RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sebastian Aho’s goal just 1:30 minutesinto overtime propelled the Carolina Hurricanes to a thrilling 4-3 victoryover the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night, January 7, 2025. Aho notonly scored the decisive goal but also contributed two assists earlier inthe match. The Hurricanes have now improved to 3-0 against the Penguins thisseason, marking their dominance over their rivals.
Joining Aho on the score sheet were Seth Jarvis, whoscored two goals, and Jalen Chatfield, who also found the back of the net. On thedefensive end, Hurricanes’ goalie Dustin Tokarski made 16 saves to keep thegame competitive. The Penguins, on the other hand, saw their scoring from KevinHayes, Michael Bunting, and Erik Karlsson, with Alex Nedeljkovic stopping 26shots for Pittsburgh.
The game started with the Penguins jumping out to anearly 2-0 lead within the first six minutes, courtesy of goals from Hayesand Bunting. It seemed like the Penguins would continue their run afterrecent struggles on the road since their 9-2 win at Montreal on December 12. Yet, theHurricanes fought back, with Aho setting up Jarvis for his first goal beforefeeding Chatfield to tie the game at 2-2 by the second period’s end. AfterJarvis scored with just 3:42 remaining, the Hurricanes seemed poised for avictory before the Penguins equalized late.
Despite falling behind early, Carolina’s coach RodBrind’Amour called for more consistency from his squad following asoft 4-0 loss to Minnesota the day before. His plea was answered with theHurricanes’ penalty kill holding strong late as they fended off the Penguins andovercame Chatfield’s delay of game penalty. Aho’s overtime goal was particularlynotable, as it brought his career points total to 600, highlighting hisimpact during his ninth season with the franchise.
Meanwhile, across the league, the Toronto Maple Leafsextended their winning streak to four games with a 3-2 overtime win againstthe Philadelphia Flyers the same night. Morgan Rielly provided the overtimeheroics, scoring just 2:25 minutes after the additional period started, takingadvantage of Auston Matthews' setup to net his fifth goal of the season—hisfirst since November.
Toronto’s win was powered by additional goals from MatthewKnies and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, showcasing the team’s offensive depth. TheMaple Leafs stood strong, aided by goalie Dennis Hildeby, who notched 30saves. Conversely, the Flyers, who completed a grueling six-game, 10-dayroad trip, saw goals from Tyson Foerster and Scott Laughton but again struggled defensively, having average production over the past several games.
The encounter was filled with intensity as Jake McCabefaced injury after engaging with Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway. McCabe hadpreviously missed games due to head injuries but now faced another challengewith his upper body injury during the fight. Despite concerns about hiscondition, the Maple Leafs managed to rally behind their backups, maintainingtheir strong form at home with a record of 17-7-0 this season.
Both teams are set to face off again on Tuesday, underscoringthe competitive nature of the NHL this season. The Penguins will host theColumbus Blue Jackets, seeking to rebound from their latest defeat, as theHurricanes travel to Tampa Bay, hoping to carry the momentum fromtheir recent victory forward. With the playoffs looming, every game holdssignificance, making these early January recaps pivotal to each team'sseason story.