RALEIGH, N.C. — K’Andre Miller scored twice while Andrei Svechnikov had four assists as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Tuesday, on a night when the hometown fans had a chance to serenade Mikko Rantanen with boos.
In a game packed with individual storylines, the Hurricanes chased Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger midway through the second period while taking a 5-1 lead.
Logan Stankoven scored for Carolina against his former team, which traded him here last year at the deadline in the deal that sent Rantanen to Dallas.
The Hurricanes acquired Rantanen last January in a three-team deal, though he played just 13 games before Carolina moved him when it became clear he wouldn’t sign an extension. Rantanen was booed throughout his return to Raleigh, as well as hearing chants of “Logan’s better!” after Stankoven juked Rantanen on his first-period score from the slot.
Rantanen eventually found the net with a forehand-backhand move early in the third to beat Brandon Bussi to set off even more hearty boos — along with roaring jeers when he headed to the penalty box midway through the period.
“I get it, but a lot of it was blown up. I have no ill will against him at all,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the fans’ reaction when Rantanen was on the ice. “But fans are going to do what they’ve got to do. I was honestly surprised they kept it up. That was right to the end. We have passionate fans.”
Carolina goals leader Seth Jarvis returned from an eight-game absence with an upper-body injury, scoring the goal that knocked Oettinger from the game after the netminder misplayed the puck behind the net.
Shayne Gostisbehere and William Carrier also scored for Carolina, while Nikolaj Ehlers added three assists and Bussi made 19 saves.
Jason Robertson was credited with Dallas’ first goal in a bizarre sequence after Bussi went to the ice in an attempt to freeze the puck. But as Bussi rolled over with action still going, the puck — apparently stuck in his sleeve — shot backward and straight into the net.
Oettinger faced 15 shots before giving way to Casey DeSmith for Dallas, while Wyatt Johnston cleaned up a Rantanen rebound for a late goal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
