The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-1 on Saturday at Delta Center to extend their lead in the Eastern Conference to four points over the Buffalo Sabres. Jordan Staal scored and added an assist to reach 20 goals for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov also found the back of the net, while Sean Walker tallied an empty-net goal to seal the win.
Carolina (52-22-6) has now won six of its last seven games after clinching the Metropolitan Division title. Frederik Andersen made 26 saves in net for the Hurricanes. Dylan Guenther scored his 40th goal of the season for the Mammoth, but Karel Vejmelka could only manage 26 stops in the loss. Utah’s five-game winning streak came to an end, though the team (42-31-6) has already secured a playoff berth and remains three points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the first Western Conference wild card.
Svechnikov opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 4:25 of the first period. He set a career-high with his 31st goal of the season, collecting a rebound in front and lifting a backhanded shot past Vejmelka. Staal extended the lead to 2-0 at 13:23, firing a one-timer past the glove of the Utah netminder after a setup from Nikolaj Ehlers.
Clayton Keller appeared to cut the deficit to one at 16:19, but the Hurricanes challenged the play and video review showed the Mammoth were offside prior to the goal. Guenther then scored a power-play goal at 2:42 of the third period, one-timing a pass from Keller past Andersen to make it 2-1.
Aho restored the two-goal lead at 15:31, tipping in a shot from Shayne Gostisbehere. Walker added an empty-net finish at 19:38 to make it 4-1 and end the game.
With the win, Carolina continues to control its own destiny in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes will look to keep the momentum going when they host the Boston Bruins on Monday. Meanwhile, the Mammoth will aim to regroup as they prepare for a crucial matchup against the Kings in the race for the first wild-card spot.
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