The Hurricanes had plenty to celebrate after Game 1 against the Predators
This was what Carolina Hurricanes fans have missed the most.
Playoff hockey at PNC Arena. Tailgating outside. A loud, lively crowd of 12,000 inside.
The pandemic changed so much in our daily lives. The need for normalcy has been almost overwhelming and sports have been a good respite. And especially hockey.
For the first time since May of 2019, the Canes had playoff hockey at PNC Arena on Monday. The two-year wait ended with Carolina, with a strong third period, beating the Nashville Predators 5-2 in Game 1 of their opening-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
“That’s hockey,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said after the game. “For everyone, it’s been a long time coming. It’s no better feeling than playing a big game at home with the fans like that. The boys were ready, the fans were ready. Playoff hockey, there’s nothing better.”
The captain led the way for the Canes, scoring twice, first to give Carolina its first lead of the playoffs, then the first two-goal lead of the playoffs by any of the 16 teams still playing.
“Obviously he’s our captain for a reason,” Nino Neiderreiter said. “He leads by example on and off the ice.”
Niederreiter’s score at 2:26 of the third period gave the Canes 3-2 lead and Canes fans were in full throat. It was even louder when Staal collected the rebound of a Warren Foegele shot and muscled a shot past goalie Juuse Saros.
Andrei Svechnikov’s empty-net goal with 1:47 left in regulation finished it off for the Canes.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour turned to rookie goalie Alex Nedeljkovic on the playoff opener. Nedeljkovic fought the puck at times but finished with 22 saves.
“It was awesome,” Nedeljkovic said. “It was incredible. It’s one of the best atmospheres that I’ve ever played in front of.”
Filip Forsberg’s 27th career playoff goal in the first period pushed the Preds ahead 1-0. Erik Haula, a former Canes forward, scored in the second period for a 2-2 tie after Staal had beaten Saros with a tight-angle shot.
“I thought we played hard for 60 minutes and just didn’t really let up,” Brind’Amour said. “Just kind of stuck with what we had to do. Nashville played extremely hard, I just thought we were right there the whole way and obviously got the win.”
Forsberg scored the first goal of the playoffs as the Preds jumped ahead 1-0, but the Canes quickly answered on a goal by Teuvo Teravainen and it was 1-1 after the first.
Brett Pesce got off a shot through traffic from the right point that Teravainen, with one hand on the stick as he jostled with Ryan Ellis, redirected the puck between the circles at 13:41. Steven Lorenz earned an assist on the goal, his first career Stanley Cup playoff point.
The game has had a physical edge in the opening period, as expected.
In the second, Staal gave the Canes their first lead of the playoffs with a tight-angled shot that Saros couldn’t stop, but the Preds later tied it 2-2 in the second period.
With the team playing 4 on 4 after penalties to Forsberg and Teravainen, Staal took the puck into the left circle in the Preds zone. As he neared the goal line he turned and ripped a rising shot past Saros’ head at 4:19 of the second for a 2-1 lead. Pesce earned his second assist of the game.
The Preds tied it as Haula, a former Canes forward, flipped a knuckler of a shot from the slot that got past Nedeljkovic at 8:41. The score came after Canes defenseman Jake Bean failed to clear the puck up the wall.
The lineup
The biggest pregame question Monday was the status of defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who was a game-time decision
Slavin did ultimately skate in warmups, and played in the game.
Brind’Amour also was coy after the morning skate about his starting goalie. While Nedeljkovic was working the starter’s crease, Brind’Amour did not commit to a starter after the skate. He said Nedeljkovic “might” start but did not rule out Petr Mrazek.
It was, indeed, Nedeljkovic who led the team to the ice for warmups and earned the victory.
The Canes lines had Sebastian Aho centering Nino Niederreiter and Teuvo Teravainen; Vincent Trocheck centering Warren Foegele and Martin Necas; Staal at center with Andrei Svechnikov and Fast; and Steven Lorentz centering Jordan Martinook and Brock McGinn.
On the back end, Slavin started with Dougie Hamilton, Skjei with Brett Pesce and Jake Bean with Hakanpaa.
Canes call-ups
The Canes on Monday recalled goaltender Antoine Bibeau, defenseman Max Lajoie and forward Ryan Suzuki from the Chicago Wolves of AHL.
Bibeau, 27, has played four NHL games with Toronto and Colorado from 2016-19, and Lajoie played 62 games with Ottawa. Suzuki, 19, was the Canes’ first-round draft pick in 2019 and played 26 AHL games with Chicago in his first pro season.
This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 7:16 PM.
