Hurricanes vs. Blackhawks: Sebastian Aho's Short-Handed Backbreaker Powers Carolina's Fourth Straight Win

Bowen Byram did not have a stick. Sebastian Aho noticed.

Early in the second period, with Carolina killing a penalty, Aho carried the puck into the Chicago zone, stopped in the slot and waited for the stickless Blackhawks defenseman to slide past before firing a wrist shot past Spencer Knight. That short-handed goal made it 2-0, and from there the Carolina Hurricanes cruised to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night at United Center, their fourth straight victory.

Three Goals Before Chicago Could Blink

The onslaught started in the final minute of the first period. Jesperi Kotkaniemi hit Mark Jankowski with a pass at the blue line, and Jankowski went in alone on Knight, moving the puck from his backhand to his forehand before tucking it home at 19:03. It was his third goal of the season, and per NHL.com, he has now scored in three straight games. Eric Robinson had the second assist.

The second period opened with Jordan Martinook in the box for tripping at 59 seconds. Carolina's penalty kill responded by scoring. Aho's goal at 2:09, with K'Andre Miller assisting, was his fifth of the season. Coach Rod Brind'Amour loved everything about the read. "It was a pretty nifty little play, understanding, too, the situation with the guy without a stick. That's just the hockey sense," he said.

Then, 1:19 later, Jackson Blake piled on. Logan Stankoven fed him from the goal line, and Blake tapped it in from the doorstep at 3:28 for his first goal of the season, with Martinook drawing the second assist. That made three goals in 4:25, and the game was effectively over before the Zamboni came out for the second intermission.

Brind'Amour knew exactly what the short-handed goal meant. "Well, it's probably a backbreaker," he said. "(The Blackhawks are) expecting to maybe get one and get back in the game, and it goes the other way. It kind of deflates the group."

A Rookie Moment, Then a Quick Reply

Chicago did get one thing worth celebrating. At 4:40 of the second, Roman Kantserov picked up the puck near the Chicago blue line, broke in alone and beat Brandon Bussi's glove for his first NHL goal, unassisted. Per NHL.com, Kantserov was a second-round pick (No. 44) of Chicago in the 2023 NHL Draft and led the Kontinental Hockey League with 36 goals last season.

The good vibes lasted 85 seconds. At 6:05, Blake found Taylor Hall from the bottom of the left circle, and Hall ripped a one-timer from the slot for a 4-1 lead, his third goal of the season. Mike Reilly had the second assist. Hall credited his line's chemistry. "Just 'Blakey', 'Stanky' and I, we do a really good job of finding the slot," he said.

Martinook added a backhand from the slot at 5:00 of the third, with Nikolaj Ehlers and Reilly assisting, for a 5-1 lead. Oliver Moore cut in from the right circle and beat Bussi over the shoulder at 14:14 for Chicago's second goal, but by then the result was settled.

The Turning Point: The Kill That Became a Kill Shot

There is no debate here. Chicago had a power play early in the second period with a chance to tie the game. Instead, Aho turned the kill into a two-goal lead, and Blake made it three a minute and change later. Carolina finished 0 for 2 on the power play and still won by three, because its penalty kill outscored Chicago's power play.

Who Delivered

Jackson Blake: A goal, an assist and a plus-2 rating in 15:54. He was in the middle of the decisive sequence.

Jordan Martinook: A goal and an assist, plus a plus-2 rating, in 12:52. He took the penalty that led to the short-handed goal and then got the last laugh.

Sebastian Aho: The short-handed goal, plus 10 faceoff wins in 17 draws. "Just play Hurricanes hockey, and that usually gives you a chance to win. Just keep on working," he said.

Mike Reilly: Two assists from the blue line.

Brandon Bussi: 24 saves on 26 shots. The AP noted it was his second win in four starts, and he did not have to do much heavy lifting.

Spencer Knight: 34 saves on 39 shots for Chicago, and he fell to 1-3, per the AP. He was busy all night.

Stats That Matter

• 39-26: Carolina's edge in shots on goal. It never felt that close.
• 4:25: The span in which Carolina scored three goals to turn a scoreless game into a 3-0 rout.
• 35-28: Carolina in the faceoff circle, a 55.6 percent rate.
• 1: Short-handed goal, which was one more than either team managed on the power play.
• 3: Straight games in which Carolina has scored five or more goals, its first such stretch since Oct. 7-13, 2018, per NHL.com.

What It Means

Carolina improves to 4-1-1 with nine points and is 3-0-0 on the road. The AP described the Hurricanes as the defending Stanley Cup champions, and right now they look the part. Aho sounded like a player who sees the team finding its identity. "I think we've definitely, after the first couple of games, we got to our game," he said. The Hurricanes play at Philadelphia on Sunday night.

Chicago falls to 1-5-0 and has lost five of its first six games. The Blackhawks were also without center Frank Nazar, who was serving the first of a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Islanders forward Bo Horvat on Thursday. Coach Jeff Blashill refused to waver. "I have absolute 100 percent belief in this group. One-hundred percent. And this group is going to win," he said. Chicago hosts Pittsburgh on Tuesday night in the second of seven straight home games.

Closing Take

If this game had a soundtrack, it would be a song you hear on the radio and already know every word to. Carolina just plays that way. Hit the slot, win the puck back, punish mistakes, and do it again until the other team runs out of answers. Chicago is still learning that lesson, and Blashill is betting on patience. "I can't tell you if we're going to start winning Tuesday, next week, a year from now," he said. Against a team like Carolina, the Blackhawks found out how much work is left to do.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.