RALEIGH, N.C. — Petr Mrazek made this shutout look simple. He made it sound easy, too.
Mrazek stopped 32 pictures and the Carolina Hurricanes scored twice in 63 seconds late within the second interval to defeat the Arizona Coyotes Three-Zero on Friday night time.
The Carolina goalie credited his teammates with doing an excellent job limiting Arizona’s alternatives to pictures from the perimeter.
“It was a extremely strong recreation for everybody,” Mrazek mentioned after his third shutout of the season. “I may see each puck from in every single place, so everyone did an excellent job.”
Warren Foegele scored Carolina’s first purpose, and Lucas Wallmark and Martin Necas scored simply over a minute aside because the Hurricanes received their second recreation in a row to enhance to Four-2 on their seven-game homestand.
Warren Foegele, Carolina Hurricanes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour mentioned Mrazek’s shutout was tougher than it regarded. Carolina performed a powerful first interval as Foegele scored 14:20 into the sport, however the Coyotes had some scoring possibilities within the second interval.
However Mrazek all the time regarded as if he was pondering one step forward of the Coyotes’ shooters, and he seldom gave up a rebound after making the preliminary save.
“He was strong, particularly the second interval the place we had a number of turnovers they usually got here proper at us,” Brind’Amour mentioned. “I believed he got here up large, clearly, after we wanted him to. … That they had some actually beauty, however he made them appear like simple saves, which they weren’t.”
Arizona averaged Four.5 targets per recreation over 4 straight wins from Dec. 31 by way of Jan. 7, however failed to attain for the second recreation in a row as Mrazek was sharp and the Hurricanes’ penalty-killing unit was efficient. Arizona was Zero for Three on the ability play.
Petr Mrazek, Carolina Hurricanes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
“I favored our recreation — clearly, we’ve got to attain targets,” mentioned Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, whose workforce misplaced Four-Zero at Tampa Bay on Thursday. “Six intervals and we haven’t scored. We clearly want to attain a purpose.”
The Hurricanes had been main 1-Zero when Wallmark’s tip of Dougie Hamilton’s shot went off Antti Raanta’s glove and head earlier than touchdown within the purpose 1:13 earlier than the second intermission.
Necas elevated the result in Three-Zero when he curled behind the web and lifted a backhander into the purpose with 9.6 seconds remaining within the interval.
Foegele is 23 years previous, Wallmark 24, and Necas a 20-year-old rookie — and every scored their 10th purpose Friday simply 44 video games into the season.
“We’re a younger group they usually’re an enormous a part of what we’re doing,” Brind’Amour mentioned. “We’d like everybody to contribute, but it surely’s good once they’re scoring. It takes quite a lot of stress off of our different guys.”
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports activities)
A goalie as sharp as Mrazek was Friday can also take quite a lot of stress off a workforce. Arizona’s Raanta made 25 saves on 28 pictures by way of two intervals, and Adin Hill confronted only one shot within the third interval. However by the point Hill changed Raanta after the second intermission, the sport wasn’t even shut due to Mrazek.
“We don’t all the time wish to surrender the quantity of possibilities we did right now,” Foegele mentioned, “however he performed huge.”
NOTES
Ahead Justin Williams, who signed a one-year contract Tuesday to affix the Hurricanes for his 19th NHL season, was a wholesome scratch. The timetable for his entry into the lineup is unsure. … Arizona’s consecutive street losses had been an anomaly for the workforce this season. Earlier than the defeats at Tampa Bay and Carolina, the Coyotes had been 12-Four-2 of their final 18 video games away from residence. … Wallmark, the Hurricanes’ fourth-line centre, has six targets in his final 11 video games after scoring simply 4 occasions in his first 33 video games.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: play host to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Hurricanes: meet Los Angeles on Saturday within the last recreation of a seven-game homestand.
Ken Tysiac, The Related Press
