2 Takeaways From Hurricanes’ 3-2 Game 2 Overtime Win Over Canadiens

After losing in Game 1 on Thursday night (May 21), the Carolina Hurricanes bounced back in a big way on Saturday night (May 23), winning 3-2 in overtime. They will head to Montreal with the series tied 1-1 in the Eastern Conference Final. It was clear from the start of the game that the Hurricanes were more focused and dialed in. That said, what stood out in Game 2 that led to the bounce back for the Hurricanes over the Montreal Canadiens?

Takeaway #1: Fly Nikolaj Ehlers, Fly

The Hurricanes’ depth stepped up in a big way on Saturday with Eric Robinson scoring the first goal of the playoffs, his second in as many games. That was followed up by the man of the night, Nikolaj Ehlers. Ehlers scored an absolute wonder goal after a superb one-man effort to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead late in the second period. The Canadiens scored in the third period and forced overtime, in part because Josh Anderson had both of their goals in the game.

In the end, it was Ehlers who scored the game-winning goal for the Hurricanes in overtime. His second goal of the game, his fourth of the playoffs, was a huge one, giving the Hurricanes their first home Eastern Conference Final win since 2006. Ehlers has shown in the playoffs why the Hurricanes signed him to his six-year deal this past summer. He’s called “Fly” for a reason, and she showed off that speed in Game 2.

After the win, Ehlers was asked about his game-winning goal, “Chatty got it, and I saw Janks and Robbie were coming towards the bench side, so I thought, ‘I’m going to try and pick up some speed and go to the other side, see if I can create some space and some room to get it and skate.’ It was a great pass, I don’t even know if it was from Robbie or Janks, to be honest. Then, I just tried to get some speed and get the puck off my stick as quick as possible and try to surprise the goalie. Seeing that go in, [and] seeing how the fans reacted was pretty cool.”

It was a great play by Jalen Chatfield to set up the play, which saw Mark Jankowski link up with Ehlers, who went on to become the overtime hero. Overall, it was a massive night for Ehlers, who had a career season in his first go-around with the Hurricanes. Now in his first playoffs in Raleigh, he is making the impact that everyone was hoping for.

When Jaccob Slavin was asked about his effort in Game 2, he stated, “(He’s) been unbelievable. It’s awesome. He’s so fast out there, (he) makes unbelievable plays with the puck. Obviously, on that first goal he had, you see the skill that he has. He’s been a great addition for us, and we need him to keep doing that.”

Ehlers has been everything the Hurricanes hoped for and then some. He’s in the first year of his six-year contract, and it’s already paying off. He was the Game 2 hero, and the Hurricanes hope he continues to make an impact as the series shifts to Montreal.

Takeaway #2: Better Start to Game 2

The Hurricanes were more focused and ready to go in Game 2 than in Game 1. They were able to stop the stretch passes by the Canadiens and kept them contained, despite the two goals, to force overtime. The Hurricanes held them to 12 shots all game, with seven of those coming in the third period. At one point, the Hurricanes held the Canadiens to five shots through 40 minutes of action. When it came to overtime, the visitors had zero shots.

After giving up four goals in the first 10 and a half minutes in Game 1, what a big bounce back effort by the defense, and the team as a whole. They were able to establish their game quicker, and it showed in how they did not give the Canadiens much in terms of chances.

When asked about the series being tied after a solid Game 2, head coach Rod Brind’Amour stated, “It’s huge, obviously. They’re going to be happy with getting the win here, and we’re happy that at least we can start the series over. Nothing’s really been accomplished, other than we can kind of trash that first game, and we can really start the series now. The good news is that I think we feel good about what we need to do, and we got to it tonight.”

It was a night-and-day difference between Games 1 and 2 in Raleigh. If the Hurricanes can learn from the split, especially with how they got after it in Game 2, this could be a solid chance for the Hurricanes to break the “Eastern Conference Final curse” that they’ve been dealing with since 2019.

Following Saturday night’s win, the Hurricanes will need to take that effort from Game 2 and replicate that through Games 3 and 4 in Montreal. One thing is for certain: we have a series, and there will be at least a Game 5 back in Raleigh on Friday, May 29. Before that, however, the Hurricanes will need to win on the road at the Bell Center to give them another step closer to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.