South Raleigh News

The Carolina Hurricanes faced a challenging game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, resulting in a 5-4 loss during their first shootout of the season. The game unfolded with both teams exchanging goals, but issues with puck management put the Hurricanes at a disadvantage early on.

Columbus took an initial lead after two-on-one and breakaway goals, complemented by Jack Roslovic's goal in his return to his home city. By the end of the second period, however, Carolina had turned things around. Jalen Chatfield scored early in the second period to tie the game, followed by Sebastian Aho's power-play goal which again leveled the score after Columbus briefly regained their lead. Jackson Blake then gave Carolina its first lead before heading into the third period.

Despite hopes for victory, Columbus equalized late in the third period with an extra attacker. During overtime, Hurricanes' goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov was forced out due to a collision with his own defender, leading Spencer Martin to step in. Martin managed one save but could not prevent Sean Monahan from securing Columbus' win in the shootout.

Martin Necas continued his impressive performance this season with another multi-point outing, bringing him to 19 points over 20 games. Jackson Blake remains just behind Philadelphia's Matvei Michkov for rookie goal leaders after scoring again.

Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour commented on the team's performance: "We actually didn't play that poorly at all; I thought we played a pretty good game...In the NHL, that's hard to do, and we still almost pulled it out." Regarding Kochetkov's injury: "Obviously we already have one goalie down; this is not ideal."

Jalen Chatfield expressed satisfaction with his recent performances: "I just try to go out, compete and just do my job every night." Martin Necas looked forward to upcoming challenges: "We've got some tough games coming up and we should take it as a challenge."

The Hurricanes will head back to Raleigh and are scheduled for a day off before facing the Dallas Stars on Monday.