The Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens played their final games of 2013 on Tuesday night. In what may have been the best game of 2013, the Carolina Hurricanes pulled off a miraculous comeback to beat the Canadiens.
Scoring Summary
Lars Eller opened the scoring 1:20 into period one for the Montreal Canadiens. After a Carolina Hurricanes turnover, Eller was left alone in front of Cam Ward, and he got it past the Canes goaltender. Alex Galchenyuk got the assist.
The Montreal Canadiens weren’t done. Max Pacioretty made it 2-0 with his tip-in out front of Cam Ward who was out of position. The power play goal was assisted by David Desharnais and Andrei Markov. at
Max Pacioretty made it 3-0 at 14:24 of period two. P.K. Subban set him up in the slot, and he put it past Cam Ward. P.K. Subban and David Desharnais got the assists.
Jeff Skinner put life into the Carolina Hurricanes in the third period. He ripped a wicked wrist shot from the slot past Carey Price to cut into the Montreal lead. Jordan Staal and Andrej Sekera got the assists.
Jeff Skinner lit the lamp 27 seconds later to make it 3-2. Andrej Sekera passed it to Jeff Skinner, and he ripped it by Carey Price from the slot. Andrej Sekera and Eric Staal got the assists.
The captain brought the house down at 4:07 of period three when he tied it at three. Jeff Skinner threw it to the net, and Eric Staal was there to put it past Price. Eric Staal and Brett Bellemore got the assists.
Manny Malhotra gave the Carolina Hurricanes the lead at 8:16 of the third period off a beautiful pass from Zach Boychuk. Malhotra put a well placed shot past Price to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 lead. Zach Boychuk and Tuomo Ruutu got the assists.
P.K. Subban would put an end to the Carolina Hurricanes run at 10:16 of the third period to tie the game at four. Subban sent a slap shot from the point past Cam Ward. Ward was interfered with in front by Brendan Gallagher, but the goal still counted. Andrei Markov and David Desharnais got the assists.
Alex Semin was the hero tonight with the game winning overtime goal at 3:27 of the extra period to bring in the New Year with a Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 win. Semin sent a turn around wrist shot through the Carey Price. Ron Hainsey and Eric Staal got the assists.
Analysis
The first two periods were absolutely abysmal for the Carolina Hurricanes. They played terribly, but the third period was the best period of hockey I’ve seen in a very long time. It was a complete team effort for the Carolina Hurricanes in the third period against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Carolina Hurricanes should not have won this game, but the terrific effort in the third period from the Carolina Hurricanes was the difference.
Cam Ward had an underrated game against the Montreal Canadiens. His numbers weren’t spectacular, but he did what he needed to do in order to get a big win for the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a good performance for him, and hopefully he can build on that performance.
The big line of Jeff Skinner, Eric Staal and Alex Semin carried the team offensively in the third period. They showed a lot of promise. Hopefully they can continue to contribute in big ways for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Eric Staal, in specific, had a very interesting game. He did terrific in the face-off circle. He won 29 of 40 draws against the Montreal Canadiens, but he took a completely unnecessary unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the third period. His game was very good, but it wasn’t a complete game for the captain.
It think we are really seeing something special with Jeff Skinner. He has turned into the league’s hottest scorer. He has shown the ability to completely turn a hockey game around for the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been unbelievable.
In all the heroics, there is still a down side. The Carolina Hurricanes need to play a 60 minute game. They haven’t done this in a very long time, and they need to start doing that. They can not rely on late game heroics every night.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens played one of the best games of 2013 on New Year’s Eve. This game can really turn the season around for the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Carolina Hurricanes brought in the New Year with a huge comeback win against the Montreal Canadiens. The Carolina Hurricanes will be back in action on Thursday night in the nation’s capital to face the Washington Capitals.
Happy New Year from Cardiac Cane!