National Hockey League
Carolina 5, Arizona 4
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 12, 2015
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Brian Pochmara
Linesmen: Ryan Galloway, Mark Wheler
Attendance: 12668

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Carolina has finally found its scoring touch this season, and its best stretch of the season has followed.

Center Victor Rask scored 53 seconds into overtime in the Hurricanes' 5-4 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at the Gila River Arena on Saturday, their fourth straight five-goal game and their fourth victory in five games.

"I think the power play is what changed things," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "Now those guys who play on the power play are starting to get some extra goals and some points, and it has spilled over onto the 5-on-5 play.

"Now, all of a sudden we are playing with a lead and we have some confidence and every shift is not do-or-die."

Rask's goal came after the Hurricanes (12-14-1) played the puck back to goaltender Eddie Lack, who returned the puck to Elias Lindholm. Rask took the puck and weaved into the high slot before scoring his second overtime goal of the season.

The Hurricanes scored their second 5-4 victory over the Coyotes (14-14-2) six days after the teams met last Sunday at the PNC Arena.

Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist, and Faulk's power play goal 40 seconds into the third period gave the Hurricanes a 4-1 lead before the Coyotes came back to tie on defenseman Connor Murphy's goal with 16 seconds left in the third period.

The Hurricanes missed two chances at an open net in the final 45 seconds before Murphy's goal.

"A couple of track meets," Faulk said. I hear goal scoring is down. Maybe we should just play each other all the time. That will fix that, apparently."

Faulk has 12 goals this season, all on the power play. He leads the league in power play goals.

After scoring 25 goals in their first 51 games, an average of 2.04 per game, the Hurricanes have 23 goals in their last five games, starting with a 3-2 victory over Montreal and including a 6-5 loss to Dallas last Tuesday.

"Lots of goals, eh?" Peters said. "I like having four or five. I don't necessarily like giving that many up. There were more Grade A chances tonight."

Phoenix defenseman Connor Murphy tied the game on a goal with 16 seconds left in the third period after the Hurricanes missed two chances at an open net in the final 45 seconds.

Arizona right winger Anthony Duclair had two goals, his ninth and 10th of the season. The first came late in the second period and the second came 63 seconds after Faulk's goal in the third, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Coyotes center Kyle Chipchura scored his second goal of the season at 3:23 of the third period to close it to 4-3.

"I don't like that we were behind, but I liked the giddyup we had to try to get back into it," Arizona coach Dave Tippett said. "We have a lot of work to do."

Right winger Kris Versteeg, right winger Andrej Nestrasil and right winger Phillip Di Giuseppe also scored for the Hurricanes. Versteeg tipped in a shot from the point by Faulk midway through the first period, a goal originally credited to Faulk.

Anders Lindback had 28 saves for the Coyotes, who have lost six of its last seven and had a five-game home winning streak broken.

Lack had 24 saves for Carolina.

"Probably the worst thing to happen was to make it four-one," Peters said. Probably thought it was over at that point."

NOTES: Coyotes RW Shane Doan returned to the ice after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. Doan had goals in two straight games and in three of his previous five before the injury Nov. 25. ... Arizona G Mike Smith (lower back) missed his second straight game and third in the last four, giving G Anders Lindback his first back-to-back starts of the season. ... Coyotes C Martin Hanzal missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury. ... Coyotes D Zbynek Michalek was a healthy scratch. ... Arizona and Carolina entered the game ranked 1-2 in faceoff percentage. Carolina (54.4 percent) lead the league. Arizona was at 53.0. ... Coyotes coach Dave Tippett won his 502nd game on Friday, passing Pat Burns for 20th in league history. Nine active coaches have reached 500 wins. Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz has 504.
Top Game Performances
 
Carolina   Arizona
Elias Lindholm 3 Points Anthony Duclair 3
Justin Faulk 1 Goals Anthony Duclair 2
Elias Lindholm 3 Assists Max Domi 2
Justin Faulk 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Eddie Lack .862 Save Percentage Anders Lindback .848
Eddie Lack 25 Saves Anders Lindback 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Carolina 33 5 2-3 2-2 4 28
Arizona 29 4 0-2 1-3 6 29
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .438 after a loss.
  • Carolina will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Hurricanes have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .444 after a loss.