Hurricanes Pull Off Historic Comeback in Wild Win Over Mammoth
Sometimes, the path to two points in the NHL is anything but pretty. For the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, it was downright chaotic - and historic.
Down 4-2 with under two minutes left in regulation, the Hurricanes looked dead in the water. The Utah Mammoth had seemingly locked up a gritty road win, poised to skate away with a crucial pair of points in their Western Conference playoff chase. But then, in a 90-second flurry that will be remembered for years in Raleigh - and probably replayed in nightmares in Utah - the Hurricanes flipped the script.
Three goals. Ninety seconds. One of the rarest comebacks the NHL has ever seen.
Let’s put it in perspective: Carolina became just the third team in league history to win a game in regulation after trailing by two goals in the final two minutes. The only other teams to pull off that kind of late-game magic?
The 1995-96 Dallas Stars and the 1931-32 Montreal Maroons - a franchise that hasn’t existed in nearly a century. That’s the kind of company we’re talking about.
The rally started with Andrei Svechnikov, who buried a power-play goal with 1:59 on the clock to cut the deficit to one. It was a spark - and Carolina turned it into a fire.
Just 32 seconds later, Shayne Gostisbehere found twine to tie the game, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and the Mammoth bench into stunned silence.
Then came the dagger. With only 30 seconds left, Jordan Staal - the veteran heartbeat of this Canes team - buried the game-winner to complete the improbable comeback.
From down two to up one in a minute and a half. No overtime.
No shootout. Just pure, unfiltered chaos.
For Carolina, the win is more than just a wild night at the rink - it’s a statement. It keeps them atop the Metropolitan Division and reinforces the kind of resilience that makes this group dangerous come spring.
For Utah, this one stings. The Mammoth are hovering around the playoff bubble in the West, and these are the kinds of losses that can haunt a team.
Giving up three goals in the final two minutes - and walking away with zero points - is the kind of collapse that can swing a season. If they find themselves on the outside looking in come April, this game will be circled in red ink.
But for now, the story is Carolina’s. A comeback for the ages, executed with ruthless urgency and a little bit of magic.