25 Clutch Goals in Carolina Hurricanes History (Part 2: #15-6)
#15: May 27, 2021- Dougie Hamilton on the Doorstep
When combing through the catalog of fantastic postseason series the Carolina Hurricanes have played, their series against Nashville in 2021 is a personal favorite of mine. Every game was intense and never was that more clear than Game 6. Down 3-2 in the series, the Predators looked to stay alive, holding a 3-1 lead more than halfway through the game. A tip-in on the power play by Sebastian Aho brought the deficit down to one goal before the end of the second period. Juuse Saros continued to deny every chance to tie things up. Time was ticking down, and a Game 7 felt imminent until a beautifully-designed set play on a face-off got them what they were looking for. Jaccob Slavin found Dougie Hamilton sneaking down from the point with a wide-open net to tie the game with 6:01 left. This meant a fourth straight overtime game, and the Canes wasted little time ending the series. Slavin was in the middle of it again, sending a wrister to the net that Aho redirected over the shoulder of Saros to clinch the series. None of this is possible without the heroics of Slavin and Hamilton, the Canes’ mighty defensive pair, late in regulation.
#14: May 14, 2009- The Villain Becomes The Hero
In 2009, no man was more hated in Boston for two weeks than Scott Walker. The story begins during Game 5. Down 4-0 late in the game, things got a little testy between Matt Cullen and former Hurricane Aaron Ward. Walker stepped into the fray, dropped his gloves, and delivered a vicious right hook to drop Ward. In a shocking twist, Walker was not suspended for the punch, escaping with a $2,500 fine. After Boston won Game 6 to force Game 7 in Beantown, the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw after 60 minutes. This night would belong to the Carolina Hurricanes and their resident villain. Tim Thomas knocked down Ray Whitney’s initial shot, but the rebound came right to Walker as he beat Thomas to the puck to win the game and the series. It’s fair to ask whether Walker should’ve been playing in this game after what he did in Game 5. Honestly, it felt suspension-worthy. Was he suspended? Nope, and we got this incredible moment because of it.
#13: May 28: 2006- Cory Stillman Stuns the Sabres
If I had to put my vote toward which Carolina Hurricanes series I think is their best of all time, the 2006 Eastern Conference Final against Buffalo would be my choice. The Hurricanes and Sabres were similar in many ways. The series had been tight through four games, except for a 4-0 victory by the Canes in Game 4. They had alternated wins in the series, with Buffalo winning Games 1 and 3, while Carolina won Games 2 and 4. The Canes needed to buck the trend in Game 5. Early in the second period, it wasn’t looking promising as the Sabres held a 3-1 lead. Mark Recchi and Rod Brind’Amour drew the Hurricanes even in the second period, and after a scoreless third, the two teams would battle in overtime for the first time. In overtime, Cory Stillman picked up a rebound and beat Ryan Miller on the power play to give the Canes a 3-2 series lead. This goal would prove extremely important in the grand scheme of things.
#12: April 21, 2009- The Juice Barely Beats the Clock
This goal will go down as a very divisive one depending on which fanbase you ask. If you’re a Hurricanes fan, this is an epic buzzer-beater from Jussi Jokinen. If you’re a Devils fan, Martin Brodeur was interfered with, and the goal shouldn’t have counted. I’m 100% biased toward the Carolina Hurricanes, but this goal is good. The “controversy” undermines that the Canes led 3-0 and coughed up the lead, needing a miracle goal at the horn to win the game and avoid going down 3-1 in the series. The lasting image of Brodeur throwing his stick after they reviewed it will stay with me. I get where he’s coming from, but he is way outside his crease and initiates contact with Jokinen before the puck hits his skate and goes into the net. Without this goal, who knows what could’ve happened? With New Jersey’s momentum at that time, it’s possible they score in overtime and, assuming the result of Game 5 holds, win the series in five games, ending Carolina’s season before we get great moments like the Scott Walker goal.
#11: April 24, 2002- Jeff O’Neill Sets Up “The Save”
For longtime Canes fans, “The Save” against New Jersey by Kevin Weekes is the most iconic in franchise history. The reality is that saving almost never happened. After Bobby Holik and Martin Gelinas traded goals in the second period, Patrik Elias gave the Devils the lead on the power play with 8:14 left in the game. A late charging penalty by Holik would give the Canes their chance on the power play, and it took 21 seconds for Jeff O’Neill to tie things up again, forcing overtime in a game that would determine who controlled the momentum in the series. Of course, we’d get Weekes’ acrobatic save on John Madden to keep the game tied and Josef Vasicek’s game-winner a few minutes later to push the Canes ahead 3-2 in the series. Often, we’re so focused on the miraculous nature of the save that we don’t remember the goal that led to it. Without O’Neill’s goal, none of that is possible. The Canes would ride this momentum to a 1-0 win in Game 6 to finish the series, giving them their first series victory in North Carolina.
#10: April 28, 2009- The Tremor Before The Shock
I don’t want to give too much away, but this is the first of two goals from “The Shock at the Rock” in 2009. That game’s legacy doesn’t happen without Jussi Jokinen finding another way to haunt the New Jersey Devils. We’ve already talked about his buzzer-beater, and here he is, once again, getting the job done. With time winding down in Game 7, the Canes were throwing everything at Martin Brodeur. Trailing 3-2, it was getting close to the end of the line. The play begins with Tim Gleason going all out to keep the puck in the zone. He slides it over to Joni Pitkanen, who finds Jussi Jokinen alone at the side of the net to beat Martin Brodeur again and tie the game with 1:20 left. Gleason’s part in this goal is always what I’ll remember about this play. He gives it his all to ensure the puck stays in the zone, allowing the goal to materialize from an earlier iteration of the “Finnish Connection.” The rest will go down in history, but we’ll discuss that later.
#9: April 24, 2019- Clipping the Caps’ Wings
The return of the Carolina Hurricanes to postseason hockey was a dream come true for the fans. For our troubles, the Canes treated us to a stress-inducing series with the Washington Capitals that would require a 7th game in the U.S. capital. Entering the final five minutes of the second period, the Canes trailed Washington 3-1, with only a short-handed goal from Sebastian Aho on the scoresheet. A goal by Teuvo Teravainen with 3:23 left in the period breathed some new life into the Hurricanes, making us all believe a comeback was inevitable. We didn’t have to wait long for that feeling to come to fruition. Just 2:56 into the third period, Jordan Staal snapped a shot from the right dot that beat Braden Holtby to tie the game 3-3. Initially, I had this goal ranked higher, and I still hold that it could’ve been. Ultimately, I think the timing of the goal made me change my mind. Had it been a little later, it likely would’ve been higher. Nevertheless, it showed some shocking similarities to a goal his brother scored a decade prior.
#8: June 5, 2006- The Captain Finds a Way
If you were to ask an Oilers fan about the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, they’d likely tell you that Dwayne Roloson’s injury in Game 1 is what cost them the cup. While I don’t subscribe to that logic, it would’ve made the end of Game 1 a little different. The Oilers had built a demanding 3-0 lead through most of the first two periods, including a goal on a penalty shot by Chris Pronger. Once Rod Brind’Amour broke the shutout late in the second, the dam seemed to open up. Ray Whitney scored twice in under 3:30 to tie it, and Justin Williams buried a short-handed goal to give the Canes a 4-3 lead more than halfway through the period. Edmonton drew back even, setting up a tense conclusion. Things got a little more tense when a collision into the net took out Roloson for the rest of the series. Ty Conklin took over in the net for the rest of the night, and it would prove disastrous for Edmonton. A miscue behind the net allowed Brind’Amour to swoop in and put the puck into an empty net, setting the stage for an intense seven-game series, ending in a Stanley Cup victory for the Hurricanes.
#7: April 26, 2006- She’s a Series Now
The Stanley Cup victory for the Carolina Hurricanes almost didn’t happen. After two home games against Montreal, the Canes were down 2-0 in the series. Through two periods in Game 3, things were looking bleak. The Canes tied the game in the third period (we’ll talk about that one in part three), leading to another overtime game in the series. It was far from a guarantee that the Canes could climb out of the hole they’d dug for themselves. A hooking penalty taken by Tomas Plekanec early into overtime gave the Canes an advantage, and they’d find a way to seal the deal over a minute later. With a blast from the point, Eric Staal beat Cristobal Huet, giving the Canes the boost they needed to turn it around. Had they gone down 3-0, the Canes likely don’t win the cup. Instead, they rallied for four straight wins to take the series en route to immortality.
#6: April 24, 2019- Seventh Heaven in D.C.
If you’re new to the Canes fandom, this is likely the first goal that comes to mind when thinking about iconic moments in team history. This is one of the most important goals in franchise history because it signaled the return of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes and Capitals played a scoreless overtime after Jordan Staal’s game-tying goal in the third period. With more time needed to settle things, it was Mr. Game 7 that stepped up to seal the deal. Jaccob Slavin’s pass went into an empty corner for Justin Williams to pick up. He threw it to the front of the net, where Brock McGinn was stationed to knock it out of mid-air and into the net, sending the defending champions home early. To date, this is the only Hurricanes win in double overtime or later, and it marks the beginning of a new era of Carolina Hurricanes hockey.