In the Carolina Hurricanes’ final game at Lenovo Center of the regular season, they delighted their fans as they defeated the Boston Bruins (and the referees) with a 6–5 overtime victory to capture the Metropolitan Division.
As the game began, Eric Robinson was taken out of the lineup in favor of Nicolas Deslauriers, but the Hurricanes appeared a bit disjointed defensively. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour had put the defensive lines into the old blender, pairing Jakob Slavin with Shayne Gostisbeer, K’Andre Miller with Jalen Chatfield, and Alexander Nikishin with Sean Walker. It was a rare opportunity for Nikishin to play to his natural side, and ultimately it was the only pair to remain unbeaten in the following frames.
With the Bruins’ first shot of the game, Hampus Lindholm found the back of the net. However, the lead was short-lived as the Hurricanes scored twice in 1:34 – one by Andrei Svechnikov, who scored his 30th goal of the season, matching his career high, and one by K’Andre Miller.
Goaltender interference: Disappointed, but not surprised
Shortly thereafter, Morgan Geikie tied the game, and before the period ended, Geikie scored his second of the game. However, the second goal was strange for the former Hurricane. As the puck was turned in by goaltender Brandon Bussey, it appeared that David Pastrnak had collided with him making contact inside his crease.
Brind’Amour took time to review the play before deciding to challenge it for goaltender interference, but it ultimately remained on the boards. The official ruling from the NHL on the play was that Pastrnak’s contact had no impact on Bussey’s ability to play his position.
…I disagree, but it is what it is – and it’s not surprising that the Hurricanes were betrayed by the goalie interference decision.
In the final seconds of the frame, the Hurricanes got a power play with literal goaltender interference, as Mark Kastelic got a pass on Bussy and knocked him down. This prevented a power play goal in the second period, but that was…ironic.
The storm ends Swayman’s streak and his night among the pipes
However, the Hurricanes got a boost in the second period, as they managed to score three goals in less than 10 minutes – a power play goal from Logan Stankoven, a goal from William Carrier, and a goal from former Bruin Taylor Hall. The scoring explosion led to a goaltender swap for the Boston Bruins as Joonas Korpisalo came in to relieve Jeremy Swayman. Heading into the game, Swayman had won nine straight games while allowing three or fewer goals.
Then, the hits started coming for the Hurricanes. And they came through hard work.
With a little more than a minute remaining in the second period, Geikie scored another goal – bringing the game to within a minute, scoring the second hat trick of his career, and the first in the building he once called home.
Less than thirty seconds later, 5’10” Seth Jarvis hit the corner boards after a big hit from 6’7” Nikita Zadorov. Head athletic trainer Doug Bennett came onto the ice to assist the Hurricanes’ leading goalscorer, but after a moment, he was able to leave for the locker room under his own power.
The Hurricanes’ bruiser, Nicolas Deslauriers, was not a fan of the hit and began squabbling with the Bruins’ defenseman, but it failed to generate a fight in the third frame. Deslauriers earned a single shift in the third period, which overlapped with Zadorov’s shift, but did not generate a fight.
Hurricanes compete with eternal rival, referee in third period
While Jarvis returned to the ice at the beginning of the third period, the Hurricanes lost Chatfield, who had returned to the top pairing after the first period, due to a lower body injury.
A little more than halfway through the period, Stankoven took a high-stick into the back of the Bruins’ net, leaving him bloodied. At first, it was believed that it was friendly fire from classmate Jackson Blake, but it was soon revealed that it was from Charlie McAvoy.
Whenever an injury occurs during a game and is not immediately called, a penalty may still be awarded after footage has been viewed. The Hurricanes presented their side, but the referee still failed to make a decision.
Less than 20 seconds later, Pavel Zacha tied the game with a feed from McEvoy.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jordan Martinook was later sent to the penalty box for interference on Jonathan Espirot, who ran into the Hurricanes winger, who was stationary at the blue line to stay onside.
The Hurricanes killed penalties, and neither team managed to get on the string again in regulation, which soon led to overtime, giving both teams a point in the standings – just what the Hurricanes needed to clinch the Metro Division.
An overtime goal worth remembering
With 3:47 remaining in the extra frame, Jakob Slavin scored his first goal of the season, topping a spectacular sequence of playmaking from Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho as he put it in with a backdoor snapshot.
With the win on the night and the division, the Hurricanes swept the final Storm Surge of the season. Slavin was pushed to center ice for a group hug, and his helmet was grabbed by Nikishin and paraded over the end of Svechnikov’s stick.
Tradition means a lot to Raleigh, and the Hurricanes made sure their fans got another taste of it with a full celebration after the game.
(PSST, if you want to see the Bruins’ perspective on the game, be sure to check out Jack Studley’s article on Boston Hockey Now!)
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