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Andrei Svechnikov scored 14:06 into overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, giving Carolina a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference final.
Shayne Gostisbehere and Taylor Hall scored in regulation for the Hurricanes, while Frederik Andersen stopped 10 shots. Jakub Dobes had a strong outing for Montreal with 35 saves. Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson scored for the Canadiens.
The best-of-seven series now shifts back to Montreal’s Bell Centre for Game 4 on Wednesday.
Svechnikov sent a shot through a crowd of players to clinch the win after a back-and-forth extra period.
Carolina started fast, opening the scoring at 8:24 of the first period. Gostisbehere took advantage of a loose puck in the slot, firing it past a sprawling Dobes to put the Hurricanes ahead. Montreal responded at 15:28 as Alex Newhook and Jake Evans set up Ivan Demidov, who found Matheson in scoring position to tie the game.
Less than a minute later, Hall put Carolina back in front, shoveling home a rebound from close range as Dobes was falling to the ice.
Montreal, which had beaten Tampa Bay and Buffalo in dramatic seven-game rounds despite weak home records, tied the game again early in the second period during a power play. Hutson capitalized on a slick rush play with Cole Caufield to score into an open net at 4:43, sparking loud celebrations.
Hutson’s tally made him the fourth defenseman in Canadiens postseason history with at least 15 points, joining Larry Robinson, Chris Chelios, and J.C. Tremblay.
Dobes made several crucial saves in the second, including stops on Svechnikov during a 3-on-1 rush and on Gostisbehere moments later. Carolina’s Sean Walker drew a goaltender interference penalty for crashing into Dobes but the teams soon went to 4-on-4 after a roughing minor on Montreal’s Jake Evans.
Montreal captain Nick Suzuki had a quality chance on a 2-on-1 but a between-the-legs pass to Caufield failed to connect. Noah Dobson also missed a prime scoring opportunity with Andersen out of position.
In the third, Montreal appeared to take the lead when a pass from Dobson deflected off Nikolaj Ehlers into the net at 8:28, but Carolina successfully challenged for offside on Caufield’s earlier zone entry.
Dobes continued to frustrate Carolina attackers, denying Walker on a close shot and stopping Sebastian Aho on a breakaway. Suzuki missed an open net early in overtime, while Matheson hit the crossbar shortly afterwards.
Dobes made a sprawling save on Logan Stankoven before facing Jalen Chatfield to end the tense overtime.
Despite the loss on home ice, Canadiens fans remain hopeful as the series heads back to Montreal for Game 4.