Hurricanes vs Avalanche NHL Hockey Game: Who Won, Final Score

Raleigh

The Colorado Avalanche picked up two wins over the Carolina Hurricanes in less than a week on Thursday, earning a 3-2 overtime victory at the PNC Arena.

Artturi Lehkonen’s goal 1:55 into extra time decided it, Lehkonen netting a sharp angle shot past Antti Raanta.

Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas scored in regulation time for the Canes (10-5-2), with Necas leveling the score 2-2 in the third period. The Avs (9-5-1) took the lead twice as Evan Rodrigues scored a power play goal in the first and Alex Newhook scored in the second for a 2-1 lead.

The Canes outscored the Avs 48-15 in the game, but goalie Pavel Francouz made the difference with 46 saves,

Some quick takeaways from the game:

▪ Francouz has two wins this season. Both on Carolina. He stopped 24 of 25 shots in Saturday’s 4-1 win at Denver and 46 of 48 on Thursday. Enough said?

▪ Aho hadn’t scored in his last five games, scoreless since his hat-trick against the Buffalo Sabers, and some frustration was setting in. In the first period, he was open at the post but couldn’t hit the puck past Francouz, slamming his stick into the glass behind the net.

It ended in the second period, with Aho whistling a shot past Francouz from the top of the right circle. You could almost hear him exhale.

▪ Aho is known more for his speed and skill than his spine-straightening shots, but he put one on Newhook in the first period which sent Newhook sprawling on the boards. This happened shortly after Aho won the race to prevent an Icing call, only to have the ref call Icing anyway.

With boos cascading down the ice and coach Rod Brind’Amour hot behind the bench, the umpires conferred and moved the face-off to center ice.

▪ Newhook evened the score with Aho — and gave the Avs a 2-1 lead — in the second. Newhook won a faceoff first, then won a run down the ice to beat Raanta with a backhand.

▪ Fortunate ? Av defender Andreas Englund played a part in the Necas goal, colliding with Francouz behind the net and knocking his goalkeeper stick down. Necas swept for an easy shot and a score.

▪ Put that in the category of stats that may be worthless: the Canes had 12 scoring chances against the Avs’ four in the first period and five high-risk chances. The Avs had one. And scored, on Rodrigues’ power play goal.

After 40 minutes, the Canes had a 26-9 lead on scoring chances. The Avs led 2-1.

▪ When the opening rosters were announced, it was the Nathan MacKinnon line for the Avs and the Jordan Staal line for the Canes. Plus Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce on defense. This game within the game started with the first face-off.

With last change at home. Brind’Amour could get the game he wanted against the star Avs.

▪ In March, Raanta shut out Avs 2-0 with 36 saves at the PNC Arena. Ethan Bear scored the game-winning goal in the third period and the Canes had the best winning percentage in the NHL. The Avs won the 2022 Stanley Cup. The Bear is gone. Things change.

▪ The Hockey Fights Cancer awareness game is always special and meaningful at the PNC Arena.

Brind’Amour said it well: “It’s good to remember the big picture, because we find ourselves talking about hockey when so much is going on. This is a reminder. Everyone is affected by it. Anything we can do to create awareness, which creates funds, which empowers people to face cancer, is special.

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 9:51 p.m.