Carolina erased a four-goal deficit in a frantic third-period surge, only for a heartbreaking double-overtime deflection to sink their surge.
The Carolina Hurricanes were mere inches from doing what no team had ever done before: Comeback from a four-goal deficit to win a Stanley Cup Final game.
After trailing 4-0 after 40 minutes, the Canes found a way to rally back and force overtime, becoming just the second team ever in Stanley Cup Final history to erase a four-goal deficit (1972 New York Rangers).
But they hoped to do what they couldn't: win.
Unfortunately for them though, this game will not be one that is long remembered in the annals of history, shown in the 3 p.m. slot on NHL Network in the summer a decade from now.
Instead, the Hurricanes wound up on the losing side of a 5-4 double overtime decision in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Vegas Golden Knights due to one of the most heartbreaking bounces you can have.
"It's probably the toughest game I've ever lost," said Andrei Svechnikov.
Much like the rest of the series, this game was a wild one.
After a strong opening frame, the Hurricanes seemingly shut off their brains for the second, compiling mistake on top of mistake as the Golden Knights just unloaded on Carolina, potting four goals in the final half of the period.
It was arguably one of the worst periods in Stanley Cup Final history, as the Hurricanes saw six goals make their way into the back of their net (only four of which ended up actually counting as the first two were called off for offside and goaltender interference respectively).
"I thought we were okay to start, and even the start of the second, the first six minutes, everything was going fine and then we took a bad penalty," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Then they made a nice play and a bad bounce on the second one and then it just snowballed on us for the rest of that period."
"It was just kind of not our game," said captain Jordan Staal. "Too many turnovers and not trusting in just playing in their end and grinding them down and doing what we did in the first and staying with it and just kind of got lax a little bit. They're a good team. I mean there's no question they've got some high end talent and they're going to make plays and make moves. We can't be taking any breaths on any of the shifts against that team."
But the team has never been one to give up on any game and they found a way to battle in the third period.
It started with Brind'Amour electing to go with backup netminder Brandon Bussi in relief for Frederik Andersen and he immediately gave Carolina a chance, stopping multiple shots right away, including an already hat-trick scored Mitch Marner on a penalty shot.
"Honestly, I was pretty even keeled,' Bussi said. "I think these are the moments you want to be playing in, right? Just put my head down and have fun with it."
The saves settled Carolina in and they, themselves well line blended, were able to get on a perhaps overly comfortable Vegas team, scoring three times in the span of 39 seconds to make it a game once again.
Jordan Martinook got the team going, sliding the puck five-hole on Carter Hart after Seth Jarvis forced a turnover, then on the ensuing shift, Sebastian Aho jumped on a Vegas turnover and fed a perfect pass across to Taylor Hall in off the rush and then Jordan Staal tipped in a shot from the point.
"I know one thing," Brind'Amour said. "We've been in games where we haven't played well and we always find a way to dig ourselves out. Always."
It was an insane sequence to behold and all of a sudden, everyone in gold got very, very tense.
Carolina continued to push, but it wouldn't be until the last possible moments were they'd get their best chance for an equalizer as Shea Theodore was assessed a minor penalty for delay of game with just over two minutes to go.
Wouldn't you know it, the Hurricanes found that fourth goal too, as Andrei Svechnikov cleaned up a loose puck amongst a sea of bodies with just over a minute to go.
"We never give up on anything," Svechnikov said. "We just keep going and going. That's our identity. Never quit."
They had done it and now momentum was on their side.
In OT, Carolina had their chances, the team was credited with 23 overall in the extra frames, and their were multiple times when the pucks were there in the slot and other high-danger areas, but combinations of bouncing pucks and tight checks prevented them from capitalizing.
And that's probably why this loss feels so much more punishing, because they were the better team from that third period on, they just couldn't get the bounce.
Instead, the Golden Knights got one of the flukiest ones you'll see, with Shea Theodore, who went from zero to hero in an instant, letting a one-timer go that was well wide of the net, but still ended up ricocheting back up and in off of Bussi's leg.
I guess it's true what they say in Vegas, the house always wins.
"There are no moral victories this time of year," Brind'Amour said. "It's irrelevant to be honest. We have to regroup."
"It's part of the gig and it's never easy," Staal said. "It's never going to be easy and we know that and we understand that. We’ve got a bigger hill to climb now, but we're excited for the challenge and excited to keep playing hard and keep moving forward."
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