The Carolina Hurricanes lost an Eastern Conference heavyweight showdown to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 16, falling 3-2. The Canes blew a 2-1 lead in the final minute, allowing the Panthers to steal the win in overtime.
The game lived up to its billing as a matchup between two giants of the league, featuring very physical hockey and frequent scuffles, scrums and squabbles. Carolina (32-11-4) traded blows with Florida (33-10-5) for over 60 minutes, but in the end it was the Panthers that came out on top.
An early third-period goal by defenseman Tony DeAngelo put the Hurricanes ahead with 16:47 to go, but the Panthers put the pedal to the metal down the stretch. Goaltender Frederik Andersen and the Canes defense held out for nearly 17 minutes, but Sam Reinhart finally found Florida’s equalizer with 48.3 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Aaron Ekblad then flew by left wing Teuvo Teräväinen before putting the puck in the net to seal the deal after just 16 seconds of extra hockey.
“In the third period we were hanging on a little bit, obviously a little too much,” said center Jordan Staal. “If we want to win those games, we’ve got to play a little more on our toes and in their end. We kind of let them come at us. … We’ve got to do a better job of playing with the lead.”
The Canes’ bevy of missed chances earlier in the game ended up pouring salt on the wound. Carolina had two minutes to capitalize on a two-man advantage in the first period, but the power play got too fancy and failed to gain anything from the opportunity. A sliding block by Lukas Carlsson prevented the Canes from doubling their lead into an open net. Multiple empty-net opportunities in the final few minutes just did not go for Carolina.
Of course, the puck did find the net five times on the night, twice going in for the Hurricanes. Teräväinen drew first blood with less than a minute left in the first period, firing off a sweet spinning shot that beat Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky through the five-hole. Not to be forgotten, center Sebastian Aho provided a sick setup from the trapezoid to link up with Teräväinen.
The Panthers scored a highlight-reel goal of their own in the middle period to tie the game at 1-1. Aleksander Barkov schooled defenseman Brady Skjei one-on-one before slipping a shot past Andersen, eliminating the possibility of a shutout.
Despite the uptick in goals towards the end, both goalies finished with all-around solid statlines. Andersen notched 28 saves on 31 shots and Bobrovsky made 16 saves of his own while also securing the win.
Still, the Hurricanes were undeniably crushed to have come up short after being so close to victory. Even though his team salvaged a point with the OT loss, head coach Rod Brind’Amour was adamant that the Hurricanes were simply outplayed on the ice.
“We got what we deserved,” Brind’Amour said. “[The Panthers] were the better team. … You got to give them credit, they put the gas on. Yeah it’s disappointing, but the better team won tonight, no question.”
With both the Canes and the Panthers firmly in the playoff picture, the rough-and-tumble play and dramatic finish could very well be a sign of things to come. In the event that Carolina and Florida meet in the postseason, the Hurricanes know they will have to play better than they did tonight.
“You could definitely feel it in the atmosphere, it was an exciting game,” Staal said. “Two good teams battling it out. The first period was very quick. Those are the games we love to play, and it’s too bad we were on the losing end. We’ll find a way to create a better game next time.”
Carolina’s next chance to get back in the win column comes on Friday, Feb. 18 when it hosts the Nashville Predators. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
