Thoughts From My Couch: Carolina Hurricanes v. Nashville Predators, Round 1, Game 1

For the first time since the Stanley Cup Final in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes are opening up a series at home. To add to the excitement, PNC Arena welcomed 12,000 fans after capacity was increased. Having not played a true playoff home game since losing to the Boston Bruins two seasons ago, this isn't something the team has been used to. There were a lot of question heading into the game on the injury front, but the team had nearly a full compliment of players. What follows is my view of the game from my couch. While I might not have been there in person, the view couldn't have been any better.

1st Period: Predators 1, Hurricanes 1

The atmosphere coming through the television from the 12,000 fans in PNC Arena could certainly be felt throughout the entire period. The period as a whole had every major staple of playoff hockey. The action was fast, the hits were hard, and the players were not messing around. It didn't take long for the boys in stripes to get involved in the action. Just 51 seconds into the game, Brock McGinn draws an interference call against Calle Jarnkrok but for his efforts, McGinn is given a matching embellishment penalty to give us 4-on-4 early on, though nothing would come of it. Jordan Martinook drew a tripping penalty a few minutes later and the Canes were awarded the first power play of the series. Nothing would come of it, though the second unit certainly made more of an impact than the first unit. However, after a solid chance from Nino as time expired on the power play, he was called for cross-checking. The kill had to take the ice for the first time and it pitched a two-minute shutout. Nashville struck first on a strong individual play from Ryan Johansen below the goal line. Johansen fed Filip Forsberg who slid it five-hole on Ned to draw first blood and give Nashville a 1-0 lead. Less than 90 seconds later, the Canes would get that goal back thanks to a strong shift from Steven Lorentz. He went in hard on the forecheck, got the puck to the point for Brett Pesce, who shot it at the net, and Teuvo Teravainen tipped it past Juuse Saros with one hand and tied the game at one. Lorentz would earn the secondary assist, earning his first Stanley Cup Playoff point. The Canes controlled play for most of the remainder of the period, getting another power play late in the period that did not score, and the two teams went into the locker room tied at one in the series' opening game. 

2nd Period: Predators 2, Hurricanes 2

The Canes looked really good at even strength during the second period. They controlled most of the action for long stretches of the period. The big problem with this is that the game is tied. Neither team has liked to play with the lead. The Canes got an early power play in the period that was negated about a minute and a half into the man advantage by a Teuvo Teravainen trip. With another 4-on-4 scenario, Jordan Staal, with the help of Brett Pesce, split the Predators defense and shot a puck on net from a sharp angle that beat Saros over the shoulder, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead and a penalty to kill. They would go on to kill the penalty, but Nashville pushed. The push paid off as Erik Haula received a pass kept in from the point, threw it on net, and past Ned with a deflection off the back of Jani Hakanpaa's jersey tying the game at 2-2 with 11:19 left in the period. It felt like the Canes took over after the tying goal. The real X-Factor of the game so far has been Steven Lorentz. He has looked really strong in his first career NHL playoff game. He's had several good chances and helped to get the team a power play by feeding a pass to Brock McGinn that led to a Roman Josi penalty. It feels like Haula has become Public Enemy #1 among the PNC faithful. The Canes are going to need to come out on fire in the third because Nashville isn't going anywhere. They are not afraid of the Central Division champions.

3rd Period: Predators 2, Hurricanes 5

This was a complete performance in the third period from the Canes. Nashville had no answer for anything the Canes threw at them for 20 minutes and it showed in almost every metric. They carried all the momentum from the second period and it didn't take long for Carolina to take the lead again. After Saros makes a huge save on Vincent Trocheck to keep the game tied, Necas wins a battle below the goal line and feeds Nino Neiderrieter out front who fires the puck into the net before Saros could catch up and the Canes kept a stranglehold on the lead from that point on. A few minutes later, it was another battle below the line from Jordan Staal and Warren Foegele that led to the next goal. Foegele wins the battle and puts the puck on net. Jordan Staal picked up the rebound, turned, and fired it between Saros' legs to give the Canes a two-goal lead eight minutes into the period. From that point on, the defense locked it down and an empty net goal from Andrei Svechnikov gave the Canes the 5-2 win in Game 1

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Steven Lorentz, 1 A in Playoff Debut

It was only one game, but Lorentz has the potential to fill the same role Warren Foegele played in the series against Washington two seasons ago. Lorentz was all over the ice in the first two periods and it was his winning of a battle that led to the Canes' first goal of the game. He was buzzing all night and is going to be a major neusance for the Predators if he remains in the lineup.

Second Star- Brett Pesce, 2 A

While he had primary assists on the team's first two goals, Pesce was also a standout on defense, deflecting several shots into the net. Pesce is one of the best defensive players on the team and he was a major part of the shutdown effort in the third period. He is often over-looked with the likes of Hamilton and Slavin in the lineup, but Pesce was the best of the blueliners tonight.

First Star- Jordan Staal, 2 G

He's the captain for a reason and he led the way all night. There is nothing flashy about his game but that has never been his style. His first goal was a thing of beauty and his second all but deflated the Predators' tires in the third. He had an amazing regular season and it has carried over into the first game. He might be the most important player in this series for the team.

Final Thoughts

This game had a different feeling. Obviously it's a playoff game, but the fans and the level of excitement in PNC Arena made this feel special. There were a lot of things to like about this performance. Ned wins in his playoff debut. Lorentz records a point in his playoff debut. There were dozens of solid hits. The penalty kill was perfect. It was a nearly perfect recipe. I would've loved to see the power play score at some point in the game given all the chances. That'll be a big point of emphasis going into Game 2. This is a Nashville team that is going to come out hungry on Wednesday and it'll be up to the Canes to meet their aggression while remaining disciplined. Let's take the next 24 hours to celebrate the first win of the playoff because this is just the first of sixteen if the cup is going to be in our future. This is the first step. The push for step two happens on Wednesday. 1-0, Canes.