After losing both games at home, the Carolina Hurricanes traveled to Florida in hopes of stealing back some leverage, down 0-2 heading into Game Three. The Hurricanes have yet to show up in this NHL Playoff series or the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, going into this game having lost 14 of those games in a row, per the TNT Sports broadcast. The fans are desperate to break the curse, but it’s unlikely. All stats below per ESPN.
The first period was a competitive, defensive frame. The only goal was scored by Florida defenceman Niko Mikkola at the 12:07 mark, taking advantage of a power play. Hockey got real at 16:59 when Panther forward Eetu Luostarinen was called for a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Carolina forward Jackson Blake. No intent was apparent, as the two were tangled heading into the boards, but it didn’t make the hit any less scary or dangerous. Blake went headfirst through the air, striking with only his helmet. Wrestling fans, this felt like Kevin Nash launching Rey Mysterio like a dart into the side of a truck.
Hope was dwindling for the Hurricanes’ season until forward Logan Stankoven scored a power-play goal to tie the game 1-1. The goal came off an uncharacteristic rebound from Panther goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky at 14:51. Carolina looked sharper than the previous game using the eye test and felt good with a tie heading into the second intermission.
Period three got shameful quickly for Carolina. The Panthers netted five unanswered goals.
Forward Seth Jarvis scored a power-play goal for the Hurricanes to make it 6-1. The remainder of the game had no goals, but Carolina’s emotions were boiling over, and the Panthers were happy to oblige. The underdogs started backup goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov to spark the team, but the results were identical.
If the Hurricanes have any chance, the defense has to show what it did in the previous rounds. They do not have the high-end talent to keep up with Florida in a shootout. How embarrassing would it be to lose 16 Eastern Conference games in a row while getting swept out of the playoffs? Carolina is about to find out.
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