Watch: Hurricanes' Martin Necas ties game in final minute, nets OT winner seconds later
Two nights after netting the overtime winner against the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas played hero again Friday night against San Jose Sharks.
Necas helped the Canes complete a third-period comeback, tying the game late, and tallied the game-winner by scoring less than a minute into overtime.
The Sharks scored an empty-netter to go up 4-2 with 1:52 left, seemingly sealing a two-goal victory. However, 15 seconds later, Carolina's Sebastian Aho cut the deficit back to a goal, scoring at 19:48 of the third. Necas followed Aho's goal, knotting the game up at 4-4 with only 11 seconds on the clock.
Riding high from his huge goal, Necas kept the Hurricanes' momentum going, scoring the overtime winner only 55 seconds into the extra session.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Sharks are only the third team in NHL history to score an empty-net goal with under two minutes left in regulation and lose the game, joining the 2019-20 Sharks and 1969-70 Detroit Red Wings.
For the Hurricanes, it's only the second time in franchise history they've won a game after trailing by two or more goals with under two minutes remaining, per NHL Public Relations.
After the win, Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta described Necas' late-game heroics perfectly.
"You could see there was that little eye of the tiger at the end," Raanta told reporters.
Necas' league-leading third overtime goal of the year helped him join Mikko Rantanen, Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Hamilton and Benoit Hogue as the only players in NHL history to score the tying goal in the final minute of regulation and the winner in the first minute of overtime.
The 24-year-old is coming into his own this season for the Canes. In 48 games, Necas has already reached a career-high in points with 44, recording 21 goals and 23 assists.
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