2. America's defender stuns and silences (5/6/25)
The opening game of the second round almost drove every Hurricanes fan insane. The Canes started their series with the Capitals as the far sharper team, but Logan Thompson was shutting them down at every turn. Aliaksei Protas' goal early in the second period only made matters worse. The group looked destined to drop Game 1.
Midway through the third, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Logan Stankoven capitalized on a turnover, tying the game and sending it to overtime. Early in overtime, an innocent shot from the point navigated traffic beautifully off Jaccob Slavin's stick. Thompson never had a chance as the puck slid under him, giving the Canes a 1-0 series lead and setting the tone for a five-game victory over Washington.
1. Fishy's devilish dagger (4/29/25)
Series-clinching overtime goals feel like cheat codes when it comes to memorable moments. In this case, Game 5 against the New Jersey Devils had a little bit of everything. The Canes were in an early 3-0 hole but fought out of it with three goals early in the second period. After falling behind again, Sebastian Aho scored on the power play to tie it at four.
With no winner after 60 minutes, they continued into overtime. When another 20 minutes wasn't enough, the Canes had to fight into a second overtime. Early in the fifth period, Dawson Mercer's high-sticking penalty proved costly. At 4:17 of the second overtime, Aho unleashed a wicked one-timer from the right circle, beating Jacob Markstrom and sending the team to the second round.