The Carolina Hurricanes got the 2021 playoffs started out just right Monday night in PNC Arena, beating the Nashville Predators 5-2 to take a 1-0 series lead in front of a raucous 12,000 fans.
The Canes played well from start to finish, running away with things late as Nino Niederreiter netted the game-winning goal early in the third period and captain Jordan Staal scored twice.
Here are some takeaways from Carolina’s series-opening win over the Predators:
Leading by example
In an encore to an outstanding regular season, Staal opened up the playoffs with yet another phenomenal game to add to his special year.