Wardo, Willy, and the Wizard Get the Canes Back in it
Whenever the Hurricanes needed a clutch goal throughout the 2006 playoffs, they called on their captain to light the fire. Whether it was Game 3 against Montreal or Game 7 against Buffalo, Rod Brind'Amour was setting the example on the ice. On this night, he kickstarted the comeback. Dwayne Roloson got most of Justin Williams' initial shot, but the puck squeaked through him for Brind'Amour to clean up, getting the Canes on the board less than a minute after Edmonton made it 3-0.
Brind'Amour's late-period magic carried into the third. It took Ray Whitney 100 seconds into the third to get the Canes back within a goal, burying a one-timer from Doug Weight. The Wizard doubled up less than three and a half minutes later with the Canes on the power play. Mark Recchi was denied on a chance alone at the front of the net, but Whitney swooped in to pot the tying goal.
If the roof hadn't been blown off the building yet, Justin Williams did his part to try and do so. Oilers defenseman Steve Staios couldn't handle a puck at the point, giving Williams a short-handed breakaway. At the halfway point in the third period, Williams buried it past the blocker of Roloson to give the Canes their first lead of the game.
With half of the period remaining, there was still plenty to fight for. The Oilers were now on their heels, fighting to draw back even. Shawn Horcoff had a great chance to tie the game with 8:25 left on an empty net. Ryan Smyth made a great pass to catch Cam Ward out of position. Instead of a sure goal, Ward dove back and stuck out his glove, getting just enough of the puck to keep it out.