Recap: Necas Plays Hero Again, Pushes Canes Past Senators In Overtime

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes emerged victorious by way of a Martin Necas overtime winner for the fourth time this season on Tuesday, taking a 3-2 victory from the Ottawa Senators.

The Story

Entering the night in search of a third consecutive win after a weekend sweep of Montreal and the New York Islanders, the Canes were tasked with welcoming 20-year-old netminder Leevi Merilainen to the NHL. After making his North American professional debut just three days prior with Ottawa's American Hockey League affiliate, the 2020 third-round selection became the seventh different netminder to play a game for the Senators this season.
Carolina came out of the gate with an early agenda though, and it was to test the young man early and often. Their strategy proved to be a fruitful one.
Forcing him to stop three shots in the first minute of the game, the fourth one, a redirection from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, found twine.
It was the second consecutive game in which Kotkaniemi was able to find twine for Carolina, changing the direction of a Brady Skjei shot. Coming just 1:50 in, it was the 47th time in 77 games that the club earned the game's first goal.
With Stefan Noesen earning a secondary assist on the tally, the goal would go on to be the first of two in the opening frame for the trio of Kotkaniemi, Skjei, and Noesen.
In the later stages of the stanza, and on the power play, Skjei was able to fit a shot through traffic, extending the Canes' lead to 2-0.

It was a historic goal for Skjei, who matched Dougie Hamilton (2018-19) for the most goals by a defenseman in a single season, since relocation.
At the other end of the ice, Antti Raanta was equal to 10 shots he saw to start the night, giving Carolina a variety of items to feel good about after one period of play.
The tides turned drastically in the second period though.
With Rod Brind'Amour describing his unit as being "in quicksand", Ottawa took complete control during the middle 20 minutes. Merilainen looked more in control in his crease and the offense in front of him got going, including a tally from Claude Giroux 10:39 into the frame.
Then 2-1, Raanta was forced to make a slew of timely saves to preserve Carolina's lead as the game progressed to the third.
In the final frame of regulation, the Senators remained on the gas, earning the equalizer on the power play in the first three minutes. Their attack remained even after the goal, as they were in search of the game-winner in regulation.
Thanks to Raanta and a few special defensive efforts, the home team was able to keep it 2-2.
After 60 minutes the game remained deadlocked and for the 22nd time this season, the Canes needed overtime.
And on the very night that 10,000 attendees received a bobblehead of his likeness, Seth Jarvis dropped off a feed for Necas, setting up the game-winner.

They Said It

Martin Necaswalking through the overtime winner from his perspective...
"We kind of talked about it. He went into the zone one-on-two, and I knew he was going to wait for me. He made a great drop pass and I just had to hit the net."
Rod Brind'Amourdescribing what makes Necas so successful during three-on-three play...
"I think his skillset is uniquely crafted for open ice. He has a lot of speed and a good shot. If you give him a little room and he can wind it up, it helps. If you look at most of the goals he scores, he just comes flying in. He's got a flare for the dramatic, that's for sure."
Antti Raantaon earning the victory and getting back into the flow of playing every other game...
"It was obviously nice to get straight back to the rhythm. We really haven't practiced that much, so it's just go into the game and work your way into it. Today was obviously was a little bit more shots and action than Saturday. It's a good thing to get a win and help the team get two points. That's obviously the main goal for the rest of the way."

Bonus Notes

What's Next?

The Canes are scheduled to hold a limited practice on Wednesday before flying to Nashville. They then begin a three-game road trip Thursday night in the Music City.
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