The Carolina Hurricanes secured their spot in the second round last night, with an overtime win against the Nashville Predators in Game 6 to end the series.
The game started with a relatively slow first period, though it did feature some quick goals. Nashville wasted no time jumping ahead early, with Nick Cousins tipping in a shot to give the Predators the lead under two minutes into the contest. Carolina quickly responded though, as Brock McGinn made a great move to keep control of the puck below the goal line, then walked out front and beat Juuse Saros.
Unlike the first period though, the second period was all Predators. Nashville held the Hurricanes to just five shots all period and led in high-danger chances by a 7-3 margin (according to NaturalStatTrick.com). Mikael Granlund got the lead back for the Predators just over a minute into the period, before Ryan Johansen scored on a power play chance a little later on. Sebastian Aho tipped in a shot from Dougie Hamilton to cut the lead to a single goal but it certainly wasn’t a great period for the Hurricanes.
Things did swing the other way in the third period though, with the Hurricanes outshooting the Predators 16-5. Finally, with about six minutes to go, Dougie Hamilton managed to tie the game off a backdoor pass from Jaccob Slavin.
For the fourth game in a row, the teams went to overtime. The Hurricanes ended the extra frame early, with Sebastian Aho deflecting Jaccob Slavin’s point shot just enough to fool Saros and send the Hurricanes to the second round.
The Hurricanes were the better team for the majority of the series and after battling their way back, deserved to win Game 6. They’ll now face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the playoffs.
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