Dmitri Orlov Saves Teammate from Potential Ten-Game Suspension with Heads Up Play
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dmitri Orlov made a huge heads up play last night, saving his teammate Pyotr Kochetkov from a serious suspension.
The Hurricanes were visiting the St. Louis Blues last night with young netminder Pyotr Kochetkov between the pipes. Unfortunately, it was not a great night for the Russian goalie as he gave up three goals on 19 shots against. As a result, head coach Rob Brind'Amour pulled Kochetkov late in the match for the 6-on-5 advantage in an effort to tie the game. As a result, PK was on the bench when the final horn sounded. After the horn, nastiness ensued on the ice with players from both teams getting involved in a scrum.
Kochetkov noticed this and immediately jumped over the boards in an effort to join in. However, the NHL has a strict rule against players coming off the bench to join a scrum or fight. Anyone who violates this rule is subject to a ten-game suspension. Luckily, Kochetkov's teammate and countryman Dmitri Orlov was there to catch his jersey, preventing him from getting any further, eventually pulling him back onto the bench.
It was an eventful game for the Hurricanes, who are looking to make it back to the Eastern Conference final this year, hopefully with better results than their previous three appearances. During the game, Brent Burns put his body on the line for a blocked shot, showing how seriously these players take their games.
The Canes have also had some unusual schedule changes this season as well. Their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning that was scheduled for October 12th was postponed to due Hurricane Milton, meaning they have played one fewer game than many other teams around the league so far. Through four games they are 2-2-0. Kochetkov and Freddie Andersen have split the starts with two each, indicating they could be in a tandem situation for the season. As a result, it could be very interesting to see which of the netminders gets the nod for the first game of the playoffs. That may very well depend on which of them has the better regular season, so be sure to stay tuned to the Hurricanes to see if Kochetkov cane stablish himself as a starting goalie in the NHL.
