Hurricanes’ Svechnikov scores both goals to beat Flames

Reuters

Andrei Svechnikov scored twice in the third period, including one on a surprising maneuver, as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the visiting Calgary Flames 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Svechnikov's winning goal came on a power play with 7:25 remaining. He has two goals each in back-to-back games.

The Hurricanes improved to 8-3-1 to match their most victories and points in October in franchise history.

Svechnikov's first goal was unorthodox as he scooped the puck and held it on his stick from behind the net, taking a lacrosse-style shot and putting the puck past Calgary goalie David Rittich.

The game came 20 years to the day from the first Hurricanes game at the arena, then called the Entertainment and Sports Arena and now named PNC Arena. Svechnikov, a 19-year-old Russian, wasn't born when the first game was played.

Elias Lindholm scored in the first period for Calgary, marking the second year in a row he scored with the visiting team in his former home arena.

Carolina goalie Petr Mrazek made 27 saves. Calgary had only three shots in the third period.

The Hurricanes are 2-0-0 to begin a four-game homestand after a three-game winless streak.

Rittich finished with 26 saves.

Mrazek made a couple of sterling second-period saves to keep the Hurricanes within a goal.

Lindholm, who is in his second season with the Flames after a trade from Carolina, posted his team-leading eighth goal in the first period.

Calgary appeared to go up 2-0 with about five minutes left in the opening period. Carolina challenged the sequence and it was determined the Flames were offsides, nullifying the Mikael Backlund delivery.

Defensemen accounted for 10 of Carolina's 18 shots on goal in the first two periods.

For Flames coach Bill Peters, it marked the return to Raleigh, N.C., where he was coach of the Hurricanes from 2014-18. In the 2018-19 season, his first with Calgary, the Flames topped Carolina twice.

Calgary assistant coach Martin Gelinas played 348 games for the Hurricanes, ending in 2002.

--Field Level Media