Svechnikov's lacrosse goal leads Carolina past Calgary 2-1
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov spends a few minutes during most practices sharpening his lacrosse-style shot, scooping the puck on his stick blade and tucking it over an unsuspecting goalie's shoulder.
With the Carolina Hurricanes in need of a goal Tuesday night, he broke it out — and tied the game.
Svechnikov scored twice in the final 10:47, starting with that spectacular tying goal , and the Hurricanes rallied to beat the Calgary Flames 2-1.
"He's tried it so many times," goalie Petr Mrazek said. "He's trying it during practice, after practice. He's got a lot of moves like that he's trying. He's a kid. It's good that one went in tonight."
Svechnikov earned a spot in the highlight reels by bringing the puck behind the net, lifting it up on his stick blade, and sneaking it over goalie David Rittich's right shoulder.
"I went behind the net, and I felt like I should try that," Svechnikov said, adding that his brother taught him the maneuver. "I actually practiced that move this morning, it was a great shot for me."
He followed that with a power-play connection with 7:25 remaining — his second goal with the man advantage in two games — to help the Hurricanes win their second straight and beat ex-coach Bill Peters for the first time in three tries.
Elias Lindholm scored against his former team for the second straight year and Rittich made 26 saves for the Flames. They started their five-game road swing with two straight losses and have dropped four of six. Peters left Carolina before last season to take over as Calgary's coach and won both meetings last year.
Calgary had 25 shots on goal through two periods, but just four in the final 20 minutes.
"You don't execute with the puck, you're not going to get any shots, right?" Peters said. "Through 40 (minutes), it was fine. And then all of a sudden, the execution wasn't where we needed it to be and we played a little slower and they took advantage."
Mrazek stopped 28 shots — including three in the final 90 seconds — and helped kill a tripping penalty to Dougie Hamilton with 2:32 to play.
The Hurricanes average 3.27 goals and have scored at least two of them in every game, and none were more impressive than Svechnikov's first. That one — which Hamilton called "unreal to see" — filled plenty of fans' social media feeds.
The next one won it.
He took a feed from Hamilton in the circle and snapped the puck past Rittich, giving the second overall pick in the 2018 draft his second career power-play goal.
"Obviously when you score, you've got more confidence," Svechnikov said. "I scored last game and I'm like, I have to shoot again."
All three goals were scored by players picked by the Hurricanes in the first round.
Lindholm was the target of boos all night from the Carolina fans — especially after his one-timer with 6:56 left in the first, his team-leading eighth goal, put the Flames up 1-0.
Lindholm, taken by the Hurricanes with the fifth overall pick in 2013, spent his first five NHL seasons with Carolina but was dealt to Calgary before last season as part of the five-player trade that sent Hamilton and Micheal Ferland to the Hurricanes.
He has scored in each of his two games as a visitor at PNC Arena, and after his first game back last season, Lindholm mocked his former team's "Storm Surge" celebration by sarcastically clapping over his head on his way off the ice.
NOTES: Carolina celebrated with a trick-or-treat-themed "Storm Surge" with D Jake Gardiner handing out candy to his teammates from between the benches. ... Hamilton has points in five straight games. ... Calgary C Mikael Backlund thought he scored a goal 1:48 after Lindholm did, but it was disallowed after Carolina successfully challenged that Flames LW Matthew Tkachuk was offside on the play. ... The game was played on the 20th anniversary of the day PNC Arena opened.
UP NEXT
Flames: Continue their five-game road swing Thursday night at Nashville.
Hurricanes: Continue a four-game homestand Friday night against Detroit.
