of the campaign to set a new franchise record for goals by a rookie blueliner (prev: Justin Faulk, 8, 2011-12).
• Recording an assist as well, Nikishin also became the third defenseman in team history (since relocation) to put up three multi-point games as a rookie, joining Jamie McBain (2010-11) and Noah Hanifin (2015-16).
• Forward Seth Jarvis notched his team-leading 28th goal of the season and has now posted seven points (2G, 5A) during his four-game point streak.
• Forward Logan Stankoven tallied his 12th goal of the season, just two shy of his career-best 14, achieved between Dallas and Carolina last year.
• Forward Jackson Blake posted his eighth point in as many games (3G, 5A) with an assist on Stankoven's goal, then notched the shootout-winner.
• Carolina moved to 11-0-1 in its last 12 games at Lenovo Center, matching the third-longest home point streak in franchise history.
• The Hurricanes won a game in which they surrendered a multi-goal lead in the final three minutes of regulation for the first time in franchise history. The club was 0-1-2 when doing so previously, all as the Hartford Whalers (loss March 3, 1985 vs. VAN; tie Jan. 8, 1985 at BUF; tie Jan. 21, 1981 vs. STL).

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour giving his thoughts on the game...

"I thought we came out great. We had a good start to the game, and then we took a penalty. That kind of flipped the last five minutes of that first period and (we) came out of it not as good as we could have. Second period, we were in the box too much. We never got any flow going. I thought the third period was great. I thought we came out the way we needed to play. We got rewarded for it. We got some goals. At the end, give them credit, they put a couple to the net and got some bounces. That's really all that happened there. All in all, it was a solid third period, and we got the two points."

Jackson Blake on the turning point that was the third period...

"I thought every line was just going. Really big goals from Janks, Jarv, and Niki there in the third, too, to get us going a little bit. At the end, they get two (goals), but that's just the game of hockey. It happens, right? Nothing was wrong there. We just finished the job in the shootout."

Jackson Blake discussing his shootout winner...

"Jarv ate the bullet and went first for me to kind of scope it out a little bit. I think if I would've went first, I would have done the same thing he did. After seeing that, I had to do something else. Luckily, it went in five-hole."

Rod Brind'Amour when asked what makes Jackson Blake a choice in the shootout...

"He'll make a play. He's not afraid to come in and do whatever in any moment. He doesn't feel pressure. It doesn't mean he's going to score, but I know he's going to try something. Obviously, it was a huge goal. Svech's goal was nice too. Those guys will be going again."

Rod Brind'Amour on his team having the ability to score multiple goals in short bursts lately...

"When we get our identity going, we understand how we need to play. I feel like sometimes we get off it a little. We try to do too much. Then, when we simplify our game, (scoring several goals in a short amount of time) happens. You're not always going to get those results, but the game certainly looks different from my perspective. We have been cashing in here lately, but it's just getting to the game that we need to play."

Alexander Nikishin translated via Andrei Svechnikov, on becoming the first rookie defenseman in franchise history to score nine goals...

"It feels good. Making history is special and (I'll) never forget that."

Rod Brind'Amour on Alexander Nikishin becoming the first rookie defenseman in franchise history to score nine goals...

"He's always had that confidence. We know he's got that big shot... He needs to just keep shooting that thing. We'll keep on him with that. His game is growing... He's going to be a good player here for a long time."

What's Next?

• The Canes are scheduled to be off on Wednesday.  They'll return to game action on Thursday against the Blues at Lenovo Center.
• Next Game: Thursday, March 12 vs. St. Louis | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking