Pyotr Kochetkov sets Hurricanes record as Carolina holds off Blue Jackets 3-2 at Lenovo Center

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Pyotr Kochetkov turned in a 24-save performance to help the Carolina Hurricanes hold off the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at Lenovo Center on Thursday, extending his season-opening winning streak to nine games. The goaltender’s streak set a franchise record for the longest start by a Hurricanes netminder, surpassing Frederik Andersen’s mark of eight wins to begin the 2021-22 campaign.

Carolina received goals from Jordan Martinook, Logan Stankoven and Mark Jankowski to improve to an 11-2-2 record. Seth Jarvis contributed two assists and helped push Carolina’s point streak to five games, with the club posting a 4-0-1 run over that stretch. The Hurricanes also entered the game riding a three-game winning streak and had won 11 of their past 13.

After Carolina’s lead held through the opening stretch, head coach Rod Brind’Amour pointed to the flow of the match as key to taking the win. He said the first period was “very, very good,” while there was “a little lull” in the second, adding that “our goalie played great” and that the team could “move on” with the two points.

Martinook opened the scoring at 15:51 of the first period when his shot from the left face-off circle redirected off the skate of Columbus defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Mark Jankowski then made it 3-0 early in the third period after Jarvis stripped the puck from Damon Severson below the Columbus goal line and fed Jankowski at the top of the crease.

Stankoven added Carolina’s second goal at 7:47 of the second period. Nikolaj Ehlers carried the puck over the blue line and threaded a pass through two Columbus defenders to Stankoven, who drove the net and scored on Jet Greaves’ blocker side. In the absence of Taylor Hall, Ehlers joined Stankoven’s line alongside Jackson Blake, with Hall out for seven games due to an upper-body injury.

Columbus got on the board in the third period after Denton Mateychuk scored at 6:56. His wrist shot from the top of the right circle beat Carolina, with the tally assisted by Jake Christiansen. Shortly after, the Blue Jackets cut the deficit further when Johnson scored a power-play goal at 9:50, redirecting a Charlie Coyle pass that crossed the crease.

Despite falling behind, Columbus carried momentum late after winning two straight in overtime entering Thursday’s contest. Head coach Rick Bowness said his team did not have a “great first period,” while stressing that Columbus “outplayed them for the last two (periods)” and that the club’s “best hockey is going to be ahead of us if we play like that for 60 minutes.”

Kochetkov’s stretch of high-end saves helped separate Carolina from Columbus, particularly in the second period. The goaltender made stops on shots from Adam Fantilli between the hash marks and then from the left circle on the same sequence.

Notes from the league game recap highlighted the scale of Kochetkov’s start and the form of several Carolina scorers. Kochetkov tied Felix Potvin for the third-longest season-opening winning streak in NHL history, with nine games in 2026-27 to match Potvin’s run in 1993-94, and now trails only Jack Campbell (11 games in 2020-21) and Carey Price (10 games in 2016-17). Jankowski also posted seven goals in his past eight games, while Johnson produced six points—three goals and three assists—in a three-game streak. Ehlers recorded seven points (three goals, four assists) across a five-game run, and Jarvis had five points—one goal and four assists—in four games since returning from shoulder surgery in June.

The Hurricanes’ win improved their record to 11-2-2 and extended their recent consistency, while the Blue Jackets dropped to 5-6-0 despite scoring twice through Mateychuk and Johnson and receiving 24 saves from Greaves. With the game decided by a single-goal margin, Carolina’s goaltending and early scoring were decisive as the clubs combined for five goals at Lenovo Center on Thursday night.