Better settle in. It could be a long playoff series.
For the second time in three days, the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators went to double overtime at Bridgestone Arena. For the second time, the Predators won it, with Luke Kunin’s goal giving them a 4-3 victory Sunday and a 2-2 tie in the Stanley Cup playoff series.
Brock McGinn scored twice for the Canes. But the Predators, trailing 2-0 in the series, returned home Friday and clawed out a 5-4 victory that took two overtimes, and did it again Sunday.
Kunin’s second goal of the game, at 16:10 of the second OT, ended it after a defensive breakdown by the Canes. Kunin also scored in the first minute of the game.
The series shifts back to Raleigh for Game 5 on Tuesday at PNC Arena.
The Hurricanes had a power play four minutes into the overtime after a delay-of-game penalty, but the Preds killed it off. That came after the Canes were 0-3 on the power play in regulation.
Sunday’s afternoon game was one of quick strikes, deflections, hard hits and spectacular saves.
Kunin scored 57 seconds into the game for a 1-0 lead. McGinn’s second goal came 13 seconds into the third. Those not already in their seats at Bridgestone might have missed one or both.
The Canes twice tied the score in the game before McGinn’s early goal in the third gave Carolina a 3-2 lead. But a penalty on Canes defenseman Dougie Hamilton led to a power-play score by the Preds’ Nick Cousins for a 3-3 tie.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour gave goalie Alex Nedeljkovic his fourth straight start in the playoffs and the Preds again countered with Juuse Saros for a fourth game. Both had great moments and a few they’d prefer to forget.
Nedeljkovic gave up a goal to the Preds’ Ryan Johansen in the second period when he couldn’t smother a loose puck in front of him in the crease.
Saros had a shot by the Canes’ Martin Necas trickle through him to the goal line, where the Canes’ Vincent Trocheck banged it in.
But there were huge stops, too. Nedeljkovic stoned Yakov Trenin on a two-on-none rush by the Predators, then stopped an Erik Haula shot off the rush in the third.
Late in regulation Nedeljkovic made a hard push to his left to stop a Cousins shot after a deflection in front of the net. The Preds’ Haula high-sticked the puck before the Cousins shot, but Nedeljkovic’s play was sensational.
Saros, the winner in the marathon Game 3, made his share of scrambling and sprawling stops.
The Canes again played without defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who continues to be slowed by lower-body injury. Max Lajoie, who made his Hurricanes debut on Friday, got a second start.
Offense was not a problem. The Canes had a 38-8 advantage in total shot attempts in the first period and led 80-45 after three periods. But the score was 3-3 and off to overtime they went.
