Recap: Canes Crush Cats In Historic Fashion

RALEIGH, N.C. - Led by a Nikolaj Ehlers hat trick and a team-record nine total multi-point performances, the Carolina Hurricanes hammered the Florida Panthers 9-1 at Lenovo Center on Friday.

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A fast, physical start against the defending champs provided an early advantage for the Canes in shots (12-3), hits (20-9) and, most importantly, goals, as they took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to a late Nikolaj Ehlers marker. Jordan Staal served as the setup man on Ehlers' goal, showing off his strength in the corner to keep a Cat at bay before hitting a streaking Ehlers in stride for a tap-in tally.

Carolina's hot start hit a speed bump when Florida equalized just 1:19 into the second period, but the hosts reclaimed their lead later in the frame. Mark Jankowski chipped home an Alexander Nikishin rebound at 13:10 to put Carolina back on top, just three minutes before a 92.5 mph Nikishin power-play blast from the blue line doubled the Canes' lead heading into the final frame.

In the third, a strong showing for the Hurricanes became a downright dominant one. Another power-play goal from Andrei Svechnikov at 4:08 put the game on ice, but the Canes kept their foot on the gas with three goals in a span of 1:46, including their third and fourth consecutive man-advantage markers of the night and a pair from Ehlers to complete his hat trick.

Sandwiched around Ehlers' third of the night were two tucks from Taylor Hall, whose latter contribution at 18:23 was followed just 13 seconds later by an Eric Robinson breakaway bid to make it 9-1 as the clock ticked down.

Back in the Carolina cage, Brandon Bussi finished with 15 saves on 16 shots for his 17th win in 21 career starts.

Stats & Standouts

• Carolina's nine goals match a team record (since relocation) for the most scored in one game, tying games on March 7, 2009 (9-3 W vs. TBL) and April 7, 2009 (9-0 W vs. NYI). The franchise record is 11 goals in a game, achieved four times by the Hartford Whalers.
• The Canes' six-goal third also tied a team record for goals in a period, joining Jan. 11, 2007 (6-4 W vs. FLA), March 7, 2009 (9-3 W vs. TBL) and Dec. 13, 2016 (8-6 W vs. VAN). The franchise record is seven goals in a period, which the Hartford Whalers pulled off twice.
• The Hurricanes had nine different players record multiple points in a game for the first time in team history, and the third in franchise history. The Hartford instances happened on Oct. 19, 1985, and March 18, 1981.
• The Hurricanes scored four power-play goals in a game for the second time in the past 15 years (also 4 on March 5, 2023). The most Carolina has ever scored in a contest is five on March 28, 2008, and Nov. 29, 2002.
• Forward Nikolaj Ehlers notched four points (3G, 1A) for the seventh time in his career and the first time as a Hurricane. His fourth game with at least three points ties Andrei Svechnikov for the most by a Hurricane this season.
• Forward Jordan Staal provided the primary assist on Ehlers' goal. His 295th helper as a Hurricane puts him ahead of Kevin Dineen for the fifth-most assists in franchise history.
• Defenseman Alexander Nikishin posted his second career multi-point game and became the second-fastest rookie blueliner in franchise history to reach 20 points in a season, doing so in 47 games. The record belongs to Mark Howe, who did so in 23 outings.
• Forward Andrei Svechnikov tallied a goal and an assist to reach 400 career points. He joins Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk as just the third member of the 2018 NHL Draft class to reach that milestone.
• Forward Taylor Hall registered multiple points in a game for the third time in his last seven outings, after doing so just twice through the first 41 games of the season.
• Forward Mark Jankowski tallied three points for the fifth time in his career, and the first since April 1, 2019.
• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and forward William Carrier each missed tonight's game due to lower-body injuries. For Carrier, it was his third straight game out of the lineup; for Gostisbehere, it was his first with this ailment.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on things clicking for the Canes on Friday...

"[At first,] I thought 'holy moly,' we were having a real nice game and their goalie was playing out of his mind, really. Three or four breakaways, I think he stopped. But what I liked was that we didn't change our game. Even when they tied it up, it was like 'Really?' And then, nope, we just kept playing. Maybe it's been a long time coming against this team; we just never seem to break through with goals, and tonight, we finally did."

Nikolaj Ehlers on what it means to break through against the Panthers...

"I mean, the last two games against them were... We actually played really well for 40 minutes, and weren't able to finish it off. Tonight, it was 1-1 for too long. We had the chances, and the way that we played, I thought we played unreal. But the goals came because we kept on doing the right things. Of course, to be able to win this game tonight after— for me, the last two games, but maybe for the team, maybe a little bit longer — felt great, and you could feel that in this room."

Rod Brind'Amour on Sean Walker's big hit in the second period and the importance of scoring on the power play afterward...

"That part might have been the turning point of the game because it was a good, hard, clean hit, and (the Panthers) come in and do what they're going to do. We've got to capitalize on that power play when that happens, and we did. I think that's kind of where the game might have turned in our favor."

Nikolaj Ehlers on the success of the power play...

"We played direct. We wanted to get the puck to the net, and were able to get the rebounds again and capitalize off that. I think, when you just pass it around, pass it around and then maybe shoot it, and then you do another pass, you don't really get the [penalty-killers'] box running around too much. When you're able to get pucks to the net and get the rebound back, that's when the box starts running, and that's when the little things, the little holes open up to make the plays that we were able to do tonight."

Nikolaj Ehlers on carrying the momentum into New Jersey tomorrow...

"Whether you win 2-1 or 9-1, it's still just two points. We've given up too many points in the last little bit. We want to get back to playing the right way, which we did tonight, and not just doing it for one game at a time. We want to keep doing it... Now we know how we need to play to beat these good teams."

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes will fly to New Jersey immediately post-game and play again on Saturday night.
• Next Game: Saturday, January 17 @ New Jersey | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO
• Next Home Game: Monday, January 19 vs. Buffalo | 1:30 p.m. ET | TNT, truTV, HBO MAX | Tickets | Parking