Canes hope momentous third period serves as turning point

By Ryan Bisesi, WRAL multiplatform producer

New York Rangers	5
Carolina Hurricanes	3
Final

Raleigh, N.C. — For a team chasing big dreams in the Big Apple, it took a third-period eruption to save the season.

Manhattan's Madison Square Garden had been a house of horrors for the Carolina Hurricanes, but it was the site of a revival on Monday night in the Canes' 4-1 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Now the pressure is on the Rangers to finish what they what started after taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Carolina is attempting to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after losing the first three games and the first since 2014. Teams are 4-206 when losing the first three games of a series in NHL history.

Five teams have won the next three games only to fall in Game 7.

The Hurricanes are a home victory away from joining one of those two exclusive groups.

"We don't think about winning two in a row, three in a row, four in a row, but it's about the next one," Hurricanes forward Martin Necas said. "And we're happy to go back to PNC."

It was a rebound goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov, who warned of a dogfight before the game, that gave Carolina the lead for good in Game 5.

While there were callbacks to previous follies, namely when the Canes gave up a shorthanded goal for the second time in the series to fall behind 1-0 in the second period, a rally got ignited by veteran captain Jordan Staal to rekindle the mojo in the Canes favor.

Defenseman Dmitry Orlov fired a pass to Staal at the blue line as he was coming off the bench. The 35-year-old skated around Braden Schneider and attacked the net to put home the most important goal of the series to this point. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin looked human in allowing four goals for a second-straight game and New York dropped a home game for the first time this postseason.

"You could tell there was a momentum shift in that game," Brind'Amour said on Tuesday. "But I also think when the human nature kicks in and, you know, they got a big lead in the series. It's kind of like, OK, they have another game and we didn't. There's just a little different mindset at that point when you get ahead when it flipped."

"We were playing really well, but obviously we had a little more desperation, I think, in that third period."

Jordan Martinook added a goal and Martin Necas scored an empty-netter for the final tally and give them four unanswered goals. The Canes will look to maintain that level of urgency and desperation.

The Canes now have at least one more game in Raleigh on Thursday. The Rangers knocked the Canes out of the playoffs in 2022 in a Game 7 at PNC Arena.

Brind'Amour said defenseman Brett Pesce would not be available for Game 6. Pesce, who's been out since Game 2 of the first-round series against the New York Islanders, skated with the team during practice on Wednesday.

Series schedule

• Game 1: Rangers 4, Canes 3 (Rangers lead 1-0)
• Game 2: Rangers 4, Canes 3 (2 OT) (Rangers lead 2-0)
• Game 3: Rangers 3, Canes 2 (OT) (Rangers lead 3-0)
• Game 4: Canes 4, Rangers 3 (Rangers lead 3-1)
• Game 5: Canes 4, Rangers 1 (Rangers lead 3-2)
• Game 6: Thursday, May 16, 7 p.m., PNC Arena
• Game 7: Saturday, May 18, 7 p.m., Madison Square Garden *if necessary