Aho caps Canes' rally over Hawks in OT

[November 13, 2018]  Carolina center Sebastian Aho scored the game-winning goal just 76 seconds into overtime, spoiling the return of former teammate Cam Ward as the Hurricanes defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Monday night in Raleigh, N.C.

Aho was patient on the game-winning sequence as he waited out Ward, a veteran goalie, to deliver the winning shot and help the Hurricanes complete a rally from a two-goal deficit.

Teuvo Teravainen and Micheal Ferland scored rapid-fire goals in the second period as the Hurricanes, who won for only the second time in an eight-game stretch (2-4-2), wiped out a two-goal hole in a matter of 66 seconds.

Aho assisted on the team's first goal, while rookie Andrei Svechnikov had assists on the final two goals.

The outcome prevented the first NHL victory for new Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton, who took over last week after Joel Quenneville was fired. Chicago is 0-2-1 since the coaching change.

Ward, whose return received considerable pregame and in-game attention as he played the previous 13 seasons for Carolina, made 37 saves. He's generally the No. 2 goalie with the Blackhawks.

Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat scored for Chicago.

Carolina goalie Scott Darling, who is a former Chicago goalie, made 33 saves. He wasn't called upon in overtime as the Blackhawks failed to send a shot on goal during the extra session.

Ferland's team-leading ninth goal of the season came on a power play with 4:47 to play in the second period, deadlocking the score at 2-2.

Blackhawks goaltender Cam Ward (30) makes a save against Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) during the second period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Hurricanes had a video tribute to Ward during the first period. Ward was greeted earlier in the day with a wall sign at the arena thanking him for his contributions to the Hurricanes. He walked past that on the way to the locker room.

While so much attention was on Ward and his return, it was Darling who made several sterling saves across the first two periods. If not, the Carolina deficit would have been larger.

With the game tied, the pace of offense slowed considerably by the third period, when the teams combined for 15 shots. The last of those came inside the final two minutes, with Ward denying former teammate Justin Williams' attempt at producing a game-winning goal.

--Field Level Media

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