Unbelievable! That is the only word to describe the goal Jeff Skinner scored in the final milliseconds of Tuesday night’s game to tie the score and send the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators to overtime. With a 2-3 loss being inked on the final score sheet, Skinner blasted a laser right past Senators goalie Andrew Hammond with literally only 3/10 of a second left on the clock. Overtime!
Unbelievable Goal Relived
In case you missed it, here is Skinner’s last millisecond goal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc1_jyccc5A
I can assure you no one in Raleigh’s PNC Arena saw that coming, especially Hammond. It was one of the most exciting moments I have personally seen in a long time. It truly was unbelievable!
Skinner Scoring Spurts
Skinner has scored in spurts this season. He leads the ‘Canes in goals at 25. Tuesday night’s game-tying blast was preceded earlier in the evening with a nice rebound shot that he slid past Hammond who had sprawled to the other side of the net, leaving a gaping hole for Skinner.
[Goal GIF] @JeffSkinner got the #Canes on the board in the second period. #OTTvsCAR pic.twitter.com/wvEn6Vq8zu
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 9, 2016
The goal was crucial as the Hurricanes were down 0-2 at that point, after a lethargic first period that saw the Senators take the early lead. Jordan Staal said that Coach Bill Peters had something to say during the intermission.
“We got a little talking-to by coach,” Staal said. “It was truthful,” Peters said of his message.
Whatever Peters said, (and wouldn’t you love to have heard it), Carolina came out of the locker room with much more energy and was able to tie the game on a short-handed goal by Jay McClement. The game was knotted up at two apiece and the momentum had definitely swung in Carolina’s direction.
That was of course until the Senators answered with a short-handed goal of their own, right as the second period was about to end. Zack Smith lit the lamp and the air of momentum began to seep out of the Hurricanes’ balloon.
Don’t Leave Just Yet
The temptation for fans is to head to the exits when all appears to be lost. And honestly, all did appear to be lost for the ‘Canes all the way up to 19:59 in the third period. And then the unbelievable goal by Skinner meant that it might be a good idea for everybody to stay put.
Overtime came and went without a lot of fanfare and the Sens and ‘Canes lined up for the shootout. Not surprisingly, it was filled with its own drama, as Jaccob Slavin scored the winning shootout goal.
[Highlight] Take another look at @Jslavin7's game-deciding shootout goal last night → WATCH: https://t.co/cUdPsXCMey pic.twitter.com/aO0NU8Izrg
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 9, 2016
It was Slavin’s first career NHL shootout goal, but not the first time he has used the move. After the game Slavin said,
“It’s my go-to move. I’ve done that my whole life. It’s worked a couple of times for me in the past, so I figured I’d give it a shot.”
He gave it a shot indeed and gave his team the all-important second point with the win.
The two points pull the Hurricanes within four points of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card playoff spot. The team is doing much better than anyone expected. (Read my latest “Canes Too Good to Tank” for insight on where the team finds itself at this point of the season).
The road ahead is not easy for this young team, but the “young guns” are getting it done. We’ll find out what else they have up their sleeve Thursday night when they face the Boston Bruins for the start of a five-game road trip.
Featured Image Photo by (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Mark Shiver is a staff writer for The Hockey Writers credentialed with the Carolina Hurricanes. You can follow him on Twitter @markshiver
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