RALEIGH — Tuesday’s game at Lenovo was a hatefest toward Mikko Rantanen, but the home crowd still found plenty to cheer about.
The Hurricanes scored early and often, getting four assists from Andrei Svechnikov, two goals and an assist from K’Andre Miller, and a pair of power play goals in a 6-3 win over the Stars.
Miller scored twice off feeds from Svechnikov, jumping into the play to beat Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger (10 saves) to open the scoring at 7:19 of the first period and then firing a one-timer at 5:17 of the second as Carolina piled on the visiting Stars.
“Our team played great tonight,” Miller said. “(Svechnikov), in particular, made some great plays, especially on my two goals, just finding me.”
When Seth Jarvis — a goal and an assist in his return to the lineup after missing eight games with a rib injury — scored a power play goal after Oettinger misplayed a puck behind the Dallas net, the Stars made a goalie change at 5-1. Carolina’s crowd still kept up its jeering of Rantanen, whose 13-game stint in Raleigh ended with his trade to the Stars.
“I’ve got no ill will against him at all,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “But fans are going to do what they’ve got to do. I was surprised they kept it up. That was right to the end. So we have passionate fans.”
The Hurricanes took control of the game in the first period.
After Miller scored his first goal — he now has four on the season after scoring two in the season opener and two on Tuesday — the Stars tied the game when Brandon Bussi (19 saves) inadvertently threw the puck in his net while on his back in the crease at 11:53 of the first.
Carolina responded with their first of two power play goals when Shayne Gostisbehere blasted a Jarvis pass into the net for his fifth goal of the season 84 seconds later to give the Hurricanes the lead for good.
Logan Stankoven — the key player who came to Carolina in the trade that sent Rantanen to Dallas last March — then got revenge against his old team and the player he was traded for. Miller got Stankoven the puck in the high slot, and the diminutive forward deked around Rantanen and shot from the hashmarks, rattling in his eighth goal of the year with 1:04 left in the opening frame to extend the lead to 3-1.
“I think anytime you can pot it against a team that trades you, it’s a great feeling, and I do have a lot of great friends over there,” Stankoven said. “But once we’re on the ice, it’s go time, and I’m going to compete as hard as I can. So that’s my mentality.”
It was the second straight game Stankoven has scored, breaking him out of a slump that saw Brind’Amour briefly move him back to the wing.
“It’s a long season,” Stankoven said. “You’re going to have ups and downs, and I’m still learning. I’m only 22, so I’m still trying to learn this league and figure out how to be the best version of myself.”
Miller and Jarvis added their goals in the second period to push the lead to 5-1. And while Rantanen scored 36 seconds into the third period, Will Carrier answered with his fourth of the year at 8:18 to extinguish any push from the Stars, who are now winless in six straight.
Svechnikov had the second four-point game of his career and his first four-assist night.
“I’m just trying to work hard and play my game,” he said. “And obviously, we’re playing good as a line right now, and we’ve just got to continue that.”
Nikolaj Ehlers finished with three assists and Sebastian Aho had one, giving the top line an eight-point night.
“They’re our big guns,” Brind’Amour said. “They need to be on the score sheet, but they need to be looking like they can score. And that’s been really, I think, evident.”
After getting the best of Rantanen and the Stars, the Hurricanes have won two straight and look like they’ve found their groove.
“I think we built off our win in New Jersey,” Stankoven said, “so hopefully we’ll keep maintaining the good things.”
Notes: Bussi improved to 15-2-1. … Jaccob Slavin missed the game with an upper-body injury. … Defenseman Mike Reilly and forwards Mark Jankowski and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were healthy scratches. … Noah Philp did not play in the third period after suffering an injury, but Brind’Amour did not have an update on his status. … The Hurricanes power play went 2 for 5 and is now at 19.7% for the season, 17th in the league.
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