Recap: Canes' Winning Streak Snapped in Pittsburgh

Analysis from Pittsburgh
→ In their first game back after the holiday break, the Carolina Hurricanes saw their three-game winning streak snapped by a Metropolitan Division rival, as the Penguins used a two-goal third period to skate away with a 3-2 win.
"They're a good team. We had the effort, but they played fast and we need to play faster. I think we were OK," Teuvo Teravainen said. "They played a really good third period. We need to be better."
"I thought both teams took a turn carrying play. I thought they carried play for a little bit, and I thought we had some good chances, shots on net, action in around the blue paint," head coach Bill Peters said. "Not disappointed in the way we played but obviously disappointed in the outcome."

→ The Penguins, who improved to 11-1-2 in the month of December, scored twice in the third period - once in the first five minutes and again in the last five minutes - to snatch two points away from the Hurricanes, who seemed to play the better 5-on-5 game for a majority of the night.
Chris Kunitz's one-timer in the slot drew the score even at two just two minutes into the final regulation frame. Then, with just less than five minutes to play in regulation, the Pens sprung a rush, and it was Patric Hornqvist finding Carl Hagelin for the goal to give Pittsburgh its first lead of the night, which they held on to for the win.
"It's a race to three in this league. They got to three and we didn't," Peters said. "We've got to find a way to finish some of those chances and be a little cleaner on the executions in the odd-man rushes."
"You always want to win or at least get a point. We were kind of sloppy in both the second and third period on the first couple of shifts. They scored two goals there," Elias Lindholm said. "We've got to be ready, but other than that we played real well and had a good game going."
→ Holiday hangover? Hardly. The Hurricanes appeared ready and rested in the first 20 minutes, as they outplayed the Penguins and took the 1-0 lead.
A grinding shift from Jordan Staal's line began with the big man springing his wingers in the neutral zone by winning a board battle. The Canes then worked it throughout the zone and generated a couple of looks, and eventually began rolling line changes. A defensive change brought Noah Hanifin on the ice, and he pinched and then slid a tape-to-tape pass over to Elias Lindholm, who finished for his third goal of the season and first since Nov. 24.
"It was nice. The whole team played good, but our line felt good. We had lots of chances," Lindholm said. "We had lots of chances and probably should have won this game."
→ To their credit, the Penguins, who topped the Devils 5-2 the night prior in New Jersey, pushed back early in the second period. Just 26 seconds in, Sidney Crosby tied the game with his 26th goal of the season, a clapper off a pass from Justin Shultz.
The Hurricanes answered in the latter half of the period as the ice again tilted back in their favor. It was the Finn(s) and Stempy show, as Teuvo Teravainen displayed some silky mitts to dangle around Trevor Daley and get a shot off. Lee Stempniak crashed the net and cashed in on the rebound to regain the one-goal lead for his team, 2-1.
"I think we all think the game the same way and create a lot of chances thinking, 'Maybe he's going to pass there. I need to move there,'" Teravainen said of his line with Stempniak and Sebastian Aho. "It's a lot about speed and effort."
→ With Justin Faulk (lower body) on the shelf, Ryan Murphy drew back into the lineup tonight for the first time since Nov. 10. He tallied his second assist of the season on the Canes' first goal, was a plus-1 and had four shot attempts, two blocks and a hit, all in 18:36 of ice time.
"He was good. He came in and moved the puck," Peters said. "I thought he did some good things."
→ The Hurricanes and Penguins played a penalty-free game tonight, the first time that's happened for Carolina since a 4-3 loss in Buffalo on April 6, 2015.
Curious, though, that with 46 shots on net the Hurricanes didn't draw a single call.
"It's kind of weird. Everything comes so quickly. It's really, really not usual that there were no penalties," Teravainen said. "Maybe referees didn't see anything, or maybe it was a clean game."
"It happens," Peters said. "Once the game gets going and you get deep in the game, they're not looking to make too many calls."
"We probably should have had a couple penalties, and they probably should have had a couple. It is what it is," Lindholm said. "They got the two points and we got nothing."
→ Staal left the game in the first period after taking an errant skate to the face off a face off. He received repairs and was back on the ice for the opening draw of the second period.
→ The Hurricanes will close out 2016 with a back-to-back set, as they host the Blackhawks on Friday before ringing in the New Year in Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
"We were around the net a lot. … It was just kind of unlucky. Sooner or later we will get those bounces and get a few more goals," Lindholm said. "Just keep building. Stay around the net and be hungry."
"This is done now. We'll just look to the next game," said Teravainen, the former Hawk. "We need two points."