3 Takeaways from Hurricanes Game 3 Double Overtime Loss – Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

Through three games, this Stanley Cup Final has been pure cinema. Between comeback hero rallies, scrappy goals, and now overtime games, this series has it all. Game 3 saw the Carolina Hurricanes rally from four goals down in the third period to tie the game and force overtime. However, the comeback was short-lived, as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime. That said, what are the key takeaways from this exciting double overtime game?

Takeaway #1: Comeback Canes Assemble to Force Overtime

For most of the game it looked like it wasn’t going to be the Hurricanes’ night as they found themselves 4-0 down after two periods. The Golden Knights saw two goals taken off the board, following successful offside and goalie challenges by the Hurricanes. However, Mitch Marner scored four points, including a natural hat trick at 6:01 to help put Vegas up by four.

However, the Hurricanes’ rally began after Brandon Bussi made a crucial penalty save by Marner to keep it 4-0 and prevent it from being a five-goal game. From there, the Hurricanes kicked four goals to make up for the unexpected and extinguish the four-goal deficit. At one point, the Hurricanes scored three goals in 39 seconds, making it the fastest three goals in a Stanley Cup Final since the 1954 Montreal Canadiens (59 seconds).

The three goals came from Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal to set a new record. The fourth goal to complete the comeback to force bonus hockey came from Andrei Svechnikov to make it 4-4. Staal’s tally gives him three straight Stanley Cup Final games with a goal, tying Igor Larionov (2002 Detroit Red Wings) and Mark Recchi (2011 Boston Bruins) for guys 37 or older.

Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that Sebastian Aho, with two assists in Game 3, gives him eight straight postseason games with 10 or more points. He joined Brad Marchand, Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, and Bernie Geoffrion in that distinction.

Takeaway #2: Brandon Bussi Shines in Playoff Debut

After not playing for two months, Bussi played dang close to good hockey off the cold bench. Despite an awkward bounce off his foot and into the goal to end Game 3, Bussi kept the Hurricanes in it as long as possible. He entered this game with bad luck and came out defeated. However, he had a 1.32 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in 18 save attempts.

Even with all that time off, following a 31-win season, Bussi knew he had to stay ready and look like he was when called upon. It’s one of those weird bumps that happen in hockey; just came a great game that was in Game 3, after it came to Frederik Andersen, who was taken out after the second half.

It will make things interesting for the Hurricanes heading into Game 4 on Tuesday night (June 9), as they will be looking to extend the streak once again. Although the first four goals are not all Andersen’s, it makes you wonder if, with two days off, is it Bussi’s time to start?

Either way, Bussi did everything he could to keep the Hurricanes in the game; Just one bad bounce ended a solid night for the Long Island native.

Takeaway #3: The Hurricanes still need to clean up the mistakes

Although the Hurricanes came back to force overtime, there are still some things they will need to clean up going into Game 4 on Tuesday. Over the past few days, the Hurricanes defense has talked about how they need to fix some mistakes as a unit and as a team. Sean Walker said, when asked about what the team could do better defensively, “I think some of the things, offensively, we can get a better job of.”

Even Jaccob Slavin added to that feeling following the morning skate on Thursday (June 4), when it came to what they expected from the defense: to play better in their position in Game 2. “What we expect tonight, we have to be better. We have to be better in our defense. We have to strengthen a few things, and then we split up better, then we split up. team, and they are here for a reason they will bring their best again, and we have to be able to bring ours.

Before their meeting, the Hurricanes turned the puck over a lot and had a few bad clearances, giving the Golden Knights plenty of opportunities in their defensive zone. If the Hurricanes want to leave Las Vegas with the series tied 2-2, they will have to shut it down defensively and not give the Golden Knights many breakaway opportunities, and second or third chances. Although Andersen gave up four goals, not all of them were his fault, as he was also left dry in the qualifiers. There will likely be another long video of the team as they prepare for Tuesday’s game.

Despite the loss, the Hurricanes proved that no lead is safe in this series. They almost finished coming back in consecutive games. Hopefully they don’t have to do that again in Game 4 because, after all, how many comebacks can they make in one Stanley Cup Final? The good news is that after three games in five days, the Hurricanes have two days off to learn and prepare for Game 4 on Tuesday. Do we see the series return to Raleigh on June 11 with a 2-2 tie?