Shayne Gostisbehere Opens Game 3 With Post-Bank Goal

shayne gostisbehere put Carolina in front in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final, flicking Mark Jankowski's pass off the post and past Jakub Dobeš to open the scoring. The goal came on the first breakthrough of the night and gave Carolina the first strike in a series game that had not yet found its rhythm.

Gostisbehere Finds the Post

Gostisbehere did not need much space. He got Jankowski's feed, redirected it, and watched the puck bank in off the post before Dobeš could get there. The play was clean, quick, and finished from close range.

That sequence mattered because it came before the game could settle into a longer battle. Carolina got the first goal, and the opening shift of scoring pressure moved immediately onto the other side.

Jankowski Sets It Up

Jankowski handled the pass that created the chance, and the assist turned a simple touch into the opening score. The puck changed direction just enough to beat Dobeš, who was left reacting after the shot glanced in off the post.

For Carolina, the play was a direct reward for getting a puck to the net with support nearby. For Montreal, it meant the first defensive lapse of Game 3 ended up on the scoreboard before the period could drift away from them.

Game 3 Opens Early

The goal also fit the tone of an Eastern Conference Final game where every opening chance carries extra weight. A first goal in this setting does not decide a series by itself, but it changes the first read for both benches and forces the trailing side to chase from the start.

Carolina now had the result it needed from the game's first scoring play, and Gostisbehere's finish set the tempo for what followed. A post and a bounce decided the moment, and he was the one who turned it into the opener.