Mar 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard (30) stops the scoring attempt by Carolina Hurricanes right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) during the third period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
This game had all the makings of one of those Hollywood classics that you watched in your middle school health class.
The Carolina Hurricanes, trailing the Edmonton Oilers by a goal, had their backs against the wall as the clock began to wind down.
The team was pushing for the equalizer and looked like they were on the verge of breaking through, but a late penalty call against them, a goaltender interference penalty on Mikko Rantanen, seemed to have sealed all hope of the comeback away.
Then, all of a sudden, there's the team's ace sprung on a shorthanded breakaway with under a minute to play and with the chance to tie the game on his stick.
This is what dreams are made of!
But this wasn't a Hollywood classic and reality is often much more disappointing than that.
Sebastian Aho, sprung on that shorthanded breakaway with a chance to tie the game, did not find a way to beat Calvin Pickard for the second time that night.
And to add insult to injury, any potential second-chance was null and void as Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm slid into his own net, causing it to come off the moorings and for play to be blown dead.
Should it have been a delay of game penalty? Probably, but that's how it goes.
"He's a veteran, he knows what he's doing," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour following the game. "But you can't really call that, but it was obvious. He was diving for no reason. It was a good play by him because you know the ref isn't going to call that."
The Canes wound up losing 3-1 to the Oilers Thursday night at Lenovo Center after, and get this, another slow start.
"That's been a lot of our games, especially lately," said captain Jordan Staal. "Slow starts are really what it comes down to with not getting the win. I'd love to see that desperation right off the bat. It's tough to come back in this league. I did obviously like our desperation at the end, but it's gotta be there the whole game. Have to be better all the way through."
The team went 0-for-3 on power plays in the first period, giving up a shorthanded goal in the process as Adam Henrique bodied an airborne rebound in past Frederik Andersen after getting positioning on Brent Burns (so actually let's count that as -1).
Then add in a turnover --> goal against in the second period — after Jalen Chatfield turned the puck over to Leon Draisaitl who found Corey Perry on the backdoor — and low and behold the team was staring at another multi-goal deficit.
Credit to them, they really pushed the pace of things in the third period and they honestly deserved more than they got.
"We always seem to do that," Brind'Amour said. "The start wasn't good obviously. The urgency there, giving up a shorty, you're just not going to recover from that too often and that's what got us tonight. "
The Canes did break out another power play goal for the second game in a row as Mikko Rantanen laced a cross-ice feed backdoor to Aho.
"I won the draw there, so that was big,' Aho said. "We were working hard, making good plays, crucial passes and obviously at the end there, Rants with the unreal backdoor seam for the tap-in."
But that was the only time the team beat Pickard.
There were ample chances to add another tally: Jordan Martinook hit the post after an in-alone look in front, Jack Roslovic had an open cage and had his shot deflected by Brett Kulak, Rantanen had an in-tight chance, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Seth Jarvis, and countless others couldn't get to loose pucks in tight, etc.
Oh, and of course, Aho's shorthanded bid.
"I have to bury that," Aho said. "No way around it. Had the game on my stick in a way or at least a chance to force OT. I thought we created a lot in the third. I mean, yeah... it sucks."
While it's a frustrating loss, it was in all reality a pretty good game between two good teams. There wasn't a ton of space out there, but each team found ways to generate looks and chances despite the tight checking.
It just came down to the fact that the Canes got behind the 8-ball to start due to some poor power plays.
"I thought the first period was the worst period for us," Aho said. "You'd like to see us starting better, obviously. Especially the way we've been playing lately. But guys are working hard and we always get to our game, but we just have to bring it from the first shift. Three power plays there for example. If you're not scoring, then you're not scoring, but giving up one too, that hurts. We were still right there and we had plenty of chances at the end to tie the game and force the OT."
Carolina will be hoping for a better effort tomorrow as they host the Calgary Flames in the second half of a back-to-back less than 24 hours later.
"Obviously we can get the sour taste out if we come out with a good effort tomorrow," Brind'Amour said.
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