South Raleigh News

The Carolina Hurricanes secured a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, with Mikko Rantanen scoring his first goal for the team. The Hurricanes played without Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall due to illness, but Jack Roslovic returned after recovering from the same issue. Ryan Suzuki was called up for his NHL debut.

Rantanen's goal was assisted by Roslovic, contributing to a lead extended by Jaccob Slavin's goal shortly afterward. Chicago responded with a goal from Connor Bedard, but Pyotr Kochetkov's goaltending helped maintain Carolina's advantage.

Before the game, Frederik Andersen was celebrated for playing 500 games. Juha Jaaska achieved his first multi-point NHL game with assists on goals by Seth Jarvis and Slavin. Jarvis' shorthanded goal tied him for second in the league this season and marked his second career 20-goal season.

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour acknowledged the challenges faced due to absences and health issues: "It wasn't pretty, but we had some good segments in there... considering what we were missing... we gutted it out."

Brind'Amour also praised Rantanen: "He wants to come in here and help contribute right away... He was really good."

Rantanen expressed comfort in adjusting to the new team: "It's getting better every day... Just a really good team."

Ryan Suzuki described his debut as overwhelming yet exhilarating: "I didn't really get to think about it... It was nice to just get here and get onto the ice."

Juha Jaaska commented on his performance: "Maybe in the first games I wouldn't have been able to do that, but now I've built some poise."

The Hurricanes will practice Friday before facing the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.