Svechnikov goal gives Hurricanes 4-3 shootout win over Blackhawks

The Carolina Hurricanes were close to having their full lineup Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Canes had defenseman Jaccob Slavin, and forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Warren Foegele and Jordan Martinook back after spending time on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list. Goalie Petr Mrazek is out with an injury, and may be for an extended period, but James Reimer was in net.

Everyone had to work overtime and then into a shootout before Andrei Svechnikov won it 4-3 with a forehand that beat goalie Kevin Lankinen.

Reimer stopped Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome in the shootut as the Canes (6-1-0) won its second straight shootout and its fourth straight game since the team’s COVID-19 pause. Svechnikov, who scored in the first period, had the only shootout goal.

A goal by center Vincent Trocheck, off to a strong start this season, in the third period pushed the Canes ahead 3-2. Trocheck’s fifth of the season came after a Nino Niederreiter shot was blocked by defenseman Connor Murphy and the puck bounced to Trocheck, who was looking at an empty net.

The Blackhawks tied it 3-3 on a Strome goal at 13:21 of the third. DeBrincat, another player returning from the COVID list, had the assist on Strome’s fourth of the season.

The Canes took a 2-0 lead in the first as Svechnikov and Foegele scored, But the Blackhawks countered on goals by Philipp Kurashev and Kane in the final 2:02 of the first -- Kurashev scoring on a well-executed power play.

Lankinen had allowed two or fewer goals in five straight games but Svechnikov and Foegele scored off rushes on Jordan Staal setup passes in the first. After the Trocheck goal, Lankinen made some key saves against Svechnikov, Aho and Brady Skjei in the final five minutes of regulation, and on Aho in overtime.

The Canes and Blackhawks face off again Thursday at the United Center.

The second period had a lot of skating and a few very hard hits but no scoring and it’s 2-2 after two.

The Blackhawks, who tied the score 2-2 late in the first, have given the Canes problems with their quickness and puck-handling. But a hit on defenseman Brett Pesce by Chicago’s Carl Soderberg gave the game a harder edge.

Pesce was flattened at center ice. The Canes’ Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov quickly answered, Svechnikov putting a shoulder into Soderberg later to knock the forward to the ice.

Canes goalie James Reimer has faced 24 shots and Chicago’s Kevin Lankinen 19 through two periods.

Hawks star Patrick Kane, who scored late in the first, had the best scoring chance of the second but his backhander glanced off Reimer.

First period: Canes, Hawks tied 2-2

The Canes’ Svechnikov and Warren Foegele scored, both off Staal setup passes, but the Blackhawks responded with two goals in the last 2:02 of the period for a 2-2 tie.

Svechnikov’s goal, his fifth of the season, came off the rush at 3:51 as Staal got off a strong, one-handed pass driving the net. Staal, who has a four-game point streak, repeated it later with Foegele, who was playing his first game since returning from the NHL COVID-19 protocol list.

Foegele’s score came after the forward made a defensive mistake, allowing defenseman Calvin de Haan to walk in on goalie James Reimer. Staal poked the puck away and Foegele soon scored.

The Blackhawks responded with a power-play goal after a holding penalty on Haydn Fleury. Some sharp passing ended with Philipp Kurashev scoring his fourth of the season.

Kane then tied the score after a Canes turnover by Jacob Slavin, beating Reimer with a quick shot and score with 18 seconds left in the period.

Svechnikov beat the Blackhawks’ David Kampf to the net and took a one-handed pass from Jordan Staal for his fifth goal of the season. Staal extended his point streak to four games. ‘

With four regulars coming off the NHL COVID-19 protocol list and back in the lineup, Svechnikov shifted to Staal’s line with Warren Foegele.

Game setup

The Canes are closer to full strength. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin, and forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Martinook and Warren Foegele rejoined the lineup for the road game at the United Center.

All four have been on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list and in quarantine before being cleared to rejoin practice late last week. Forward Jesper Fast on Tuesday was removed from the protocol list.

“Timing, conditioning, all that stuff is obviously a big issue when you’ve been out this long,” Brind’Amour said Tuesday on a media call.

The Canes have won three straight since returning from a pause forced by the COVID issues, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the Dallas Stars in a back-to-back set at PNC Arena. Not that there aren’t other problems: goalie Petr Mrazek is out with an apparent hand injury suffered early in Saturday’s game with the Stars.

Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Monday that Mrazek could be sidelined longer than first expected and could require surgery. Brind’Amour said Tuesday after the morning skate in Chicago that Mrazek was considering two different options but had no further update.

With the four players off the COVID list cleared to play games, the Canes were expected to return defenseman Jake Bean and forward Steven Lorentz to the taxi squad. Forwards Sheldon Rempal and Drew Shore have been reassigned to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

The Canes on Tuesday recalled Antoine Bibeau from the Wolves to be their taxi squad goaltender.

Slavin and Teravainen both were on a media call Tuesday and both called the quarantine stay in a hotel “boring.” Slavin said he read books on friendship and relationships, with a little PlayStation. Teravainen? No books, he said, but a lot of PlayStation.

“For the guys dropping back into it we just need to make sure the effort’s there,” Slavin said of playing again.

The lineup

While Brind’Amour could make some changes before game time, the Canes were expected to open with:

Sebastian Aho centering Brock McGinn and Teravainen, Vincent Trocheck centering Nino Niederreiter and Martin Necas, Jordan Staal at center with Andrei Svechnikov and Foegele, and Morgan Geekie centering Ryan Dzingel and Martinook.

The defensive pairs should be Slavin-Dougie Hamilton, Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce and Jake Gardiner-Haydn Fleury.

James Reimer will start in net with Alex Nedeljkovic as the backup goalie.