The Carolina Hurricanes ran out of gas in the final leg of their three-game road trip, falling 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime.
After whooping their previous two opponents by a combined score of 13-3, the Canes (44-15-8) couldn’t get all six points in those three games. The Hurricanes penalty kill, which has been statistically stellar this season, gave up an abysmal three power play goals to the Lightning (42-18-6) on four opportunities.
“At the end of the day, I could tell: first shift, we were gassed,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “I was like ‘Oh, we’re in for one tonight.’ The guys tried their hardest but we were so slow on everything and you could clearly see it.”
The Canes PK got the job done in the first with a successful kill, Alex Killorn netted the first power play for the Lightning early in the second period. Later in that period, Carolina gave up its only non-special teams goal to Victor Hedman who tied it up at 2-2.
Tampa’s power play did the most damage in crunch time, however, as the Canes saw their 3-2, second-intermission lead vanish due to Tampa’s PP scoring once in the third and in overtime. Brayden Point scored the game-tying goal in the third, and Steven Stamkos clinched the win for Tampa with the game-winner just 52 seconds into the overtime period.
“We were a step slow on everything we were doing,” Brind’Amour said. “And not only physically, but mentally we were just a step slow. You could just see it. The power play was atrocious, it was the same thing. Everything you’re doing is slow and then [Tampa is] on you.”
Carolina had a couple of silver linings to take away from this game. Center Sebastian Aho scored a milestone goal late in the second period to not only give the Canes a 3-2 lead heading into the final period but also pass former center Brind’Amour for fourth-most goals in the Hurricanes history.
“He’s certainly grown as a player,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s a very elite player. I think he’s gonna get better. He wants to be known as that kind of player. So in order to do that, you have to get better, obviously, to try to push us to be the best team in the world. That’s the goal here, so I think he has that in mind. That’s what he’s all about and so it makes him a special player.”
Center Seth Jarvis also put together a solid performance for the Canes, notching Carolina’s only multipoint night with a goal and an assist. After a lengthy stretch of slim production, Jarvis is finding ways to produce at the NHL level despite his 5-foot-10-inch, 175-pound frame.
“[My confidence]’s pretty high,” Jarvis said. “But I think obviously, it feels a lot better when you win. So right now, we’re just focusing on the outcome. But yeah, my confidence is good.”
Regardless, the Lightning were simply the better team on the night. The Hurricanes got outshot 32-19 across the 60 minutes and change. Tampa doubled Carolina’s shot totals in the first and third period and the Canes barely outshot the Lightning 10-9 in the second.
The Hurricanes will head home for an Eastern Conference matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, March 31. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
