Svechnikov’s OT winner lifts Hurricanes to 2-1 series lead over Canadiens
After the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens split the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final in Raleigh, the series shifted to the Mecca of hockey for a crucial Game 3 at Bell Centre.
Just as they did in the first two contests, the Hurricanes struck first, as a Mark Jankowski bid near the net found its way to an unmarked Shayne Gostisbehere, who wired the puck past a sprawling Jakub Dobes to get Carolina off and running.
SHAYE GOSTISBEHERE OPENS THE SCORING!!!! 🎥: Sportsnet
After the Canes dominated the puck and scoring chances early, the Habs battled back after going down a goal, managing to mount some pressure on a few shifts before Mike Matheson tied the game with a wrist shot that beat Frederik Andersen high.
Carolina responded in kind to Montreal’s answer, as the line of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake struck for the first time in the series when Hall won a net front battle and hammered the puck home after a few whacks to make it 2-1 Hurricanes after the first.
Carolina kept applying pressure throughout the second, but an offensive zone penalty by Jordan Martinook enabled the Canadiens’ power play to affect the series for the first time, as a give-and-go play between Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield ended with the former putting the puck into a mostly-open net to level the score.
LANE HUTSON TIES IT BACK UP!!!! 🎥: Sportsnet
Dobes was under siege for the rest of the second, as he took a puck off the upper portion of his right arm that left him favoring it for several moments, and he drew a penalty when Sean Walker skated directly into him while looking to score. Walker’s penalty was offset when Jake Evans retaliated against the veteran defenseman, setting up a 4-on-4 that closed out the second period and extended into the third.
Montreal appeared to take the lead in the third when Noah Dobson banked a puck in off of Nikolaj Ehlers, but Carolina was successful in a challenge, as the entry by Caufield was deemed offside.
A few minutes later, Dobson took an unnecessary penalty by interfering with Jordan Staal, giving the Canes a golden opportunity to take a late lead, but Carolina’s struggles on the power play continued.
The Hurricanes got yet another chance when Andrei Svechnikov sent Sebastian Aho in on a partial break, but Dobes was able to keep the puck out of the net despite his momentum taking most of his body behind the goal line.
Just like Game 2, Game 3 went to overtime tied at two goals apiece. Also like in Game 2, Carolina got the job done when a turnover by Hutson set up the Canes’ slumping first line in the offensive zone.
Seth Jarvis sent a pass to Svechnikov, who fired one that wound up in the net with Aho providing a strong net front.
ANDREI SVECHNIKOV WINS IT IN OVERTIME!!!!!!!!! 🎥: Sportsnet
Game 4 is set for an 8:00 PM EST puck drop from the Bell Centre as the Canadiens will look to steal back momentum and even the series.