In Game 1, a hush fell over the loudest house in the NHL a mere minute into the game.
For a group that had breezed through the first two rounds and swept both opponents, the Hurricanes’ first loss in this year’s playoffs put the brakes on the team that had the pedal to the metal.
“I think we just toss this game,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said after Game 1. “I hate that this time of year, that’s what we gotta do.”
With one full day of rest and reflection, the Carolina Hurricanes bounced back in Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens, leveling the series 1-1 with a 3-2 victory in overtime.
In a similar fashion to Game 1, the Canes were the first to find the back of the net. Left wing Eric Robinson put Carolina ahead with a tip-in past Montreal’s goaltender Jakub Dobeš.
Right-wing Josh Anderson started the tally of shots on goal for Montreal, which leveled the score halfway through the opening period, getting the puck past Canes goaltender Frederik Andersen.
After an uneventful start to the second frame, left wing Nikolaj Ehlers put some spark in the building. He took the puck from middle ice, weaved through the white jerseys defending the Canadiens net, and graced the puck past them all to give Carolina a one-goal advantage with only three minutes left in the period.
Saving all the excitement for the last few minutes of the second period, left wing William Carrier got a stick to the face and promptly skated off the ice. Immediately after, defensemen K’Andre Miller was hit after the clock had run out for the period. Called for slashing, Montreal left winger Alexandre Texier spent the first two minutes of the final period in the penalty box.
Struggling on the man-advantage, the Canes couldn’t capitalize on any of their three power plays. On the opposite end of the ice, Montreal didn’t find the back of the net on either of their two powerplays, leaving room for improvement for both special teams.
With intensity as high as the stakes and with an almost equal number of shots on goal, both teams were relentless with their attempts in the final 20 minutes of the game.
“We try to put it on them,” Robinson said. “Get pucks deep, hunt their [defense], create turnovers. That’s the identity of our team.”
With less than 10 minutes left in the game, the Canadiens halted the Hurricanes’ hopes for a regulation win. Anderson scored for the second time to level the score 2-2 after getting the puck past Andersen and the cluster of black jerseys that surrounded him.
“You just gotta turn the page quick, and try and save the next one. So much stuff is not in your control, and you just gotta focus on that,” Andersen said.
After 10 minutes of unsuccessful attempts by both sides, the game went into overtime. Thankfully for Carolina, Ehlers — scoring his second goal of the night — tallied the game-winner three minutes into overtime and carried his team to a much needed 3-2 win.
“There’s a guy that can win the game for you. Especially in a game like this, it’s tight. We need that goal, and he’s got the ability to do it himself,” Brind’Amour said.
The Carolina Hurricanes will travel to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Monday, May 25, for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.
