Hurricanes fall to Predators in double overtime of Game 4
Better settle in. It could be a long playoff series.
For the second time in three days, the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators went to double overtime at Bridgestone Arena. For the second time, the Predators won it, with Luke Kunin’s goal giving them a 4-3 victory Sunday and a 2-2 tie in the Stanley Cup playoff series.
Brock McGinn scored twice for the Canes. But the Predators, trailing 2-0 in the series, returned home Friday and clawed out a 5-4 victory that took two overtimes, and did it again Sunday.
Kunin’s second goal of the game, at 16:10 of the second OT, ended it after a defensive breakdown by the Canes. Kunin also scored in the first minute of the game.
The series shifts back to Raleigh for Game 5 on Tuesday at PNC Arena.
The Hurricanes had a power play four minutes into the overtime after a delay-of-game penalty, but the Preds killed it off. That came after the Canes were 0-3 on the power play in regulation.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked after the game if his players were “crushed” by the loss.
“Of course, they’re crushed,” he said. “You play your butts off like that, and I think we were the better team in that game, and you want better. You feel like you deserve better. It doesn’t work that way, as we know.”
“You play your butts off like that and I think we were the better team in that game. You want better. You feel like you deserve better. It doesn’t work that way, as we know.
Sunday’s afternoon game was one of quick strikes, deflections, hard hits and spectacular saves. Preds goalie Juuse Saros had 58 saves.
Kunin scored 57 seconds into the game for a 1-0 lead. McGinn’s second goal came 13 seconds into the third. Those not already in their seats at Bridgestone might have missed one or both.
The Canes twice tied the score in the game before McGinn’s early goal in the third gave Carolina a 3-2 lead. But a penalty on Canes defenseman Dougie Hamilton led to a power-play score by the Preds’ Nick Cousins for a 3-3 ti
Brind’Amour gave goalie Alex Nedeljkovic his fourth straight start in the playoffs and the Preds again countered with Saros for a fourth game. Both had great moments and a few they’d prefer to forget.
Nedeljkovic gave up a goal to the Preds’ Ryan Johansen in the second period when he couldn’t smother a loose puck in front of him in the crease.
Saros had a shot by the Canes’ Martin Necas trickle through him to the goal line, where the Canes’ Vincent Trocheck banged it in. But the Canes had 61 shots and he made 58 saves, helped along by teammates who blocked 31 shots.
“He’s playing well,” Brind’Amour said. “Obviously, you’d like to get there more. They’ve got big D, they do a nice job not giving us the seconds. But overall, I think it was a real solid game for us. I think we’re digging in and doing what we have to do to get the opportunities, which is all we can do, and their goalie’s playing great.”
But there were huge stops, too, for Nedeljkovic. He stoned Yakov Trenin on a two-on-none rush by the Predators, then stopped an Erik Haula shot off the rush in the third.
Late in regulation Nedeljkovic made a hard push to his left to stop a Cousins shot after a deflection in front of the net. The Preds’ Haula high-sticked the puck before the Cousins shot, but Nedeljkovic’s play was sensational.
“He’s a wall back there,” McGinn said. “He gives us a chance to win every night.”
The Canes again played without defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who continues to be slowed by lower-body injury. Max Lajoie, who made his Hurricanes debut on Friday, got a second start.
Offense was not a problem. The Canes had a 38-8 advantage in total shot attempts in the first period and led 80-45 after three periods. But the score was 3-3 and off to overtime they went.
(Earlier updates)
Third period: McGinn scores again
Canes forward Brock McGinn, who scored late in the second period, did it again 13 seconds into the third for a 3-2 lead, but the Predators later tied it on a power play.
McGinn got off a rising shot as he fell on the opening shift of the third. That came after he scored with 1:55 left in the second.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour started Jordan Staal with McGinn and Jordan Martinook. Staal won the faceoff and both Martinook and Staal had assists on the goal.
But the Preds converted their first power play of the game on a Nick Cousins deflection 3:15 into the third.
Second period: McGinn ties it
Brock McGinn’s goal late in the second period has pulled the Canes back into a 2-2 tie.
McGinn got off a shot from the left circle, the puck hitting the far post and then in the net. With Jordan Martinook in front of the net to screen goalie Juuse Saros, McGinn scored his first of the playoffs with 1:55 left in the period -- Steven Lorentz and Martinook with the assists.
The Canes have twice trailed and twice scored late in the period to tie it. Their first goal, from Vincent Trocheck, came with 1:57 left in the first period for a 1-1 tie.
Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic has been solid for the Canes in the playoffs, limiting his mistakes, but he made one in the second period and it was costly. The guy they call “Ned” soon made up for it.
When Nedeljkovic failed to cover a loose puck in the crease, the Preds’ Ryan Johansen collected it and scored for a 2-1 lead. Johansen’s second of the playoffs came at 4:53 of the period as Matt Duchene and Mattias Ekholm had the assists.’
Nedeljkovic recovered from the gaffe for the biggest stop in the first 40 minutes. The Preds had a two-on-none rush but Nedeljkovic, with a quick push to his right, stoned Yakov Trenin and then stopped Trenin again on the rebound.
The Canes’ third power play of the game was uneventful and ineffective -- Carolina is 0-for-3. But McGinn scored at even strength as the fourth line provided some offense.
First period: Tied 1-1
The Predators had the best possible start and the Canes probably the worst, but the Canes controlled much the first period, which ended 1-1.
The Preds’ Luke Kunin scored in the first minute of the game and Vincent Trocheck scored late for the Canes, his second in as many games.
After a poor Dougie Hamilton pass out of the Carolina zone was picked off by Ryan Ellis, Kunin got behind the defense in front of the crease to beat goalie Alex Nedeljkovic 57 seconds into the first. Mikael Granlund ,who had a give-and-go with Kunin, and and Ellis had the assists.
Trocheck scored with 1:57 left in the first after Martin Necas got off a shot and the puck trickled through goalie Juuse Saros. Trocheck, on the backside, popped in the puck.
The Canes limited Nashville to five shots in the first and had finished with 17. Total attempts favored the Canes 38-8.
Nashville was called for three penalties in the opening period and the Canes one, which appeared to anger Preds coach John Hynes, who let his opinion be known to the refs. Carolina’s two power plays produced four shots.
Game setup: Focus the key
The Hurricanes can’t get caught up with the refs, the calls, penalties, bad breaks or the Nashville crowd Sunday in Game 4 against the Predators.
The Canes’ only priority is winning the game and taking a 3-1 series lead back to Raleigh. That’s it. The short list.
“I don’t think we have to worry about any of that stuff outside of playing hockey and trying to win a game,” center Sebastian Aho said Saturday. “We’re a tight group. We’re not going to let any of that stuff get into us.
“Every game is important and you just want to do your best to help your team win. That’s about it.”
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Sunday there would be no lineup changes for Game 4, meaning defenseman Jaccob Slavin will miss another game and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic will start another game.
Slavin will be scratched for third straight playoff game with a lower-body injury that’s now become a major concern for the Hurricanes. Brind’Amour continues to call it a “day-to-day” injury, not ruling him out of the series, but can’t say when he might play again.
Slavin’s absence has caused shuffling on the back end. Brady Skjei has moved into Slavin’s spot in the top defensive pairing with Dougie Hamilton. Jake Bean played with Brett Pesce and Max Lajoie with Jani Hakanpaa in Game 3.
Skjei and Hamilton had their problems as the Preds appeared to take advantage of the last change at home and could get some favorable matchups. Bean and Pesce held their own as did Lajoie, in his Hurricanes, debut and Hakanpaa. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, were on the ice for several of the Preds’ scoring chances at even strength.
Brind’Amour on Sunday downplayed the effect of Preds coach John Hynes having last change, saying, “I really don’t think it was much of a factor. When we’re rolling and playing well it’s never a factor. Obviously it becomes more of a factor when we’re missing Jaccob Slavin. That’s a big deal. That matchup there, obviously we don’t have anyone to replace him. So that can be an issue, certainly.”
In the second overtime Friday, the Preds’ Matt Duchene took a flip pass, got past Bean and beat Nedeljkovic for the winner in a 5-4 victory at Bridgestone Arena.
Nedeljkovic, after allowing two goals in the first two playoff games, faced 54 shots on Friday in Game 3, including 20 in the two OTs periods.
Game 5 is Tuesday at PNC Arena. The starting time has not been announced.
This story was originally published May 23, 2021 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Hurricanes fall to Predators in double overtime of Game 4."
