The Carolina Hurricanes took the ice for their first road game of the series, aiming to shift momentum and cut the Panthers’ lead in half but left the ice after a 6-2 defeat. The Canes now stand one loss away from being swept for the fourth consecutive time in the conference final.
Carolina came out with a strong first two periods, matching the level of Florida and them to just one goal, ending the second period tied 1-1. Coming out in the third frame, the Canes lost all control and the wheels came off, allowing their opponent to score five goals in 10 minutes.
“We were there, we were playing better,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Then to turn pucks over, that’s not what we do, you can’t do that. Even in the preseason, it’s going to cost you, but against that team, and you turn it over for an odd-man rush, forget it. We know that, and that was really demoralizing.”
A sequence that could have been a game-tying goal for the Canes ended up being the game-winning goal for Florida. An attempt off the post for the Canes ended up behind the net with players scrambling to take control. Capitalizing on a three-on-two opportunity, Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola waited for his teammates to enter their offensive zone before sliding into position on the far left side of the ice. From there, he fired a shot into the top right corner past goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, securing his second goal of the night.
The Hurricanes ended the game with 16 giveaways, four of which led directly to goals. Just 29 seconds after the game-winning goal, defenseman Dmitry Orlov attempted to clear the puck along the boards, but it was intercepted by left wing Matthew Tkachuk, who batted it out of the air and sent it straight to center Aleksander Barkov. Barkov then fired it into the back of the net, putting the Panthers up 4-1.
The Panthers didn’t let off steam, scoring two more goals just a little over a minute apart, doing enough damage to secure the win 10 minutes before the game was over. Nine Florida players recorded a point, and five ended with a multi-point night.
“They’re a good team,” said center Jordan Staal. “They played a good game, stayed with it too, and waited for their chances, and when we gave them one, it’s in the back of the net. They’re a good team that knows how to score goals at the right time, they make you pay off turnovers.”
Two of the six Florida goals ended up being own goals, hitting off the leg or stick of one of the Canes’ players. The opening goal of the game came from yet another attempted clear in the neutral zone, which was hit down and sent into the Canes’ zone by center Evan Rodrigues. The Panthers passed the puck around until a shot let off by Mikkola bounced off the leg of Orlov into the net, marking the third game in which the Panthers scored first.
Opening the scoring for the Canes, on a delay-of-game powerplay, defensemen Brent Burns let one fly from the blue line, but Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky got a pad in front to knock it out of line. Center Logan Stankoven was right where he needed to be to tap the puck home and keep his team from being shut out two games in a row and tying the game at one.
The Hurricanes faced challenges in solidifying their lineup due to injuries, as defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker were both unable to go. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin made his second appearance with the Canes, having debuted in Game 5 of the Capitals series. Meanwhile, Scott Morrow has played in every game this round after suiting up for just two regular-season games.
A few key players on the Canes roster aren’t delivering the performance or stats expected of them. Top-line players are being outshone by others who, according to Brind’Amour, shouldn’t be.
“The four rookies in the lineup can’t be some of your better players, that can’t happen,” Brind’Amour said. “There are a couple of guys in there I don’t think came to play the way they needed to this time of year. It can’t be Staal and Martinook being our best players, and they are every night. We needed more out of some guys.”
The Hurricanes need a win to stay alive with Game 4 on Monday, puck drop at 8 p.m.
