On Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes found themselves in an all-too-familiar situation.
The Canes outshot, outhit, and mostly outplayed New York. Another two-goal lead was erased by the Rangers, and that uneasy sense of dread was felt in the stomach of each Caniac watching at PNC Arena and across the Carolinas during the third period.
Brady Skjei’s promotion to the quarterback of the first power play unit alleviated that feeling and replaced it with relief. Carolina’s first power play goal of the series came with the team’s first win against New York.
The Hurricanes lived to see another day, staving off elimination.