Recap: Canes Hold Off Sabres For Third Straight Win

RALEIGH, N.C. - A quartet of multi-point performances paced the Carolina Hurricanes' 10th win of the campaign on Saturday, a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Lenovo Center.

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It took exactly five minutes for the Hurricanes to open the scoring, as Andrei Svechnikov forced a turnover in the defensive zone, called his own number through the neutral zone, then deftly dished to Sebastian Aho for a one-time finish past Alex Lyon.

The Sabres found an answer before the first intermission, but Carolina responded with two more tallies in the second stanza. Svechnikov broke the deadlock with his second point of the night, denting Buffalo's league-leading penalty kill with a one-time blast at 4:34. Jesperi Kotkaniemi then doubled the lead seven minutes later, wiring home a slick setup from Joel Nystrom, who posted his first career point on the play.

The Canes continued to pour it on with a breakaway marker from Eric Robinson just 29 seconds into the third, a goal that would prove crucial as the Sabres gradually chopped Carolina's three-goal lead down to just one with more than half the period to play. But the hosts buckled down, and back-to-back empty-net daggers - one from Seth Jarvis and one from Charles Alexis Legault for his first NHL goal and second point of the night - secured the Hurricanes' third straight trip to the win column.

In net, Pyotr Kochetkov moved to 2-0-0 on the year with 19 saves on 22 shots.

Stats & Standouts

• After being held off the scoresheet for eight games to start the season, forward Andrei Svechnikov has now posted a team-leading four goals and six points in the club's last six outings.
• With Sebastian Aho's goal at the five-minute mark of the first period, the Hurricanes have now scored eight times in the first five minutes of a game this season - the most among all teams.
• Forward Nikolaj Ehlers notched his 300th career assist on Svechnikov's second-period strike, joining Frans Nielsen as just the second Danish player in NHL history to reach that milestone.
• Defenseman K'Andre Miller also earned a milestone on Svechnikov's strike, picking up his 100th career assist with the primary helper. The 25-year-old has found the scoresheet in four of his eight games played this season.
• Rookie defensemen Joel Nystrom (1A) and Charles Alexis Legault (1G, 1A) each logged their first NHL points on Saturday, becoming the first pair of Hurricanes teammates to do so in the same game since Andrew Poturalski and Jack Drury on Dec. 16, 2021.
• Forwards Eric Robinson and William Carrier each returned from IR on Saturday, suiting up for the first time since they both left the Oct. 23 game in Colorado with upper- and lower-body injuries, respectively. Robinson notched the game-winning goal and skated 12:22, while Carrier co-led the team in hits (3) during 13:20 TOI.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on the game and seeing his team finish strong despite Buffalo's late push...

“I thought it was a solid first two periods, we were really playing well. We didn’t really give up a ton, and then their talent [came through] eventually. It was kind of like you were waiting for it to happen. They’re down a few, they can just start winging it, and I think that’s when they get real dangerous as you see. There’s some really high-end players over there. But I did like our last couple of shifts, I thought that was good shutdown [play], and obviously great play by Jarvy to seal it."

Charles Alexis Legault on scoring his first NHL goal...

“Feels great. You dream of scoring one since being a kid, so being able to get one tonight was a great feeling.”

Joel Nystrom describing the play that led to his first career point...

“I saw I got a little bit of space there, so I tried to beat my forward. I saw KK coming from the blue line, and then he did a really good shot, so I have to thank him too.”

Rod Brind'Amour on Legault and Nystrom's first points, and rookie contributions throughout the season...

“We don’t judge their games based on that, but those are nice little bonuses for them. Both guys have been solid, right? Like I’ve said, we’ve asked a lot of them, throwing them in there for so many minutes against top, top-end players, and I think all three of them - Nikishin’s in the same boat for me - they’re all new to the league, and they’re hanging in there.”

Andrei Svechnikov on staying positive after struggling to score in the early portion of the season...

“Sometimes when it doesn’t go your way, there’s lots of negativity, but you’ve got to stay positive and sometimes, maybe, don’t care. Because I know what kind of player I am and what I can do, just waiting for that moment.”

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes will fly to Toronto immediately post-game and take on the Maple Leafs on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena.
• Next Game: Sunday, Nov. 9 at Toronto | 7:00 p.m. ET
• Next Home Game: Tuesday, Nov. 11 vs. Washington | Veterans Day | 7:00 p.m. ET | Tickets | Parking