Wild vs. Hurricanes – NHL Game Recap – January 19, 2023
RALEIGH, NC — The Carolina Hurricanes had just begun getting their first looks at Max Pacioretty, who they hoped would become another needed scoring option for a Stanley Cup contender.
Now they look likely to be without him due to a major injury, which eclipsed Thursday’s win over Minnesota.
The winger went down with 19.3 seconds left in the 5-2 win over the Wild with a non-contact injury. Pacioretty was skating with the puck close to the goal and boards when he got up and grabbed the back of his right leg.
Acquired from Vegas in a trade in July, Pacioretty had to be helped into the locker room without putting weight on that leg — the same thing that required surgery for a torn Achilles tendon over the summer.
“We know what kind of player he is,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We got a glimpse of it and it was exciting. He’s the kind of player we needed, a guy who could put the puck in the net. But hopefully it’s not as bad as we think, but I’m not too optimistic right now.”
Pacioretty made his season debut on January 5 and played in four games, but had missed the last two with a lower-body injury.
“It’s really hard to see,” defender Brady Skjei said.
Skjei, Brent Burns and Jalen Chatfield scored to give Carolina another productive offensive outing from their defensemen while Frederik Andersen was strong in net to lead the Hurricanes.
Burns and Skjei each scored in a three-goal second period for Carolina, while Chatfield added a third by a defenseman.
Carolina entered the game with 20 goals and 67 points from defensemen since Nov. 25, which was third in the NHL behind Winnipeg and the New York Rangers. Defensemen have now scored 10 of Carolina’s last 16 goals in four games.
Teuvo Teravainen added a shorthanded goal in the second period while Martin Necas scored in the third, helping the Hurricanes open the game after a scoreless first period against Marc-André Fleury.
Andersen, meanwhile, held steady all night to finish with 30 saves, including several saves that had his name chanted by Carolina fans.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild. Minnesota had won three straight and had at least one point in six straight road games, but those streaks ended with Carolina taking the lead in the second period and then scoring twice early in the third for take a 5-1 lead. Kaprizov’s goal came on the power play for a 1-0 lead.
It also didn’t help that the Wild committed eight penalties, including one in the first minute of the game that pitted Fleury on four quick shots. Carolina scored a pair of goals with the man advantage.
“That put us on our heels, didn’t it?” Wild trainer Dean Evason said. “And then we always get away with it and we always played well, but they kept coming, the penalties. Obviously, they’re getting enough looks and they’re going to score goals.
LAUNCH
Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov was ejected midway through the third period on a misconduct penalty for cross-checking Minnesota’s Brandon Duhaime.
Duhaime entered the boards headfirst on Svechnikov’s high kick from behind at 11:33, sparking a brief scuffle between the teams. Duhaime got up on his own and seemed fine.
This forced Carolina, leading 5-2, to deny a 5-minute major penalty.
“He has to be smarter,” Brind’Amour said. “I know how competitive he is. It’s just that we’re ahead by three, it’s not even the time to think about being physical. I don’t know, he has to learn, he has to learn it.
Game Notes
Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba was a healthy scratch to miss his opener. Evason said earlier Thursday it was for on-ice issues, but didn’t go into detail. … Kaprizov’s second-half score marked the 100th of his career. … Teravainen’s goal ended an eight-game goalless streak.
NEXT
Wild: In Florida on Saturday.
Hurricanes: At the New York Islanders on Saturday.
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