A game that felt like a playoff preview going in provided everything you could have wanted. Sean Walker’s overtime goal with 29 seconds left was the difference as the Carolina Hurricanes took the extra point over the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night in Raleigh.

The game provided action from the jump with the return of Sidney Crosby, playing in his first NHL game since the Olympic Break. Action was up and down, testing both Stuart Skinner and Frederik Andersen. The defense for the Canes was a little loose at first, as Andersen had to make a few stops, and then Mark Jankowski was called for a hold.

The penalty was a potential repeat of Tuesday’s game where the Canes came out strong and then having to kill a penalty turned the game. Instead, right off the face off Jordan Staal was able to gain the puck, bounce it off the wall in front of the Canes bench for a flying Jordan Martinook. Martinook was able to bash it past Skinner on the breakaway, putting the Canes up 1-0 nine seconds into the kill.

The Hurricanes continued the strong PK as Jarvis missed a short handed chance himself, and the Penguins power play ended with the Canes having four shots on goal to the Pens not having any. Pittsburgh had led in SOG 7-3 before the power play, but when the period ended it was the Canes leading 14-12 in shots and 1-0 on the scoreboard.

The second period had been one that Hurricanes fans had learned to dread since the return from the Olympics, but the Canes started off as if they were going to reverse the trend. They came out with a force, dominating the opening minutes of the frame, and not allowing Pittsburgh to get their first shot on goal until 9:30 had disappeared. By that point the Canes had ten. But on the second shot on goal by the Penguins, Sidney Crosby announced to the league he was back. Jalen Chatfield had a moment’s hesitation behind the goal, which was enough to allow Rickard Rakell to dislodge the puck from him, feed it to a rushing Crosby, who deftly pushed it past Frederik Andersen to tie the score.

Unlike other games, though, the Canes were able to recover and later in the second drew their first power play. Right as it expired, Jackson Blake had control of the puck, moved it past the diving defender, and stuck the shot past Skinner to restore the one goal lead for Carolina.

The second ended with each team scoring once, which is seemingly what Carolina would have hoped for. However, the period ended with the Canes on the penalty kill again as Crosby and Svechnikov got into it on the boards, but as the referee was giving matching minors, he T’d up Svechnikov and added an unsportsmanlike. That carried over into the third, which may end up being the wildest period the Canes have played or will play this season.

Not :29 seconds into the third, Jordan Staal was called for a trip on Evgeni Malkin, creating not only a 5-on-3, but one without one of the most important penalty killers for the Canes. It took Pittsburgh only :30 seconds to capitalize, as Erik Karlsson scored his first of the night to tie the score at two. The Canes were able to kill off the rest of the penalty, and two minutes later Taylor Hall was able to help the Canes regain the lead with a stellar move where he beat Skinner and crashed into Logan Stankoven.

Yet, just four minutes later an uncharacteristic puck handling mistake by Jaccob Slavin led to a Brian Rust breakaway, which he was able to easily convert by Andersen. The pass was from Seth Jarvis to Slavin at the blue line and it was just a bad handle by the reliable defenseman.

The Canes answered again, and this time on another Sidney Crosby penalty where you could read his lips in the box calling it…as The Good Place would say “Forking Bullshirt.” The Aho line had been on the ice during the penalty so the second unit started, and Logan Stankoven continued the good vibes for his line by taking a feed from Nikolaj Ehlers behind the goal and snapping it past Skinner to restore a one goal lead.

Unfortunately for Carolina, :90 seconds after the Canes retook the lead, Karlsson scored his second on the night off a great move to lose Aho and create a shooting lane. Andersen was completely screened unable to make the save. Just :23 seconds later, Alexander Nikishin became the second defensemen to make a puck handling mistake leading to a Penguin goal, as Anthony Mantha was able to swipe the puck, get it over to Ben Kindel and just like that Pittsburgh had their first lead of the night at 5-4.

The Canes were done, though. They played with urgency and were rewarded as the Staal, Martinook, and Ehlers line crashed the net, K’Andre Miller put a shot on Skinner that bounced off the foot of Parker Wotherspoon, and past a stunned Skinner who thought it wasn’t a legal play. Lenovo Center went crazy as the score was tied 5-5 and while the Canes would have another couple of chances, the game would go to Overtime.

Overtime would be a back-and-forth affair, as both teams had chances and multiple times Frederick Andersen had to make saves when he was trying to move the puck up the ice and his teammates thought he was going for the freeze. Carolina was able to gain control in the final minute, and do so with Overtime specialists Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis on the ice. Jarvis fed the puck to Aho, who took it behind the net and drew two defenders as his overtime reputation precedes him. Instead of shooting however, he spotted a wide open Sean Walker who blasted it past Skinner, giving the Canes the extra point and a 6-5 win.

The win puts Carolina eight points ahead of Pittsburgh with fourteen games remaining for both squads, effectively putting them four games up on first place in the Metropolitan division. The game may have ended up being one of the best goaltended 6-5 games you’ll see, as both netminders made crucial stops to give their teams chances and both netminders had to fend off breakaway and puck luck plays that led to goals.

Rakell and Crosby each finished with two points, and Crosby added four penalty minutes in his return from injury. Ehlers had three points, all on assists, as did Jackson Blake with a goal and two assists.

The Canes will get a day off Thursday from practice before heading up to face a Toronto team without Austin Matthews, before heading over to see these Penguins one more time in Pittsburgh on Sunday.