The Carolina Hurricanes did all they could to keep their season alive Tuesday.
They competed hard, played with desperation against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, given the start in Game 5 of the playoff series, made some huge stops. Forwards Vincent Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter, coming off injuries, gamely played.
But the Lightning again proved to be too good, and especially goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, as Tampa Bay clinched the series with a 2-0 victory at PNC Arena as Vasilevskiy had 29 saves.
“It feels pretty bad right now,” Canes forward Sebastian Aho said. “Maybe tomorrow, or in two days, I can give you a better answer. I don’t feel good right now. It sucks.”
Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point (21) celebrates after scoring on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Alex Nedeljkovic (39) to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead in the second period in game five of their Stanley Cup series on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
Bradyen Point’s power-play goal in the second period gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead that Tampa Bay took into the third. Fourth-line forward Ross Colton then snapped a shot from the right wing that beat Nedeljkovic to the glove side at 9:04 of the third for a two-goal cushion.
With the Canes unable to solve Vasilevskiy, who allowed four goals in Game 4 and showed some vulnerability, there would be no comeback. PNC Arena eventually fell silent.
“I think our group in general, I thought there wasn’t a whole lot of waver in this room, with COVID coming through and guys stepping up, injuries, it was a group that just get working,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said. “That’s always been our identity in Carolina. I think the guys brought that every game.”
In winning the series in five games, the Lightning won all three games on the Canes’ home ice. The Canes’ lone victory came in Game 3 in Tampa, and they led 4-2 in Game 4 before the Lightning surged to a 6-4 win that gave Tampa Bay the 3-1 series lead.
“I’m always proud of these guys,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “You come to work and have a group of people that leave it out there. ... But we’re obviously disappointed. This is not what we set out for. We wanted to win it all.”
Point’s goal, his eighth of the playoffs, came at 4:06 of the second and moments after Vasilevskiy’s biggest save. The Canes had a shorthanded rush and Trocheck ripped a shot from the right circle, but Vasilevskiy got across to make the save and keep PNC Arena from really rumbling.
The Lightning dominated special teams in the series. The Canes were 2 of 14 on the power play.
Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce was injured in the third period, taking an elbow to the head from Ondrej Palat and being taken to concussion protocol. But the Canes, trailing 2-0, could not convert on the power play.
“We’ve got to get better,” Brind’Amour said, already starting to look ahead. “Your depth, there’s always a weakest link that you can have. You have to find what that is and get better at it. We definitely have great pieces here, talent wise and people wise. We have to keep those in tact, and if there’s areas to get better, we’ve got to find them and get better at it.”
Four-year-old Frances Steffens covets a hockey puck tossed her way during the Carolina Hurricanes’ pre-game warm up prior to game five of their Stanley Cup series against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
Despite losing all three at home, the Canes faithful showed up en masse, something that at the outset of the playoffs was in doubt based on state and league regulations. The players noticed.
“It was amazing. I enjoyed moment to see fans out there, especially here in the PNC seeing all the Caniacs supporting us,” Aho said. “It’s such a loud barn. It makes the game even better and feels amazing.”
An obviously disappointed Staal preferred to look forward at the bigger picture.
“There’s a bright future here,” Staal said. “It’s all good stuff. Carolina throughout the league is making a name as a team hard to play against.”
Carolina Hurricanes’ Jani Hakanpaa (58) collides with Tampa Bay’s Pat Maroon (14) pushing him into Carolina Hurricanes goalie Alex Nedeljkovic (39) during the first period in game five of their Stanley Cup series against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 5:57 PM.
In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.
