3 Takeaways From Hurricanes’ Game 3 Double-Overtime Loss

But then, the Hurricanes’ rally started after Brandon Bussi made a crucial penalty shot save on Marner to keep it 4-0 and not let it become a five-goal game. From there, the Hurricanes ripped off four goals to do the improbable and erase the four-goal deficit. At one point, the Hurricanes scored three goals in 39 seconds, making it the quickest three goals in the Stanley Cup Final since the 1954 Montreal Canadiens (59 seconds).

The three goals came from Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal to set the new record. The fourth goal to complete the comeback to force bonus hockey came from Andrei Svechnikov to make it 4-4. Staal’s tally gives him three straight Stanley Cup Final games with a goal, tying him with Igor Larionov (2002 Detroit Red Wings) and Mark Recchi (2011 Boston Bruins) for guys 37 years or older.

Another thing that needs mentioning is that Sebastian Aho, with two assists in Game 3, gives him eight straight postseasons with 10 or more points. He joined Brad Marchand, Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, and Bernie Geoffrion for that distinction.

Takeaway #2: Brandon Bussi Shines in Playoff Debut

After not playing for two months, Bussi played dang near perfect hockey coming off the bench cold. Despite the weird bounce going off his foot and into the goal to end Game 3, Bussi kept the Hurricanes in it for as long as he could. He entered the game and unfortunately came away with the loss. However, he did earn a 1.32 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in an 18-save effort.

Even with all that time off, following a 31-win season, Bussi knew he needed to stay ready and looked every bit of being that when called upon. It’s one of those weird bounces that happens in hockey; it just came after a thriller that was Game 3, after coming in relief of Frederik Andersen, who was pulled after the second period.

It’ll make things interesting for the Hurricanes heading to Game 4 on Tuesday night (June 9), as they will be seeking to even up the series once again. While the first four goals aren’t all on Andersen, it makes you wonder whether, even with the two days off, is it Bussi’s time to get a start?

Either way, Bussi did all he could to keep the Hurricanes in the game; just one bad bounce ended a solid night for the Long Island native.

Takeaway #3: Hurricanes Still Need to Clean Up Mistakes

While the Hurricanes did make the comeback to force overtime, there are still things they will need to clean up going into Game 4 on Tuesday. Over the last few days, the defense for the Hurricanes mentioned how they need to fix some mistakes as a unit and as a team. Sean Walker stated, when asked about what the team can do better defensively, “I think just some of the things, execution-wise, we can get a better job of. Key points: breaking out the puck; most of their goals were being scored from the inner slot. A lot of quick plays; that’s something we’ll be looking to shut down next game, for sure.”

Even Jaccob Slavin added to that sentiment following the morning skate on Thursday (June 4), when it came to their expectations for the defense: to play better in their zone in Game 2. “What we expect tonight, we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be better in our defensive zone. We’ve got to tighten up a couple of things, and then we’ve got to break up our puck better. Obviously, they’re a good team, and they’re here for a reason. They’re going to bring their best again, and we’ve got to be able to bring ours.”

Before their rally, the Hurricanes turned over the puck a lot and had a few bad clears, giving the Golden Knights more chances in their defensive zone. If the Hurricanes want to leave Las Vegas with the series tied 2-2, they will need to lock it down defensively and not give the Golden Knights so many breakaway chances, along with second or third chances. While Andersen did give up four goals, not all of them were his fault, as he was left to dry once again in these playoffs. There will probably be another long video session for the team as they prepare for Tuesday’s game.

Despite the loss, the Hurricanes showed that no lead is safe in this series. They almost completed a comeback in back-to-back games. The hope is that they don’t have to do that again in Game 4 because, after a while, how many comebacks can they do in one Stanley Cup Final? Thankfully, after three games in five days, the Hurricanes have two days off to learn and prepare for Game 4 on Tuesday. Do we see the series return to Raleigh on June 11 tied 2-2?