Breakaway after breakaway. It seemed like the ice was extra slick Saturday night at the Lenovo Center, with players flying around on both sides. Whether it was an odd man rush, a nifty cross-ice pass or a full on sprint for the crease, points were there for the taking.
The Hurricanes (10-4-0) seemed to have dominated the Sabres (5-6-4) 6-3, but the scoreboard does not tell the full story. Before two Canes empty netters, the Sabres were a goal away late in the third period, having clawed away at the Canes’ three-goal lead. But producing too many chances for Buffalo to follow, the Canes kept in front.
The first of these opportunities came early — five minutes into the first period. Right winger Andrei Svechnikov raced down the ice with center Sebastian Aho at his flank in a 2-on-1, feeding him a tape-to-tape pass that Aho didn’t squander. The first-line center fired it off the netminder’s blocker and in to put the Hurricanes up early.
Svech with the moves, Fishy with the Finnish pic.twitter.com/J2ntPjuFiy
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 9, 2025
This was the first of many odd-man rushes for the Canes, but those would come later. First they would let in an equalizer after getting caught sleeping in a corner scrum, with the puck sent out between the circles, and Buffalo defenseman Owen Power made them pay. Next, the Canes endured a grueling stretch after their first powerplay — a disjointed effort that killed all momentum. No one on the ice was on the same page. Passes were errant, and giveaways were plentiful.
The ineptitude of that power play blended into their even-strength play to close out the first frame. But quickly at the start of the second period, the Canes had their chance at redemption. The power play came through, and who else but the assist man on the first goal, Svechnikov, to bury the puck home and push the Canes back in front.
“Winning the 50/50 battles and playing the long game, that’s what we did,” Svechnikov said. “We just tried to play long and fast.”
Svechnikov was slow out the gate to start the season, not recording a point in the first eight games. With six points in the last six games, including two tonight, he is turning things around.
“[As] one of your best players — [Svechnikov] doesn’t have to score but he needs to look good,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “In the last while here, if he hasn’t been our best player, he’s been right there.”
Two Hurricanes players recorded their first career points — defensemen Charles-Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom — rookies who recently were called up from the AHL. Legualt scored an empty netter and Nystrom was the assist man for the third Canes goal. Nystrom took the puck from the point and skated around the goal, firing back to center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who sent a one-timer into the net.
Joel Nystrom tallies his first NHL point pic.twitter.com/3JSeK9WrzE
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 9, 2025
The game-winner found the back of the net off the stick of left winger Eric Robinson, who received a hail mary from Kotkaniemi that trickled just into the right spot for him to have a 1-on-0 chance.