Seth Jarvis continued his hot start with two goals and an assist and Alexander Nikishin scored his first NHL goal as the Carolina Hurricanes won their fourth straight game to open the season by defeating the host Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Thursday night.
Jarvis has scored five goals, including a pair of two-goal outings. Nikishin, a defenseman who made his debut with Carolina in the spring, notched the team’s third goal.
Sebastian Aho added a goal and an assist and Shayne Gostisbehere assisted on the first three goals for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen, making his third start of the season, recorded 23 saves.
Leo Carlsson scored for the Ducks on a 2-on-1 rush in transition. Lukas Dostal stopped 27 shots.
The Hurricanes had the Ducks bottled up for much of the game. Anaheim had tied a club record with 12 total goals through three games, but their execution dropped off from that level.
Jarvis, who has posted at least one goal in three of the team’s four games, scored off a rebound when Dostal didn’t control the puck with 5:06 remaining in the first period to begin the scoring. That marked his 100th career goal, coming in his 308th game.
His second goal came with 9:38 to play in the second period on a power play. That was a good response from the Hurricanes on special teams after they didn’t produce a shot on goal during two first-period power plays.
The second period ended with a major dustup and resulted in five penalties, including both goalies charged with leaving the crease. Dostal confronted Andersen after he joined the fray that was in front of him.
But the Hurricanes had the best answer. Nikishin’s goal 2:38 into the third period came as he skated down the slot with the Ducks’ attention diverted to the left boards. Aho delivered the pass and Nikishin did the rest.
Aho’s first goal of the season came with 4:12 left, with Jarvis picking up an assist.
This was the second game of Carolina’s six-game road trip. Anaheim plays its next five games on the road.
–Field Level Media
