By BOB SUTTON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sebastian Aho’s third-period goal gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins in a matchup of early leaders in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night.
Pyotr Kochetkov made 14 saves to improve his record to 8-0-0, matching the longest season-opening winning streak by a goalie in franchise history. He tied former teammate Frederik Andersen, who set the mark five years ago.
Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes, who were in their first home game in two weeks following a 3-1-1 road trip.
Carolina killed two power plays in the final five minutes, helping it halt Boston’s eight-game points streak.
Pavel Zacha scored for the Bruins, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves.
Aho’s eighth goal of the season came with 9:41 remaining shortly after Boston’s Matthew Poitras hit the post with a backhanded attempt on an open net. Aho has a team-high 19 points for the team with the best record in the league.
Zacha scored 1:31 into the game on a power play, but the Bruins failed to convert the rest of the game.
Blake tied the score with 52 seconds left in the first period.
The Hurricanes were scoreless on four power plays.
Carolina entered the game as the first NHL team to reach 20 points, marking a first-time accomplishment for the franchise.
Up next
Bruins: visit St. Louis on Thursday.
Hurricanes: host Columbus on Thursday.
___