Take Warning: Hurricanes Even the Series at Two
Photo: Jamie Kellner
After falling in a 2-0 first round series hole in Washington D.C., the young Hurricanes squad didn’t panic. Instead they came back to Raleigh, regrouped, and beat the Capitals twice in a row (first time that’s happened to the Capitals in regulation since January). Last night’s 2-1 victory evened the first round series against the defending Stanley Cup champions at two games apiece.
The crowd at PNC Arena last night was absolutely rocking and created an awesome atmosphere from the get-go. At 19,202 in attendance, it was the largest hockey crowd in PNC Arena history. They were into the game and loud all night, which the team absolutely fed off. Warren Foegele, who scored two goals in game 3, stayed hot by scoring just 17 seconds into the game, which set the tone for the home team.
Photo: newsobserver.com
About midway through the second period the Capitals were able to tie the score at one when Alexander Ovechkin deposited the puck into the back of the net on a power play goal. But Teuvo Teravainen sent one past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby with 28 seconds left in the 2nd period to put the Canes ahead, and would end up being the game-winning goal. It was Nino Niederreiter who found Teravainen to score the big-time goal, the first goal of the series for left wing.
Petr Mrazek stopped 30 of 31 shots on the night for Carolina, who was one of the three stars of the game for the Hurricanes. His counterpart Holtby only faced 24 shot attempts, but let two of them slip by. That was all the Hurricanes needed. The big concern for Carolina now is injuries, as they had another one last night. Jordan Martinook slammed into the boards pretty hard in the 1st period, injuring his right knee. He returned for a short stint, but would be taken back out and didn’t return to the game. We already know about Andrei Svechnikov and his concussion protocol after his fight against Ovechkin in game 3. And Michael Ferland is also dealing with an upper body injury.
After taking care of business on home ice, the Hurricanes will travel back to DC for game 5, which will take place tomorrow night. Game 6 will be back in Raleigh, and game 7 (if necessary) would be back in Washington D.C. The Hurricanes have come a long way this season and the fans are proud to see them come this far and put up a gritty effort against the defending champions. No matter the outcome of the series, it’s definitely something to build on moving forward. But right now the sights are set on making a playoff run. It’s going to take a lot to knock off the Capitals in the opening round, but the Canes and their fans are saying “take warning!”
Garett