Martin Necas has goal and assist as Hurricanes cruise to 4-1 win over Penguins

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Martin Necas had a goal and an assist, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Friday night.

Jackson Blake, a 21-year-old rookie, tied it 1-all with 6:36 left in the first period with his second NHL goal and the first of four consecutive for Carolina. Necas and Shayne Gostisbehere scored on the power play in the second period, and Jack Roslovic extended the lead to three goals in the third.

Frederik Andersen made 25 saves for the Hurricanes. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had two assists.

Drew O’Connor scored his third goal in six games for the Penguins, providing a short-lived lead at 12:20 of the first. Joel Blomqvist had 35 saves.

TAKEAWAYS

Hurricanes: The defense was suffocating, allowing little space when the Penguins managed to gain possession. It held Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin without a shot on goal.

Penguins: Blomqvist gave up more than three goals for the first time. The 22-year-old rookie played for the fourth time in six games with three starts. Tristan Jarry, the regular starter, has struggled with a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage in three starts.

KEY MOMENT

Carolina took advantage of a four-minute power play after Andrei Svechnikov took a high stick from Michael Bunting at with 3:56 left in the second period. Ahead 2-1, Gostisbehere took a one-timer from the point, scoring in a second straight game for the two-goal lead.

KEY STAT

Carolina had a 24-10 shot advantage through two periods. They’ve allowed no more than 27 shots on goal through three games this season. The Penguins had 43 shots against the Sabres on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

The Hurricanes play at St. Louis on Saturday in the second half of a back-to-back. The Penguins play at Winnipeg on Sunday, beginning a four-game road trip in Western Canada.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes' Jackson Blake (53) returns to the bench after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jackson Blake, right, celebrates with Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) makes a save during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71) reaches for the puck against Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Drew O'Connor (10) celebrates with Ryan Graves (27) after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Joel Blomqvist (30) reaches to make a save against Carolina Hurricanes' Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Carolina Hurricanes' Martin Necas (88) returns to the bench after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Bridget Carleton made two free throws with 2 seconds left, and the Minnesota Lynx forced a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, beating the New York Liberty 82-80 on Friday night.

The teams will meet Sunday night in New York in the first Game 5 of the Finals since 2019, when Washington topped Connecticut.

Kayla McBride scored 19 points and Courtney Williams added 15 for Minnesota, which forced Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu into poor shooting nights. Ionescu's heave at the buzzer didn't hit the rim.

Unlike the first three games of the series, when one of the teams built a double-digit lead, this one was tight throughout. There were 14 lead changes and 13 ties, and neither team led by more than six.

With the game tied at 80-all with 18 seconds left, Williams dribbled to run the clock down and missed a jumper with a few seconds left. Carleton got the rebound in the lane and was fouled by Ionescu.

She calmly made both free throws, and Ionescu was unable to duplicate her heroics in Game 3, when she made a 28-footer with 1 second left to give the Liberty the 2-1 series lead.

Jonquel Jones had 21 points and Leonie Fiebich scored 19 for New York. Stewart had 11 points on 5-of-20 shooting, and Ionescu was 5 of 16 from the floor and scored 10.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) drives past New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich (13) during the second half in Game 3 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu celebrates after Game 3 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Minneapolis. The Liberty won 80-77. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu celebrates after making a 3-point basket at the end of Game 3 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Minneapolis. The Liberty won 80-77. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)