RALEIGH, N.C. — Make it seven in a row.
The undefeated Carolina Hurricanes overwhelmed the Chicago Blackhawks, 6-3, on Friday, getting points from 12 players in the lineup and making goalie Antti Raanta’s first start of the season a winning one and an enjoyable night in net.
The Canes set a franchise record on Thursday, beating the Boston Bruins for a 6-0 start to the season. A night later, they twice trailed in the first period before putting on a withering display of speed, skill and finish.
Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov each scored, both extending their point streaks to seven games. Derek Stepan’s goal was the veteran center’s first point with the Hurricanes. Jordan Staal scored. Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored. For the Canes, it was impressive.
Defenseman Tony DeAngelo scored for the second straight night had two assists, then won a gloves-off fight with Reese Johnson in the third period. His “Gordie Howe hat trick” — goal, assist, fight — had Canes fans in the crowd of 16,434 loudly chanting his name.
Raanta had a great seat and view on the Canes bench the first six games as goalie Frederik Andersen started and sparkled. Finally getting his turn, Raanta settled in and was steady enough against a Blackhawks team still seeking a first win of the season.
Chicago (0-6-2) twice scored on the power play — Adam Gaudette and Alex DeBrincat with the goals — after Brandon Hagel punched a shot past Raanta for the game’s first goal.
“These games are tough because you have to turn around and do it again and not have a letdown,” Brind’Amour said to the media after the Boston game. “We haven’t had a real ‘take-a-breath’ kind of (game) yet, which is a good sign.”
The Blackhawks might have needed to take a collective breath after the first.
By the end of a fast-paced period, the four Canes lines had factored in scores and 10 players were on the score sheet. As they have all season, the Canes kept coming, taking a 4-2 lead after the first and adding two more scores in the second period.
The Blackhawks’ first-period leads quickly evaporated.
The Canes needed 58 seconds to answer Hagel’s score with a transition goal from DeAngelo off a well-placed Vincent Trocheck pass.
Gaudette gave Chicago a 2-1 lead with a backhander that Raanta likely would have liked to play better. The Canes’ answer: two goals in 17 seconds.
Staal, open at the backdoor post, took a pass from Ethan Bear for 2-2 tie. Then Stepan made a nice move to beat goalie Kevin Lankinen at the short side post.
The Canes’ fourth goal of the period left Kotkaniemi and Aho hugging behind the net. Aho slipped behind defenseman Jake McCabe in the neutral zone, took a pass off the boards from Ian Cole and saucered a pass to Kotkaniemi for the score — Cole’s assist was his first point with the Canes.
It didn’t get any better for Chicago in the second as Aho scored on the power play and Svechnikov picked up his seventh goal of the season with a pass that hit McCabe’s leg. Svechnikov also had three of the Canes’ 10 penalties.
It’s hard to sit a goalie coming off a 33-save shutout, one with a six-game winning streak. Andersen has a 1.33 goals-against average and .956 save percentage. But as Brind’Amour said, “We’ve got to get ‘Raants’ involved.”
Raanta was the only lineup change from the Bruins game as rookie forward Seth Jarvis and defenseman Brendan Smith continue to be healthy scratches.
Brind’Amour did tweak the lines, starting Kotakniemi on Aho’s line with Teuvo Teravainen and shifting Svechnikov to Trocheck’s line with Martin Necas.
