The Carolina Hurricanes, fresh off their game seven victory over Boston in the first round, now face the New York Rangers in the second round of the NHL Playoffs.
The ‘Canes started game one vs the Rangers in unfamiliar territory, being down at home. The PNC Arena, also known as the loudest arena in the NHL, was a little quieter than usual shortly after the match started thanks to the Rangers striking first.
New York took an early 1-0 lead in the first period and maintained that lead for much of the game. Carolina had many scoring opportunities and the ‘Canes could not find the net.
Carolina was within two minutes of experiencing their first home loss during the NHL playoffs but Sebastian Aho had other plans in mind. Aho scored a goal with 2:23 left in the game with the PNC Arena erupting in cheers and sounding like the loudest arena in hockey again. The match went into overtime with momentum shifting in the favor of the ‘Canes.
Three minutes into the period Ian Cole slapped a strong shot off a previously missed attempt and rebound, hitting the back of the net and giving Carolina a dramatic game one victory. The horns and sirens sounded with Caniacs screaming as loud as they had all night during the heart-racing game.
The ‘Canes did not play considerably well for most of game one but this team finds ways to win. Carolina will play game two in Raleigh on Friday night before heading to New York for games three and four.
| 5/18 | vs New York Rangers | W 2 – 1 |
| 5/20 | vs New York Rangers | Fri, 8:00 PM |
| 5/22 | @ New York Rangers | Sun, 3:30 PM |
| 5/24 | @ New York Rangers | Tue, 7:00 PM |
| 5/26 | vs New York Rangers | TBD |
| 5/28 | @ New York Rangers | TBD |
| 5/30 | vs New York Rangers | TBD |
