The Carolina Hurricanes played a hockey game Saturday.
When the next one will be, it’s hard to say for sure.
With the pandemic creating day-to-day trepidation and havoc in the NHL, the Canes have had their next two scheduled games — against Nashville and Boston — postponed. Their scheduled game in Ottawa on Thursday could be in doubt. Then there’s the Christmas break.
But the Canes made the most of the moment Saturday. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jesper Fast scored goals in the first 96 seconds to charge up PNC Arena, Jack Drury scored again and the Canes surged to a 5-1 victory.
The Canes scored twice on the power play, their penalty killers were on point and goalie Frederik Andersen took it from there, coming up with his best stops at the right times and making 32 saves in picking up his 16th win of the season.
Fast and Teuvo Teravainen had the power-play goals, and defenseman Brett Pesce scored on a shot from the point as the Canes (21-7-1) earned their second win over the Kings (13-11-5) this season.
The one downside for the Canes was having forward Martin Necas leave the game in the first period after smashing hit from the Kings’ Sean Durzi, who was penalized for interference. Necas, woozy and knocked to the ice, was taken off to enter the concussion protocol.
With six players in the COVID-19 protocol, the Canes were required to play with 16 skaters Thursday in their home game against the Detroit Red Wings and won 5-4. They had a full 20-man roster, with two more emergency callups from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, for Saturday’s game against the resurgent Kings.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said he wanted to see the same degree of urgency and desperation. He got it as the Canes got in two quick punches.
Kotkaniemi’s goal came 36 seconds into the game, the center wedging the puck out from below the pads of goalie Jonathan Quick to score. That came after Fast made a good play along the boards, knocking the puck down, then passing to Brady Skjei for the initial shot.
The Kings challenged the goal, claiming Fast had his stick above shoulder level in making the play on the boards. The ruling: good goal by Kotkaniemi and delay-of-game penalty on the Kings for a failed challenge.
Fast took it from there, redirecting a Jaccob Slavin shot in the slot past Quick at 1:36 for the power-play goal. The building was rumbling, the fans reacting as if they, too, wonder when the next game will be.
Pesce, in his second game since coming off the COVID list, scored on a shot from the right point — the goal initially credited to Pesce, then Drury, then Pesce after another change. Drury would score the fifth goal on a top-shelf bullet — make it two goals in his first two NHL games.
The Canes’ second-power score was marked by near-flawess puck move ment and execution, Teravainen drilling a shot from the left circle that bet Quick to the short side — Canes fans soon had the “Wave” rolling around the arena.
The Kings’ forecheck became more of a problem later in the second and resulted in a goal. After a Canes turnover just over their blue line, the Kings struck when Blake Lizotte beat Andersen to the far post.
The Canes were more efficient in their zone in the third and Drury’s goal left Canes fans a happy bunch.
