"I didn't really see where it went. I kind of got pushed in," McKegg said. "I saw the bench, and they said it was in. I was pretty sure it was going to be a goal because I didn't try to run into him. I got pushed from behind."
Ideally, the Canes would have been able to stretch their lead even further in what was their best period of the three. Still, it's a 20-minute of segment of hockey on which the Canes can build heading into Game 2.
"There's only good teams left at this time of year. We're confident in our abilities," McKegg said. "We've got to get to our game and stick with it."
4. Overcoming a Slow Start
Maybe it was Game 1 jitters. Maybe it was a thin layer of rust that accumulated after not having played a game in almost a week. Whatever the reason, the Bruins were able to jump on the Canes early.
After Justin Faulk couldn't handle the puck at the point, Johansson scooped it up and charged down the ice. He gained the zone and threw on the breaks before spotting an open Kampfer. In the lineup in place of the suspended Charlie McAvoy, Kampfer fired in a wrist shot from the slot to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead just 2:55 into the game.
"We came out slow," Brind'Amour said. "We're not going to win if we don't play better than that."
Boston's advantage was incredibly short-lived, though. The Hurricanes went to work on their first power play of the game 44 seconds after Kampfer's goal, and the Canes' man advantage, which was converting at just 10.5 percent coming into this series, only need three seconds to tie the game.
Jordan Staal cleanly won the draw back to Andrei Svechnikov, who fed Sebastian Aho at the top of the crease for the nifty redirection. Aho now has five goals and three assists in four games against the Bruins this season.