Canes dismantle Penguins in 5-1 rout

The Hurricanes notched their eighth straight win in style Thursday night, thrashing the Penguins 5-1 at Lenovo Center.

Jordan Martinook set the tone for the evening by scoring in the first 52 seconds. He slipped behind Pittsburgh’s (5-8-2) defense, received an elite saucer pass from Jordan Staal and tapped it past Alex Nedeljkovic to put Carolina (10-2-0) up in the first minute.

“He gave me a couple tonight,” Martinook said. “I’ve got to bear down on the last one he gave me. We’ve been together now two and a half, three years. We’re, pretty much a part of each other now.”

Jack Roslovic kept up his red hot start to the season with a three-point night. He scored in each of the first two periods and a notched a secondary assist on Jaccob Slavin’s second period goal. This performance marked his first multi-goal game since March of 2023. Roslovic boosted his season goal total to nine, matching his 2023-24 total in only 12 games. Though he’s no longer all goals for points, Roslovic’s goals to assists ratio still reads like an elite MLB pitcher’s win-loss record.

“He’s still going for the Cy Young,” Martinook said. “I don’t know what he is, nine and one? He’s having a heck of a year for the Cy Young. He’s been awesome on that line. When they get the puck, they’re dynamic. It’s fun to watch.”

Pyotr Kochetkov did Pyotr Kochetkov things on the other end of the ice. He stifled an active Penguins offense to the tune of 36 saves on the night. Pittsburgh kept bringing the pressure throughout the game but Kochetkov maintained the seal on his net for most of the night until Blake Lizotti broke through with 14:52 to go.

Though he didn’t get the shutout, Kochetkov notched his sixth consecutive win in as many starts, setting a new career high. Jalen Chatfield, who’s played with Kochetkov going back to their AHL days with the Chicago Wolves, credited the netminder as a huge piece of the Canes’ current run.

‘He’s been great the last few years.I’ve played for him, even in Chicago,” Chatfield said. “It’s nothing new. When you have him in net you really trust him. That’s a strength of ours, having such good goaltending. It’s a huge part of our team.”

Carolina’s defense also took care of business by blocking 18 shots, 10 of which in the first period. Getting in front of shots early and often took some of the pressure off Kochetkov while the offense built a lead over the course of the night.

Martin Necas grew his point/assist streak to eight games. He teed up Eric Robinson for the fifth goal of the night. Jalen Chatfield kept the milestones coming with his first career three-point game on a trio of assists.

This victory completes an undefeated four-game homestand for Carolina. The Canes now prepare to head west for a three-game road trip. That venture starts in Vegas Monday night against the Golden Knights. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m.