Sebastian Aho's Late Goal Lifts Hurricanes Past Bruins

Sebastian Aho buried the winner with 9:41 left Tuesday night, and the Carolina Hurricanes held on to beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 in Raleigh. The goal came moments after Boston's Matthew Poitras rang a backhand off the post on an open net, which is exactly the kind of swing that decides a game between two of the East's early leaders.

The win kept Carolina on top of the league. The Canes came in as the first NHL team to reach 20 points, a first for the franchise, and they did it in their first home game in two weeks after a 3-1-1 road trip. Boston had its eight-game points streak snapped.

Kochetkov Stays Perfect

Pyotr Kochetkov made 14 saves to improve to 8-0-0. That matches the longest season-opening winning streak by a goalie in franchise history, a mark set five years ago by his former teammate Frederik Andersen. He did not face a lot of rubber, but he stopped everything after Pavel Zacha's power-play goal 1:31 into the game.

14 saves does not look like much on a box score, but Carolina killing two Boston power plays in the final five minutes is how a goalie gets to 8-0.

Aho Is Carrying the Load

Aho's goal was his eighth of the season, and he leads Carolina with 19 points. Jackson Blake got the Canes level with 52 seconds left in the first period, and from there Jeremy Swayman kept Boston in it with 28 saves. Carolina outshot the Bruins 30 to 16.

The one gripe: the Hurricanes went 0 for 4 on the power play. Against a goalie as sharp as Swayman was, that almost cost them.

When your top center is the guy cashing in late in a tight game, you have a real contender, not just a hot start.

What It Means for Boston

The Bruins had a two-game winning streak and an eight-game points streak end, and they managed just 16 shots. Zacha's early goal was their only conversion on five power plays.

A 16-shot night against the best team in the league is a fine measuring stick, and Boston came up short.

Smacktok Pick Lean

The Hurricanes host Columbus on Thursday. Lean higher on Aho's points. He leads the team with 19, he just scored the winner, and Carolina has generated plenty of chances even with the power play cold. If Kochetkov gets the start, he takes an 8-0-0 run into a game against a Blue Jackets team coming off an overtime win in Philadelphia.