Carolina Hurricanes: Top 10 Games in Franchise History
By Brett Finger
Feb 26, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of an official NHL puck on the ice at Nationwide Arena. The Canadiens 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
#10. 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals – Game 5
To kick off the list, we go back over 13 years ago to the Carolina Hurricanes’ first legitimate run for a Stanley Cup.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes squared off against the New Jersey Devils. Tied 2-2 in the series, the Canes came home for a very important game 5.
Up to that point in the first round, the home team had won every game with Carolina taking games 1 and 2 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena and New Jersey dominating the Hurricanes in games 3 and 4 at the Continental Airlines Arena.
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Game 5 in Raleigh was tight one. The Devils had a 2-1 lead late in the third period, but the Canes went to the man advantage. With just 1:28 to go in regulation, Jeff O’Neill tallied the game-tying goal. The crowd erupted, and the two teams needed overtime to settle the game.
Early on in the overtime period, Canes starting goalie Kevin Weekes made one of the best saves of the entire 2002 playoffs. It was a diving glove save all alone in front, and the Canes fed off that energy.
8:16 into overtime, the late Josef Vasicek got one past Martin Brodeur to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 series lead. Then, three days later, the Hurricanes became the first road team to win in that series, shutting out the Devils in their own arena to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
The Canes ended up having a great and unprecedented playoff run in 2002, but it may not have happened without the heroics of Jeff O’Neill, Kevin Weekes and Josef Vasicek.
Next: 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals - Game 4