Penguins/Hurricanes Recap: Pens close out 2025 with surprisingly easy win over Carolina

Pregame

It’s the same lineup from last game for the Penguins since Yegor Chinakhov couldn’t arrive in time to get ready, though Stuart Skinner takes over in net for the night.

The banged up Hurricanes bring in a lineup without one of their top forwards (Seth Jarvis), a top defender (Jaccob Slavin) and goalie (Pyotr Kochetkov) being out injured for the second half of a back-to-back for them too.

First period

The game gets off to a hot start, Bryan Rust kisses a puck off the crossbar and then Skinner has to be ready for a close chance within the first 40 seconds.

It’s the Pens who strike first, Rust gets in on the forecheck and Rickard Rakell makes a great pass over to Sidney Crosby. The captain makes no mistakes getting a quick shot away to serve as his 21st goal of the season to open up the scoring tonight.

Later in the period Justin Brazeau keeps the good times going receiving a long lead pass from Brett Kulak. Brazeau lunges at the puck as he falls and chips it over the glove of Frederik Andersen. 2-0 Pens.

Pittsburgh gets a chance to go for the jugular early when K’Andre Miller gets rung up on the first penalty of the night. They get it. Anthony Mantha strikes from in front of the net off a big Andersen rebound from a weak Rust shot. 3-0 Pens with 2:48 to go.

Carolina takes another penalty in the the very next shift after that goal, the Pens can’t put it really out of hand early. Skinner, in fact, makes the best stop from in tight on Mike Reilly.

Shots are 13-10 PIT early, in about a perfect opening period for the home team.

Second period

The second period zips along with no penalties or goals until 4:52 is left. Tommy Novak cuts into the zone and there’s some traffic in front so he throws it to the net. Andersen’s got nothin’. 4-0 Pens.

Three minutes later, Mantha grabs his second goal of the night via a give-and-go with Brazeau to make it 5-0 Pens.

Carolina finally answers and just 17 seconds after the Mantha goal. Joel Nystrom gives a long pass out to Mark Jankowski and the former Penguin shoots a nice shot by the glove of Skinner. 5-1.

Carolina isn’t totally whipped as evidenced by their first goal, but they’re way behind. 5-1 and it’s been almost all Pens for the first 40 minutes.

Third period

Third chugs along, Skinner gets a little lucky with a Jordan Staal shot going off the knob of his stick and ramping away from the net, then makes a quality save in tight to help steer it away. Not much else going on as the teams play out the stretch and the Pens skate away with as easy a victory against a team like Carolina as you’ll ever see.

Some thoughts

• Credit to Erik Karlsson to answer the bell and play tonight after battling an illness in the past few days. Karlsson has yet to miss a game since the Penguins acquired him. He’s got a little Phil Kessel in him like that where you can almost take his presence fore granted until realizing his availability is a huge plus.
• After the news today that Pyotr Kochetkov is having to bite the bullet and undergo surgery that will put him out for the season, the Hurricanes almost have to call up Marc-Andre Fleury and make him say no, right? Brandon Bussi played last night and has been a surprise success, 36-year old Frederik Andersen just ain’t cutting at this point between stints on the IR. If that avenue isn’t open, perhaps Kyle Dubas could interest Carolina in a slightly used Stuart Skinner? You laugh, but Skinner probably would fare well behind a solid team like Carolina that limits shots and chances against. Just something to keep in mind for the time being..
• Brazeau is red hot with his fourth goal in two games, don’t overlook his linemate Mantha scoring a goal in three straight games. Mantha tends to run very hot and cold in terms of production, he’s feeling it right these days after two more goals tonight. The goals for him come in bursts, he’s right in the middle of one now.
• Novak showed some quality too. Too early to think very seriously but leave those together and make a line with Evgeni Malkin, Chinakhov and maybe Ben Kindel? The Pens will have some impressive depth and decisions to make at some point with the forward group that they could have available at some point.
• What a first point with the Penguins for Kulak to spring Brazeau on the breakaway. Even better is that it’s relegated Ryan Graves to the waiver wire and out of the picture for the foreseeable future.
• Nice to hear the crowd doing the instinctual “Stuuu” chant for Skinner on some of his notable saves, as happened in his first start too. Having a natural name for a chant like that is a nice little bonus for a goalie, harkens back to the “Moooose” calls from days past for Johan Hedberg. Certainly ended up being Skinner’s best game in his short history with the Penguins tonight, he looked calm and in control throughout.
• No penalties taken by the Pens tonight and they didn’t do much penalty-worthy either. Just a pretty easy night at the office.
• It was the second night of a back-to-back for Carolina but it was weird to see the Hurricanes not really look like the Hurricanes. They’ve got some injuries and the travel and games didn’t help, but still. The Pens usually don’t have an easy go against these guys in any situation like they did tonight.

That puts a bow on 2025 for the Penguins, but the games don’t stop in the least. Two more coming up in quick succession on Thursday and Saturday afternoon against the suddenly formidable Red Wings.