Pyotr Kochetkov gave Carolina the kind of road-trip finish every club wants from its No. 1 crease option, turning aside 24 shots for his first shutout of the season as the Hurricanes blanked the St. Louis Blues 4-0 at Enterprise Center on Saturday. The win was Kochetkov’s seventh in seven starts to begin the year, leaving him one victory away from matching Frederik Andersen’s franchise mark from 2021-22.
Carolina closed its five-game swing with a 3-1-1 record and improved to 9-2-2 overall. Joel Hofer stopped 35 shots for St. Louis, which entered the night on a two-game winning streak to open a five-game home stand but fell to 5-5-1.
After the horn
The score was still level through a first period in which the Blues found several dangerous looks. Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud each had early chances, and Connor McMichael broke free early in the second, but Kochetkov held the line every time.
Carolina then put the game out of reach in a 20-second burst.
Sean Walker opened the scoring at 4:45 of the second period during a delayed penalty. Jackson Blake was tripped by Blues defenseman Cam Fowler before getting the puck to Walker, whose one-timer from the slot beat Hofer.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi doubled the lead at 5:05. Jordan Martinook and Kotkaniemi worked a quick exchange after Carolina recovered the puck in the left corner, and Kotkaniemi drove to the slot before finishing inside the right post.
Logan Stankoven added the backbreaker at 13:35 of the middle frame, extending his scoring run to four goals in three games. Seth Jarvis sent Stankoven away from the defensive zone, and the forward snapped a short-side shot past Hofer on the breakaway.
Nikolaj Ehlers supplied the final goal at 4:30 of the third on the power play. Sebastian Aho collected a loose puck in the slot and found Ehlers waiting in the left circle with the far side exposed.
Jarvis and Aho each finished with two assists.
Brind’Amour pointed to Kochetkov’s work when Carolina had the occasional coverage lapse, including key stops while the Blues were on the power play. He also praised the goalie’s puck handling behind the net, saying Kochetkov swung momentum back toward the Hurricanes and deserved first-star recognition.
“Koots” was sharp when the game could still have tilted, Brind’Amour said, particularly after Carolina killed a penalty before Stankoven’s breakaway goal.
Ehlers acknowledged his own turnover that created a St. Louis breakaway, but said the Hurricanes settled into their game once they got skating, managed pucks cleanly and played together.
“When we play the right way,” Ehlers said, “we’re a really good team,” citing Carolina’s ability to build extended offensive-zone pressure.
The Hurricanes also liked their finish better than Thursday’s 6-5 shootout loss to Edmonton. Ehlers said Carolina still yielded some looks in the third, but defended with more purpose against a Blues team that does not give up much room.
For St. Louis, the missed early opportunities were the issue. Defenseman Colton Parayko said the Blues had enough chances, including the second-period breakaway, but must use the loss as a lesson and keep moving forward.
Coach Jim Montgomery called the defeat humbling and said Carolina offered a clear demonstration of a championship-standard identity. He noted that the Hurricanes remained committed defensively with three- and four-goal leads, stick-checking, playing above the puck and maintaining the same details they showed at the opening faceoff.
Montgomery said St. Louis is trying to build that habit with a roster featuring many new faces. The work, he said, has to become automatic through daily practice before it consistently carries into games.
