Svechnikov, Niederreiter lead Hurricanes past Blackhawks 6-3

It’s hard holding back the Carolina Hurricanes.

Even when they’re not always at their best, they’ve often found ways to win this season and did it again Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Andrei Svechnikov and Nino Niederreiter each scored twice as the Canes shook off an awful first period with some determined play over the final 40 minutes to come away with a 6-3 victory at PNC Arena.

Niederreiter scored his 19th of the season to jump-start the Canes in the second period and closed out the scoring with an empty netter late. Teuvo Teravainen and Martin Necas had goals in the third period, Ne.cas scoring into an empty net for a shorthanded score.

That offset two goals by Chicago’s Alex DeBrincat, the first shorthanded in the first period, when the Blackhawks led 2-0.

The Canes (36-10-7), who added to their lead in the Central Division, clinched home-ice advantage for at least the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. With points in 12 straight games, Carolina has 79 points.

Goalie Petr Mrazek, making his first start since April 19, allowed a goal on the shorthanded breakaway by DeBrincat and a rebound goal by Mike Hardman in the first. He steadied, as did the Canes, after the first and made a game-changing save in the second.

Trailing 2-1, the Canes had 1:26 of a 5-on-3 advantage but overpassed the puck and couldn’t score. The Blackhawks not only killed off both penalties but had another shorthanded breakaway, by Pius Suter.

But Mrazek made the stop on Suter’s shot. Then Svechnikov scored his first goal, tying the score. After Teravainen won a draw in the Chicago zone, Svechnikov took a pass from Jaccob Slavin and buried a long shot.

Svechnikov’s second goal was all power. After a nice defensive play by Slavin, Svechnikov bulled past defenseman Ian Mitchell and beat goalie Collin Delia with a backhander as Mitchell was hooking him.

After Teravainen made it 4-2, DeBrincat’s second goal, his 28th, pulled the Blackhawks within 4-3 with 8:08 left in regulation.

The Blackhawks had a chance to tie after a late penalty on Staal. But Necas scored with an empty net, shorthanded, and Niederreiter added another.

The Canes and Blackhawks finish off the season series Thursday.

(Earlier updates)

Second period: Nino, Svechnikov score

Nino Niederreiter’s 19th goal of the season and Andrei Svechnikov’s 14th have pulled the Canes even 2-2 after the second period.

Morgan Geekie first toyed with trying a lacrosse move as he controlled the puck behind the net. The puck rolled off his stick and he found Niederreiter open cutting into the low slot at 4:32 of the period.

Svechnikov tied the score 2-2 after Teravainen won a faceoff in the Chicago zone. Svechnikov took a pass from Jaccob Slavin and got off a shot from near the blue line that found its way past goalie Collin Delia with 4:04 left in the second.

Before Svechnikov tied it, the Canes had 1:26 of a 5-on-3 advantage but could not score as they overpassed the puck.

After killing off the first penalty, the Blackhawks had their second shorthanded breakaway of the game -- Alex DeBrincat scored on the first -- but Petr Mrazek stopped Pius Suter’s shot.

First period: Hawks take 2-0 lead

DeBrincat had a shorthanded goal and Mike Hardman scored his first NHL goal as the Blackhawks have grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period,

DeBrincat gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead, turning a poor Sebastian Aho pass along the boards into a breakaway goal.

DeBrincat has goals in four straight games, 27 for the season and five against the Canes this year. After picking off the pass, he was in the clear as defenseman Dougie Hamilton could not catch him and beat Petr Mrazek to score at 6:20 of the period.

Hardman scored off the rebound of a MacKenzie Entwistle shot as Entwistle skated past Jaccob Slavin for a shot. Hardman is playing his fifth NHL game.

The Canes had four shots on its power play but was too pass happy. Teuvo Teravainen passed up a shot and centered to Morgan Geekie for a chance at the top of the crease, but goalie Collin Delia made the stop.

The Blackhawks outshot the Canes 12-8 in the first.

Game setup: Mrazek to start

Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek took more than two months to recover from a thumb injury. Once back, in early April, he played five games, then was injured and out again.

With the regular season winding down, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour has said a few times that Mrazek needed to get back and play a few games before the playoffs. Mrazek will do that Tuesday against the Blackhawks.

Brind’Amour said Tuesday morning that Mrazek would make his first start since April 19 against Tampa Bay. Mrazek did back up Alex Nedeljkovic in Monday’s game, his first time on the bench since going out with a lower-body injury.

“I don’t think he had a really serious injury,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s a matter of getting enough practice time, which we don’t do, to feel good. He had a good couple days, and we’ve got to get him up to speed.

“We’re running out of runway here. He needs to get some game action.”

The Canes (35-10-7), who lead the Central Division, will have three games remaining in the regular season after Tuesday -- one final game with Chicago (22-24-6), then two road games against Nashville.

Mrazek was 3-0-2 in his five games after returning from the thumb injury, which required surgery and kept him out 31 games. He shut out the Dallas Stars in his first game back.

Mrazek’s numbers this season are impressive: a 1.60 goals-against average, the NHL’s best, and .939 save percentage. But he has played just nine games.

The lineup

Brind’Amour said Tuesday that defenseman Brady Skjei would be a game-time decision, saying Skjei was a “little banged up” in Monday’s game but that it was “nothing serious.”

With no other lineup changes planned, forwards Brock McGinn (upper-body injury), Jordan Martinook (lower-body)and Cedric Paquette (lower-body) will continue to be sidelined.