The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 in a shootout on Thursday at Ball Arena, thanks to Frederik Andersen's 44 saves and Seth Jarvis' goal and assist. The win came at a cost, with forwards William Carrier and Eric Robinson suffering injuries during the game, joining several teammates already sidelined. Carolina improved to 6-1-0, while Colorado remained unbeaten in regulation at 5-0-3.
The Hurricanes jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period against the Avalanche, with Eric Robinson scoring at 3:07 on a wrist shot from the left circle, followed by Seth Jarvis' short-handed goal at 7:17 on a breakaway. Sebastian Aho made it 3-1 at 12:41 off a deflection, and Logan Stankoven extended the advantage to 4-1 at 13:40 as the puck slid under goalie Scott Wedgewood's glove. Valeri Nichushkin replied for Colorado at 4:04 with a backhand drive.
Wedgewood was pulled after allowing four goals on 11 shots, replaced by Trent Miner, who stopped all 20 shots he faced. Parker Kelly deflected in a goal at 4:46 of the second to make it 4-2, and Martin Necas narrowed the gap to 4-3 at 4:45 of the third with a snap shot. Nichushkin tied the game at 4-4 on the power play at 14:09 off a rebound.
Andersen stood tall throughout, facing 48 shots in nearly six years and making key stops, including on Cale Makar and Josh Manson. He also went 3-for-3 in the shootout, where Jarvis scored the lone goal to secure the victory. "He was the reason we got two points, for sure," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I don’t think we’ve ever given up that many shots or Grade A chances... He was phenomenal."
Injuries plagued Carolina, already without Pyotr Kochetkov, Jaccob Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere. K'Andre Miller was a late scratch with a lower-body injury, Carrier left in the first with a lower-body issue, and Robinson exited after the second with an upper-body injury. "They’re going to be out, both of those guys, for it looks like an extended period," Brind'Amour said. The team recalled Bradly Nadeau from the AHL's Chicago Wolves, where he has 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 games. Rookies Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom played defense, with Alexander Nikishin also featuring prominently.
Taylor Hall praised Andersen: "He’s one of the best goalies in the world... Two points, he got one and a half of those points for us tonight." Colorado coach Jared Bednar called the early defending "casual." Jarvis now has 7 goals and 4 assists, tying a franchise mark with Aho for points in the first seven games.
