- Nikolaj Ehlers buried his second goal of the night 3:29 into overtime to lift Carolina past Montreal 3-2 in Game 2
- “I’m shaking a little bit, I’ve got goosebumps,” Ehlers told Sportsnet after the winner evened the ECF at 1-1
- Read below for the video, the full post-game scrum, and how the Hurricanes flipped the script from Game 1
Nikolaj Ehlers ended it 3:29 into overtime at Lenovo Center.
Mark Jankowski hit him on the rush after Jalen Chatfield broke up an Oliver Kapanen chip attempt, and the Hurricanes winger beat Jakub Dobes from the slot to give Carolina a 3-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday.
Watch the winner:
Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas caught up with Ehlers minutes later, and the Dane was buzzing.
“I still feel it, I’m shaking a little bit, I’ve got goosebumps. To do this, I’ve loved it here since they won, and with the fans here, it’s special.”
Here’s the full scrum:
It was Ehlers’ second of the game and his answer to a Game 1 blowout that had Carolina playing tense hockey for two days. Brind’Amour’s club came out flying. Eric Robinson opened the scoring 2:33 in by tipping a William Carrier shot past Dobes.
Ehlers gave the Canes their second lead of the night in the second period with a goal that belongs on a season highlight reel. He carried the puck through the neutral zone, turned to his backhand and back to his forehand, then snapped it five-hole on Dobes around Lane Hutson.
Take a look:
Rod Brind’Amour leaned on his summer signing without hesitation when asked about needing a goal in a tight game.
“He’s a guy that can win a game for you. That’s an important element, especially in a game like this. It’s tight, and you need that goal. He’s got the ability to basically do it himself.”
Josh Anderson kept Montreal in it with two of his own, the second tying the game at 12:51 of the third on a netfront scramble. Frederik Andersen stopped 10 of 12 in his bounceback start.
Carolina is now 4-0 in overtime this postseason. Game 3 is Monday at 8 p.m. ET at the Bell Centre.
