RALEIGH, N.C. — This was what Carolina Hurricanes fans have missed the most.
Playoff hockey at PNC Arena. Tailgating outside. A loud, lively crowd of 12,000 inside.
The pandemic changed so much in our daily lives. The need for normalcy has been almost overwhelming and sports have been a good respite. And especially hockey.
For the first time since May of 2019, the Canes had playoff hockey at PNC Arena on Monday. The two-year wait ended with Carolina, with a strong third period, beating the Nashville Predators 5-2 in Game 1 of their opening-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
“That’s hockey,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said after the game. “For everyone, it’s been a long time coming. It’s no better feeling than playing a big game at home with the fans like that. The boys were ready, the fans were ready. Playoff hockey, there’s nothing better.”
The captain led the way for the Canes, scoring twice, first to give Carolina its first lead of the playoffs, then the first two-goal lead of the playoffs by any of the 16 teams still playing.
“He’s our captain for a reason,” Nino Neiderreiter said.
Niederreiter’s score at 2:26 of the third period gave the Canes 3-2 lead and Canes fans were in full throat. It was even louder when Staal collected the rebound of a Warren Foegele shot and muscled a shot past goalie Juuse Saros.
Andrei Svechnikov’s empty-net goal with 1:47 left in regulation finished it off for the Canes.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour turned to rookie goalie Alex Nedeljkovic on the playoff opener. Nedeljkovic fought the puck at times but finished with 22 saves.
“It was awesome,” Nedeljkovic said. “It was incredible. It’s one of the best atmospheres that I’ve ever played in front of.”
Filip Forsberg’s 27th career playoff goal in the first period pushed the Preds ahead 1-0. Erik Haula, a former Canes forward, scored in the second period for a 2-2 tie after Staal had beaten Saros with a tight-angle shot.
“I thought we played hard for 60 minutes and didn’t really let up,” Brind’Amour said. “We stuck with what we had to do. Nashville played extremely hard, I just thought we were right there the whole way and obviously got the win.”
