Hurricanes make it eight straight with 5-1 win over Penguins

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jack Roslovic had two goals and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.

Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin and Eric Robinson also scored for Carolina, and Jalen Chatfield had three assists. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 35 shots.

Blake Lizotte scored for Pittsburgh and Alex Nedeljkovic had 14 saves. The Penguins lost for the eighth time in 10 games (2-6-2).

The Hurricanes needed just 52 seconds to get on the scoreboard with Martinook tipping in a pass by Jordan Staal. Two of Carolina’s first three shots got past Nedeljkovic, who spent his first four NHL seasons with Carolina.

Roslovic scored at 8:47 in the first period and then again at 9:27 in the second to put the Hurricanes up 3-0.

Penguins: It was 5-0 in the third period before the Penguins showed any real signs of scoring life. The power play, which has been a bright spot in a slow start to the season, went 0 for 4. On the bright side, Lizotte's goal at 5:08 of the third was the fourth-line center's second in three games.

Hurricanes: After going 4-0-0 on their October road trip, the Hurricanes have won four straight at home. They added four new forwards to their regular lineup and lost two key defensemen (Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei) in free agency but haven't missed a beat in a 10-2-0 start to the season.

Kochetkov allowed four goals on 16 shots in Tuesday’s win over Philadelphia. He was much sharper in his fifth straight start on Thursday, especially on a 4-minute penalty kill after Jesperi Kotkaniemi was called for high-sticking.

Roslovic has a team-best nine goals through 12 games. He had nine in 59 games with two different teams last season.

The Penguins visit Washington on Friday, and the Hurricanes visit Colorado on Saturday.

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

Carolina Hurricanes' William Carrier (28) protects the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins' Marcus Pettersson (28) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis (24) tries to maintain control of the puck near Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' William Carrier (28) takes Pittsburgh Penguins' Ryan Graves (27) off the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) tries to freeze the puck with teammate Marcus Pettersson (28) battling Carolina Hurricanes' William Carrier (28) nearby during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) protects the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Dmitry Orlov (7) checks Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jack Roslovic (96) is congratulated on his goal by teammates Sebastian Aho (20) and Andrei Svechnikov (37) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) blocks a shot as teammate Kris Letang (58) battles with Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) controls the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71) and Hurricanes William Carrier (28) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jack Roslovic (96) celebrates his goal with teammates Dmitry Orlov, left, Andrei Svechnikov, second left, and Sebastian Aho (20) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 26, 2024--

According to preliminary insights from Mastercard SpendingPulse™, U.S. retail sales excluding automotive increased 3.8% year-over-year from November 1 through December 24. Mastercard SpendingPulse measures in-store and online retail sales, representing all payment types and is not adjusted for inflation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241225785240/en/

“The holiday shopping season revealed a consumer who is willing and able to spend but driven by a search for value as can be seen by concentrated e-commerce spending during the biggest promotional periods,” said Michelle Meyer, chief economist, Mastercard Economics Institute. “Solid spending during this holiday season underscores the strength we observed from the consumer all year, supported by the healthy labor market and household wealth gains.”

Key retail trends for the full holiday season included:

“This holiday season, we saw consumers motivated by deals and retailers respond with promotions to meet the demand,” said Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard and former CEO and chairman of Saks Incorporated. “The value-minded consumer showed up to shop at brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platforms, with retailers managing across both to capture attention throughout the season.”

*Excluding automotive

About Mastercard SpendingPulse

Mastercard SpendingPulse measures national retail sales based on aggregated and anonymized Mastercard insights, representing all payment types in select markets around the world.

Mastercard SpendingPulse defines “U.S. retail sales” as sales at retailers and food services merchants of all sizes. Sales activity within the services sector (for example, travel services such as airlines and lodging) are not included in the total retail sales figure. SpendingPulse insights are not indicative of Mastercard company performance; insights and forecast are subject to change.

Mastercard SpendingPulse U.S. Holiday Retail Sales November 1 - December 24, 2024 vs. 2023. (Graphic: Business Wire)