It isn’t unfamiliar territory for the Carolina Hurricanes, who now find themselves in a 1-0 hole for the second straight series, but this time, there’s not a convenient excuse to fall back on.
Against the Montreal Canadiens, the Hurricanes could say they were just not mentally ready for the pace of play following an unprecedented 11-day break.
Advertisement
That isn’t so much the case now against the Vegas Golden Knights after dropping Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final 5-4.
After a great opening period, they were outplayed for the final 40 minutes, losing puck battles, blowing assignments and ultimately just making too many mistakes at crucial moments.
The Hurricanes had an electric start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead early on.
Nikolaj Ehlers blew the roof off of the arena just 25 seconds into the game, stripping Shea Theodore of the puck at the defensive blueline and taking it all the way up ice before rifling it between the glove and blocker of Vegas netminder Carter Hart.
Advertisement
Ehlers would strike again a bit later as Jalen Chatfield sent him off on a breakaway, which the Dane finished off on the backhand and through the five-hole.
Vegas would answer back though as a Theodore shot from the point ricocheted off of Eric Robinson‘s knee and in past Frederik Andersen.
Then to start the second period, it was all Golden Knights and Vegas found the equalizer less than 30 seconds in with Ivan Barbashev finding open space in the slot.
Less than five minutes after that, William Karlsson would give Vegas the lead unmarked in front of the Canes’ net.
Carolina would tie it back up late in the second as K’Andre Miller caught a clearing attempt at the blueline and then fed Jordan Staal for the tying goal.
Advertisement
But yet again, a breather would cost them
After killing off a penalty to start the third period, Chatfield lost the race with Brett Howden to the backdoor and once again, the Canes were trailing.
Shayne Gostisbehere would find the equalizer late into the third, but as quickly as he gave Carolina life, he was the one who ended it, losing Tomas Hertl off of the wall for the eventual game winner.
Carolina will have to regroup and clean up the defense if they want to get back into this series with Game 2 puck drop scheduled for Thursday.
Three Keys For The Carolina Hurricanes To Win The Stanley Cup
Advertisement
Who Are The Carolina Hurricanes Conn Smythe Front Runners?
Frederik Andersen Channels Grief For Pivotal Game 5 Win
The Carolina Hurricanes Are Back In The Stanley Cup Final
Jackson Blake Shooting Into Stardom
Image
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
