The author of this article, Bob Sutton, is a member of the Associated Press.

RALEIGH, N.C.

Sebastian Aho netted two goals as the Carolina Hurricanes dominated in a 6-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

Carolina’s goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, who was expected to have the night off, played his fourth consecutive game and managed to keep the opposing team from scoring until the third period. He ended the game with 20 saves.

Jack Drury, Stefan Noesen, Teuvo Teravainen, and Brady Skjei were all responsible for goals for the Hurricanes. Martin Necas, Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, and Andrei Svechnikov each contributed two assists as Carolina secured their third win in four games.

“It may only contribute to two points for the team, but it’s gratifying to see such effort,” Aho stated.

Carolina achieved its top scoring performance of the season.

“Our team successfully scored and, for the most part, prevented the opposing team from scoring,” stated coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We were able to capitalize on our opportunities.”

Casey Mittelstadt and Tyson Jost scored for the Sabres, who had secured at least one point in seven of their previous 13 road games. Eric Comrie stopped 29 shots in his first game in a week.

“We had to increase our efforts from the very beginning of the game,” stated Sabres coach Don Granato. “Challenges are bound to arise, particularly when facing a more competitive opponent.”

Despite being occupied, Kochetkov came through in a difficult situation for Carolina.

“We attempted to give him a break for the night, but (Antti Raanta) was unable to do so,” remarked Brind’Amour. “Therefore, credit must be given to him for stepping up to the task.”

The Hurricanes successfully scored on both of their power plays, with Skjei scoring his fourth goal of the season while the team was short-handed. Buffalo, on the other hand, failed to score on any of their four power plays.

“We understand the significance of securing victories,” expressed Drury.

This was Aho’s initial game of the season with multiple goals and his 39th overall. He has scored eight goals this season, with three of them in the past two games. In his career, he has a total of 15 goals in 18 regular-season games against Buffalo.

Aho received a pass from Seth Jarvis and scored his first goal of the game. Drury’s third goal of the season was the result of his own rebound after the first shot hit the side of the net.

“It’s a great opportunity to be on the same team as talented players,” Drury commented. “They make the game feel effortless.”

Aho scored his second goal of the game for the Hurricanes just 13 seconds into the second period power play. Later in the period, Noesen took advantage of an opportunity created by Necas leaving the puck in the slot during a transition play.

Teravainen scored his 11th goal of the season with 1 minute and 58 seconds remaining in the second period, making it the highest number of goals on his team.

The Sabres were defeated by Carolina for the second time in under four weeks, with both victories taking place on their home turf.

UP NEXT

The Sabres will be playing against Nashville at home on Sunday.

The Hurricanes will start a six-game road trip on Monday in Winnipeg.

The National Hockey League, as reported by the Associated Press: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Source: wralsportsfan.com