Jaccob Slavin Watches Ehlers Lift Hurricanes in Game 2
jaccob slavin watched Nikolaj Ehlers score early in overtime Saturday, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-2 in Game 2 to even the series at one game apiece. The winner came after Josh Anderson tied it at 2-2 with 7:09 left in regulation, turning a tight game into a result Carolina needed after its Eastern Conference final struggles since 2009.
Ehlers Finishes The Rush
Ehlers scored on a one-touch pass from Mark Jankowski in the neutral zone, the kind of quick strike Carolina added when it signed him to a lucrative six-year contract last summer. He also scored a second-period goal, giving the Hurricanes the speed element that separated this game from the club’s usual possession-heavy script.
Jankowski knew what Carolina was getting from the start. “You could see it right from as soon as he got here, Day 1,” he said after the win. He added, “I mean, he’s a special player. He’s so fast, he’s so skilled. Easiest assist of my life on that one: just poke it to him in the neutral zone, let him do the rest. It’s awesome to be able to watch someone like that.”
Brind'Amour's Faster Look
Rod Brind'Amour said Ehlers changes the way Carolina can attack. “It just makes you that much tougher to play against,” he said, and then added, “We don’t have to change our game, but we added a piece in there. And now, all of a sudden, I think we’re more explosive. … It’s tight, and we needed that goal. He’s got the ability to do it himself. That’s what happened. Obviously, that’s pretty important.”
That was the friction point in Game 2. The Hurricanes usually dominate possession and cycle four lines, but Montreal stayed in range and Josh Anderson made them pay with his second goal of the night. Jakub Dobeš was in goal for the Canadiens as Carolina had to answer a tied game in the final minutes of regulation before Ehlers finished it in overtime.
The series now shifts with the teams level again, and Carolina’s new pace is already shaping the matchup. If Ehlers keeps turning neutral-zone touches into rush chances, the Hurricanes have a different route than the one that has stalled them in the past.
