The Sebastian Aho double-deflection the latest event in Aho vs. Aho lure
It was bound to happen; the powers that make up the hockey universe couldn't resist. Late in the second period of Saturday night's 5-2 Islanders loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at UBS Arena, Sebastian Aho's deflection deflected off of Sebastian Aho for the would-be game-winning-goal. It was the latest in a series of Aho-Aho firsts when the two teams and two Ahos play an NHL game.
As a refresher, the Ahos share a name, but are unrelated and not even from the same country. Carolina's Sebastian Antero Aho is a 25-year-old forward from Finland, while the Islanders' Sebastian Johannes Aho, 26, is a defenseman from Sweden.
On March 18, 2018, there was "A little Sebastian Aho-on-Sebastian Aho crime," as Brendan Burke said on the Islanders MSG Networks broadcast. The Canes' Aho hooked Aho of the Isles in the third period of the Isles-Hurricanes game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
On March 31, 2022, each Sebastian Aho scored 34 seconds apart as one Sebastian Aho put the Islanders up 1-0 vs. the Blue Jackets while Sebastian Aho makes it 1-0 Hurricanes vs. the Canadiens, each in the first period.
Besides their age and country, another thing that doesn't match is their career trajectory. Since making his NHL debut as a 19-year-old during the 2016-17 season, Aho, the Hurricanes' 2015 second-round pick (35th overall), has 199 career goals and 252 in 484 games over seven seasons. The center was named an NHL All-Star in 2019 and 2022.
Meanwhile, the Islanders defenseman has been back and forth between the NHL and AHL since playing 22 games during the 2017-18 season. He has emerged as the Islanders' sixth defenseman this season and has played in a career-high 44 games, scoring four goals and adding six assists while averaging 16:50 TOI.