Carolina Hurricanes point streak reaches 11 with 3-2 home win over Pittsburgh Penguins

The Carolina Hurricanes’ point streak now has reached 11 games.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ point streak in road games has come to an end at nine.

Playing the second game of a back-to-back set, the Canes rallied in the third period for a 3-2 victory at PNC Arena as captain Jordan Staal scored the game-winning goal and rookie goalie Pyotr Kochetkov picked up another win.

Staal’s goal at 13:33 of the third pushed the Canes ahead by one, the big center taking a pass from Jesper Fast and beating goalie Casey DeSmith while fighting off defenseman Chad Ruhwedel near the post.

Carolina trailed 2-1 in the third after the Pens’ Brock McGinn — the former Canes forward — scored off the rush five minutes into the period. But a goal by defenseman Brady Skjei, on a shot from the left point, tied it three minutes later to set up the finish.

The Canes were back on the ice for a 5 p.m. start Sunday after taking a 5-4 overtime win Saturday night against the Dallas Stars at PNC Arena. Derek Stepan scored the game’s first goal in the second period Sunday as Canes’ fourth line struck again, but Rickard Rakell’s power-play goal tied it for the Pens in the second.

Kochetkov, pushing his record to 9-1-4, had 24 saves.

Takeaways from the game

▪ Not exactly breaking news but Canes winger Martin Necas has become a pretty dynamic player, the kind who can raise the decibel level in the building when he gets the puck on his stick and takes off with it. He had a between-the-legs shot Sunday that caused nearly as big a roar as a score.

▪ For all the talk about Seth Jarvis’ hit on the Pens’ Bryan Rust in the game in Pittsburgh on Nov. 29, there was no incident or attempt at a payback Sunday. While the Pens were screaming for a penalty for Jarvis’ overtime hit, the Cane’s Brett Pesce scored the game-winner.

▪ Teuvo Teravainen has always been an underrated defender and is effective on the penalty kill. Late in a Pens’ power play in the first period, he knocked the puck away from Evgeni Malkin as the Canes killed off a penalty in a then-scoreless game.

▪ McGinn scores. For several years that was a good thing for the Canes. But the winger signed with the Pens and left and was back Sunday to torment his former team with a third-period goal off the rush — on a pass from Kasperi Kapanen — for a 2-1 Pens lead.

▪ Jaccob Slavin never takes a penalty. Well, maybe two or three — a season. The defenseman got one Sunday, flipping the puck across the ice and over the glass, for his third of 2022-23. It was costly for the Canes as Rickard Rakell promptly scored on the Pens’ power play for a 1-1 tie in the second.

▪ Just one man’s opinion, but not sure Pens coach Mike Sullivan is a mustache kind of guy.

▪ Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi was active Sunday, on a day when the Canes were slow starters, but needs to take advantage of his offensive chances. The numbers just aren’t there for No. 82 through 31 games. He needs to do more.