Carolina Hurricanes beat Anaheim Ducks, but goalie Kochetkov leaves game with injury
The Carolina Hurricanes reached the midpoint of their season Thursday, facing the team that gave them their first loss of the season.
That would be the Anaheim Ducks, who came to PNC Arena looking to finish off a season sweep.
That didn’t happen. The Canes, despite losing goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to an injury, took a 6-3 win.
Kochetkov left the game in the second period with the score tied 3-3. But goalie Antti Raanta entered the game, Stefan Noesen soon scored and Jack Drury added a goal as the Hurricanes took charge of a game that turned chippy in the second.
Forward Brendan Lemieux dropped the gloves to slug it out with the Ducks’ Sam Carrick, then waved his arms, asking for noise, after the fight He got it.
Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists for the Canes, and Andrei Svechnikov, Brady Skjei and Jordan Martinook, playing his 600th career game, also scored for the Canes.
The victory gave the Hurricanes a 23-13-5 record and 51 points halfway through the 2023-24 season, having gone 6-0-1 in their past seven games.
Canes’ goalie woes continue
The Hurricanes have had their share of goaltending injures and intrigue, and now have more.
Kochetkov was helped off the ice Thursday in the second period against the Anaheim Ducks at PNC Arena.
Kochetkov, instrumental in the Canes’ recent surge, was shaken up after being hit by the Ducks’ Isac Lundestrom with 6:04 left in the period. Lundestrom drove the net for a shot, then jostled with Canes defenseman Dmitry Orlov to Kochetkov’s left. Lundestrom was knocked into the goalie and then hit his head on the post as he fell.
Kochetkov was down for several moments as Canes trainer Doug Bennett came on the ice. Kochetkov was then taken to the locker room as Antti Raanta entered the game.
Canes fans, upset by the incident and booing the refs, then gave Raanta cheers of encouragement as he took over in the crease.
The Canes closed out the second period with a surge, giving Raanta a two-goal lead heading into the third.
Carolina has been without goalie Frederik Andersen, who has been sidelined by blood-clotting issues. His timeline to return is unknown.
Raanta was recently placed on waivers and reassigned to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL before being recalled. He’d won his two starts before Thursday.
Kochetkov’s start Thursday was his 11th in the Canes past 14 games, and he was 7-1-2 in that stretch.
