The Hurricanes actually played a pretty good game. They played their best game of the series, with a vicious forecheck that brought them many chances, but few goals. In the first period, it was all Hurricanes, they were buzzing in the Bruins’ zone and choking them, but Tuukka Rask stood tall in net and the Hurricanes didn’t take full advantage of their forecheck.
Despite leading 20-6 in shots on goal in the first period, the Hurricanes failed to put one into the back of the net. When the Hurricanes would have room to cut in on Rask, they failed to elevate the puck over Rask’s quick pads and failed to screen Rask efficiently enough, when they took shots from a distance.