Nov. 7 (UPI) — Captain Jordan Staal marked his record 910th game in a Carolina Hurricanes jersey with his first fight since 2017 during a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild.
Staal, who broke brother Eric Staal’s previous record for the most games played for the Hurricanes, exchanged blows with Wild forward Tyler Pitlick with about eight minutes remaining in the first period of the narrow win Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.
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“I think it’s just about protecting your teammates and being there for each other,” Staal told reporters.
Staal was assessed with five-minute fighting major and a 10-minute instigator penalties.
The Hurricanes trailed 1-0 with about 8:14 remaining in the first period when Wild forward Tyler Pitlick delivered a heavy hit to defenseman Jalen Chatfield. Pitlick’s shoulder appeared to make contact with Chatfield’s head, which resulted in him falling to the ice.
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Staal immediately skated into the area, wrapped his arms around Pitlick and proceeded to throw several punches at his head. Chatfield was tended to on the ice before leaving the game. He did not return.
Pitlick also did not return, but that was because of a match penalty.
“Obviously, it wasn’t a great hit,” Staal said. “I didn’t like it. Hopefully it’s not as bad as it looked on the ice for him [Chatfield] and he gets back quick.”
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Forward Jackson Blake tied the score for Carolina about a minute later. Defenseman Brock Faber gave the Wild the lead about 30 seconds later. Forward Andrei Svechnikov tie the score again about 21 seconds after the Faber score.
Defenseman Sean Walker found the net with 3:09 remaining in the first period to help the Hurricanes carry a 3-2 edge into the second.
Matt Boldy, who also scored the first goal of the night, tied the score with his second goal for the Wild about 37 seconds into the bridge frame.
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Fellow forward Nikolaj Ehlers beat Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson for the go-ahead score about nine seconds later.
Staal, who did not record a goal or assist in his 10 minutes of action, totaled three goals and one assists through his first 13 games this season. He totaled 181 goals and 286 assists over his 910 appearances for the Hurricanes. The 37-year-old appeared in a total of 1,341 games through his first 20 seasons in the NHL, including his six-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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“I appreciate the boys battling it out for me and getting a good memory out of a big milestone ride,” Staal said. “I’m glad we got the two points. It’s been a fun ride. It’s been a lot of fun with these guys here and all the other teammates I played with.
“It’s been such a joy and blessing, Just happy to keep going.”
The Hurricanes (9-4-0) will host the Buffalo Sabres (5-5-4) at 7 p.m. EST Saturday in Raleigh. The Wild (5-7-3) will take on the New York Islanders (6-5-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in Elmont, N.Y.
