A common thing Game 1 and Game 2 share in this series is that the Washington Capitals struck first, well, at least twice in both games and forced the Hurricanes have to climb a hill to get the game back even. In Game 1, the Hurricanes gave up three and had nothing to challenge it until it was too late, only being able to get two then lose the game to a Lars Eller empty-netter. Game 2, they came back to send it to overtime and then still lost the game.
The Carolina Hurricanes need to set the tone, strike early. They need to score first and show the Capitals that PNC Arena is their house and they will not be pushed around. They need to play on their toes and not their heels, stay in their zone, get guys in front, and get pucks to the net. The Hurricanes will likely get Holtby off of his game if they can get one past him first, if not early.
Of course, striking first should not be where you stop, but you have to start somewhere. A strong start will get these offensive lines rolling and they can focus on adding to that lead. Sebastian Aho recently broke his 15-game goal drought and perhaps he gets his line rolling. Andrei Svechnikov has been on fire, Jordan Staal is creating offense. Hopefully one of them gets the train chugging.
Despite key defensive breakdowns, bad goals, and offensive bloopers in the first two games, it’s time to move on. The Carolina Hurricanes need to get off the hump from the first two games, it’s a new outlook now.
We, as fans, are upset, frustrated, and disappointed for Game 1 where the comeback came so close, in Game 2 where the game was one goal away from going home to Raleigh with momentum on the Hurricanes side. That has to be overlooked and the hype and crowd needs to be loud. It’s playoff hockey and anything can happen, let’s get optimistic.
Question for CC Readers: Who do you think will light the lamp first in Game 3 to give the Hurricanes the needed first tally?