RALEIGH, N.C. — Go ahead, call them the “Cardiac Canes.”
The Carolina Hurricanes staged another scintillating comeback Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings, rallying from a three-goal deficit in third period to tie the score, and then winning, 5-4 in overtime.
Sebastian Aho’s power-play score with 54 seconds left in overtime was the winner, extending his goal streak to five games and the Canes’ winning streak to six. Aho’s goal came after the Kings’ Drew Doughty was called for tripping winger Andrei Svechnkov in OT.
After a four-goal surge by the Kings in the second period, the Hurricanes trailed 4-1 entering the third.
Then, Paul Stastny scored for the Canes.
Then, Jordan Staal scored off a redirection.
Suddenly, the Kings were the shaky team and the Hurricanes the team surging, pulling within 4-3.
And then it was 4-4, after a power-play strike as Teuvo Teravainen rocketed a shot from the right circle past goalie Pheonix Copley to tie it with 7:29 left in regulation.
The Kings (28-18-7) were rattled, the team making mistakes. The Canes (33-9-8) had gone on the power play after the Kings’ Quinton Byfield flipped the puck over the glass for a penalty.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour juggled his lines entering the third period and the moves worked. He moved Stefan Noesen to Aho’s line with Martin Necas. He had Seth Jarvis with Teravainen and Svechnikov.
The Canes won a thriller Friday against the San Jose Sharks, rallying late in regulation to erase a 4-2 deficit, then winning in overtime — Martin Necas the late-game star.
Two days later, the Hurricanes didn’t need any late-game heroics against the Boston Bruins, putting together their most complete game of the season in a 4-1 win.
Tuesday’s game was the Canes’ last at home before the All-Star Game break and their week off — Carolina plays on the road at Buffalo on Wednesday.
The first period was evenly matched as the Canes took a 1-0 lead into the intermission, defenseman Brent Burns scoring his ninth of the season off a nice setup pass from Andrei Svechnikov.
But the second period belonged to the Kings, who knocked four pucks past goalie Frederik Andersen, who was sharp in the first. Adrian Kempe had two of the goals, Kevin Fiala scored and the Kings also picked up a power-play score as Anze Kopitar notched his 16th goal.
The Jordan Staal line has had much success shutting down scoring lines this season, but the Kopitar line were quicker, better and more opportunistic in the second period.
Kempe’s first goal, which tied the score, came on an easy backdoor play off a Kopitar pass. His second came on a play when he first negated an icing call by getting down ice quickly, then beat Andersen.
Kopitar scored on a power-play in the second period that took six seconds after Kopitar won the power-play faceoff against Staal. That came after Fiala scored off the rush on a Blake Lizotte pass — that after Lizotte picked off an ill-advised Brady Skjei pass in the Kings zone.
The Canes’ penalty killing stymied the Kings, who were 0 for 6 on the power play, and Carolina smartly killed off a Teravainen tripping penalty five minutes into the second.
But not a second Teravainen tripping call in the period, when Kopitar scored.
