Game 1: Playoff Hockey in August?
With the warm-up games in the books, it was time for the real thing. With Game 1 taking place on August 1, the Hurricanes and Rangers became the first two teams to play an NHL game in August. Despite a slightly underwhelming performance during the regular season, Petr Mrazek earned the nod for the Canes. He'd just returned to the ice in what turned out to be the regular-season finale in March after leaving the David Ayres Game in the second period.
The decision in the net for the Rangers was a source of contention, with Igor Shesterkin expected to get the start over Henrik Lundqvist. Shestkerin, who only had 12 games of experience at this point, played in the Rangers' exhibition game but was listed as unavailable for Game 1. In his place, the Rangers still had a phenomenal goalie. Lundqvist's Hall of Fame career included countless unbelievable games against the Canes. During the 2019-20 season, Lundqvist had two 40+-save performances in wins over Carolina.
Almost immediately, the first impact moment of the series took place. Brady Skjei, who the Canes had acquired from the Rangers at the trade deadline in February, laid a massive open-ice hit on former teammate Jesper Fast. The hit knocked Fast out of the series while sending a message to the Rangers that the regular season doesn't matter once the playoffs begin.
The first August goal in league history came from the last person most would've expected. Just 61 seconds into the contest, Teuvo Teravainen found Jaccob Slavin sneaking down from the point, allowing the defenseman to snap one short-side on Lundqvist to take an immediate lead. It was Slavin's first career playoff goal after recording 11 points the year before in the postseason, all assists.
The lead would extend early in the second period after Andrei Svechnikov's slap pass found Sebastian Aho at the top of the crease for the redirection on the power play. The Rangers would get a redirection goal of their own late in the frame from Mika Zibanejad. A lucky bounce in the third period would help the Canes reclaim their two-goal lead. Martin Necas' one-timer was going well wide of the net, but the helpful skate of Marc Staal helped to change its course for the back of the net. Staal would get it back with a short-handed marker late in the game, but it was too late for the Rangers. The Canes took Game 1 3-2, becoming the first team to win an NHL game in August.