Carolina’s Martin Necas scored 55 seconds into overtime after forcing the extra session with a goal with 11.5 seconds to play in the third period as the Carolina Hurricanes rallied past the San Jose Sharks for a 5-4 victory Friday night in Raleigh, N.C.
Carolina had two goals in the last 1:37 of regulation.
Sebastian Aho had two goals, including one with 1:37 left in the third for the Hurricanes, who have a four-game winning streak. Calvin de Haan scored Carolina’s first goal.
Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta stopped 26 shots.
San Jose’s Michael Eyssimont scored a go-ahead goal with 8:45 remaining in what was a wild third period.
Eyssimont’s second goal of the season combined with an assist earlier in the third period had the Sharks on the verge of snapping a three-game losing streak. Eyssimont also assisted on Mario Ferraro’s empty-net goal.
Oskar Lindblom and Nick Bonino also scored for San Jose.
The Hurricanes had trouble getting cranked up offensively as they began a stretch of three home games across a five-day stretch.
While San Jose’s decisive goal wasn’t on a power play, it came shortly after the teams returned to even strength following a Carolina penalty.
Aho gave the Hurricanes their first lead on a power-play goal 17 seconds into the third period. Aho has six goals across a three-game span, giving him 20 for the season.
San Jose tied the score on Bonino’s ninth of the season at 6:50 of the third. That gave him five goals in the last eight games as the Sharks took advantage of a Carolina turnover.
Raanta made his first start since Jan. 7, though he played Wednesday night at Dallas after Frederik Andersen departed with an upper-body injury. Andersen was Friday night’s backup.
Lindblom’s goal came when the puck bounced off him coming from Evgeny Svechnikov’s shot at 15:10 of the opening period.
The Hurricanes pulled even on de Haan’s first goal in 35 games and his second of the season. It came at 17:33 of the first.
James Reimer played for the fifth time in the last six San Jose games and made 31 saves.
–Field Level Media
