The Carolina Hurricanes appeared to be headed to a Game 4 victory and a 2-2 split in their best-of-seven series against the Boston Bruins on Monday when things went off the rails.
With Carolina up 2-0 in the third period, the Bruins rallied with four unanswered goals in just under seven minutes to claim an eventual 4-3 victory.
"That was, quite frankly, as ugly of a period that I've ever seen us play. ... We got it handed to us," Hurricanes forward Justin Williams told reporters after the loss.
He added, "Mentally, the sharpness wasn't there from everybody, and it snowballed into something we didn't want and we couldn't catch it in time."
The Hurricanes seized control in the opening 40 minutes, but the battle-tested Bruins would not be denied in the final frame. Boston held Carolina to just two shots on goal in the third period and completely took over:
| Period | Bruins CF% | Bruins xGF% | Bruins HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st period | 43.48 | 60.5 | 42.86 |
| 2nd period | 42.86 | 45.81 | 60 |
| 3rd period | 86.67 | 93.53 | 100 |
(Corsi For rating, expected goals for percentage, high-danger scoring chances percentage)
Following the loss, Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour put the onus on himself to make sure the Hurricanes are better prepared to close out a big game.
"The lack of pushback that we needed is something that I haven't seen out of this group," he said, per TSN's Mark Masters.
"I'll take the heat for that," he continued. "I mean, I needed to have my guys better prepared for that third period that was coming. I'll learn as well."
The Hurricanes will look to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Wednesday.
(Advanced stats source: Natural Stat Trick)
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