Canes move on to the second round, eliminate Predators in overtime
For the fourth straight game, the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators went to overtime. For the second straight game, the Canes won, ending the best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series with a 4-3 victory Thursday.
Sebastian Aho, who scored twice in Game 6, tipped a Jaccob Slavin shot past goalie Jusse Saros at 1:06 of the overtime. After Aho won a faceoff against Mikaeal Granlund in the Nashville zone, Slavin unleashed a shot from the left wing with Aho in the low slot battling Granlund.
Aho got a piece of the puck and the Canes had won the series 4-2 and were on their way to the second round of the playoffs to face the Tampa Bay Lightning. The opening game will be at PNC Arena, with rhe starting date still be announced by the NHL.
“We’re playing games and aren’t great and we look like we’re probably out of it and then they just get it together,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s a special group here.”
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton tied the score 3-3 for the Canes with 6:01 left in regulation, taking a pass from Slavin and scoring on a backdoor play.
After Nashville iced the puck, Aho won a faceoff in the Preds zone, Slavin collected the puck along the boards and Hamilton broke in all alone on the far side for the score.
The Canes outshot the Preds 16-5 in the third. Nashville was missing its captain and star defenseman Roman Josi, who took a big hit from Jordan Martinook at 5:30 of the third period. Josi did not play in the last 14:30 of regulation.
Brock McGinn had a goal and assist for the Canes and Slavin the two big assists.
The Predators took a 3-2 lead and 38 seconds of power-play time into the third period but the Canes killed off the penalty.
The Canes then had a power play after Jesper Fast was slashed on a breakaway, which ended with goalie Saros stopping Fast’s shot. The Canes did not convert on the power play and an alert defensive play by Teuvo Teravainen stopped a two-on-one shorthanded rush by the Preds.
Updates from earlier in the game:
Second period: Preds take lead
The Preds were quick starters again in the second period, taking a 2-1 lead on a Mikhail Granlund goal and added a 5-on-3 power-play score by Ryan Johansen for a two-goal lead.
The Canes’ Sebastian Aho then scored a power-play goal, deflecting a Dougie Hamilton shot from the point, to slice the Preds’ lead to 3-2 at 13:44 of the second. It was the fourth of the series for Aho, whose slashing penalty earlier in the period resulted in Nashville’s 5 on 3..
Granlund’s goal, his second of the series, at 1:13 of the second after the Preds’ Nick Cousins scored at 1:44 of the first. The Preds caught the Canes trying to quickly exit the zone as Granlund wheeled to the net and was alone to knock in the rebound.
The Canes had a power play after Martin Necas was tripped, but Hamilton was called for interference. After the 4 on 4 ended, Aho was called for slashing and the Preds quickly converted on the 5 on 3 as Roman Josi set up Johansen for a tap-in.
Canes forward Jordan Martinook gave his team a lift with some physical play in the second. Martinook was wrestled to the ice by defenseman Matt Benning in front of the Preds net for a penalty, and Aho converted afetr Hamilton made some nice plays to keep the puck in the zone.
The Canes’ Brady Skjei was called for cross-checking with 1:22 left in the second.
The Canes had five shots in the second period and have 14 for the game. The Preds have 21
First period: McGinn ties it
For the fourth straight game, the Predators scored the first goal of the game but the Canes quickly answered.
Nick Cousins deflected a pass from Erik Haula past Alex Nedeljkovic at 1:44 of the first. But the Canes’ Brock McGinn then tied it at 4:20 with his third of the series as Martin Necas assisted.
McGinn outfought defenseman Alexandre Carrier for the puck down low, circled the net and beat Juuse Saros high to the blocker side.
Before the McGinn goal. Nedeljkovic made a big stop on Yakov Trenin, who scored twice in in Game 5, on a two-on-one.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour, in a game within the game with Preds coach John Hynes, shuffled his lines early.
Vincent Trocheck centered Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov, replacing Aho, who centered McGinn and Martin Necas. Jordan Staal was at center with Nino Niederreiter and Warren Foegele, and Jesper Fast moved to the fourth line with Steven Lorentz and Jordan Martinook.
The Preds had the only power play of the first period but the Canes killed it off, allowing one shot.
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 9:10 PM.
