Road relief: Kochetkov backstops Carolina Hurricanes to road win over New York Rangers

It’s hard playing in the NHL not knowing where your offense is coming from, game to game.

So it has been for Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour this season.

Against the New York Rangers on Sunday, the Canes got an even-strength goal from William Carrier, and a power-play score from Jack Roslovic. They hit a few posts. They came close to a few more goals before Sebastian Aho’s empty-netter.

When you’re having trouble scoring, a team needs the goaltender to stand tall at times. That’s what Pyotr Kochetkov did Sunday as the Canes took a 3-1 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Kochetkov, protecting a 2-1 lead in the third period, made some sharp, hustling pad saves early, denying Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, among others. He was quick from post to post, using the pokecheck when he needed it in making 22 saves.

In the other net was Igor Shesterkin, fresh off a road win over the Dallas Stars. Kochetkov relishes playing against other Russian goalies and few are better than the Rangers’ Shesterkin.

The Rangers scored 17 seconds into the game — a quick gut check for Kochetkov, the loser Friday against the Washington Capitals.

The Hurricanes (21-11-1), after that slap in the face, were able to squeeze just enough offense out from there. They even got two assists from Kochetkov.

“He was our leading scorer,” Roslovic quipped.

Roslovic wound up with two chipped front teeth after taking a stick in the mouth from Alexis Lafreniere midway through the second period. He left the ice and angrily headed to the locker room for treatment.

“I thought I was going to need some work,” Roslovic said. “But luckily, no work.”

Roslovic returned late in the double minor and scored with two seconds left in the power play off a Dmitry Orlov pass for the 2-1 lead.

“We just stuck with the game,” Roslovic said. “I think it was a great effort at just keeping consistent, not giving up a lot of chances, not stepping off the gas.”

The Canes have had some trouble stepping on the gas during a recent 4-5-0 dip that had them winless in their last five road games (0-4-1) before Sunday.

Martin Necas had his torrid start to the season and now has cooled off. Aho has heated up after a cool stretch. Andrei Svechnikov can’t score five on five. Roslovic had been in a scoring mini-slump of late.

The power play? The Canes have been consistently good and were ranked third in the league in power-play percentage despite going 1-for-13 on the power play in the past five games before Sunday -- they were 1-5 against the Rangers.

“That’s the NHL nowadays,” Brind’Amour said Sunday morning. “If your power play doesn’t get on the (score) sheet. … It’s not easy to consistently score five on five, so your power play has to connect.’

The Canes had their chances in the loss to the Caps. Brind’Amour said, but that wasn’t the biggest problem.

“To me, we’ve been giving up some untimely goals,” Brind’Amour said. “When we lose, it’s like, ‘Man, it’s a couple of plays here or there, a couple of minutes here or there in the game.’ It’s not a 60-minute, ‘Oh my God what am I watching?’ thing. It’s never really been that.”

For the Canes, one of those untimely goals allowed came very early Sunday. The Rangers (16-16-1) floated into the Carolina zone and Jimmy Vesey flashed in front of the net tipped in a Chad Ruhwedel pass for a 1-0 lead.

Just like that, caught flat-footed early, the Canes were chasing the game.

They caught up. And took the lead in the second period.

Carolina tied it 1-1 after Brind’Amour moved Carrier back on Jordan Staal’s line with Jordan Martinook. Carrier, a hard-charger, crashed the net and would not be denied, getting the puck past Shesterkin as he went sprawling.

“That’s what you’ve got to do if you’re going to score goals,” Brind’Amour said.

Kochetkov was the loser Friday against the Caps after a brilliant 32-save shutout at home against the New York Islanders.. He refused to let the early goal Sunday shake him or distract him.

“I just think about next shot, that I need focus,” he said. “It was a tough start., the first shot a goal. After that, I came back and we came back in the second period. We controlled the game..”

The Canes’ penalty-killing came up big early in the third and then in the final five minutes of regulation. The Rangers, who have tormented Carolina on the power play in the past, were 0-4 Sunday with four total shots.

Finally, Kochetkov found the puck on his stick and an open net at the far end. Could it be? A goal for the goalie?

“I think about it for two seconds,” Kochetkov said, smiling.

Instead, the puck went to Svechnikov and then to Aho for the goal.

“He was solid,” Brind’Amour said. “He made, I don’t know how many but a lot of backdoor plays, especially on the power play for them. He was great for us.”