Recap: Canes Can't Cash In Against Canadiens

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes struck first on Sunday, but three unanswered goals in the second period cost them a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Lenovo Center.

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Dominating the early going with the first 10 shots of the game, Carolina jumped out to a quick lead thanks to Andrei Svechnikov's power-play thunderbolt at 8:37. From there, though, a similar script to Tuesday's tilt between these clubs ensued; Carolina enjoyed extended forechecking shifts in the offensive zone, but couldn't convert quality chances into additional results on the scoreboard.

With Jakub Dobeš standing tall in net, the opportunistic Canadiens capitalized on three of their eight shots in the middle frame — including two in the final 2:28 — to take a two-goal lead into the third period. A pair of power plays then opened the door for the Canes to climb back into the contest, but Dobes and a dedicated crew of shot blockers in front of him kept the scoreline static.

Frederik Andersen stopped 15 of 18 shots as he suffered a second straight defeat between the pipes.

Stats & Standouts

• Forward Andrei Svechnikov netted his ninth power-play goal of the season, matching his second-highest single-season output and moving to within one of his career-high of 10, recorded last year.
• Forward Seth Jarvis extended his point streak to six games (2G, 7A) with an assist on Svechnikov's power-play goal. 
• Forward Sebastian Aho also picked up a helper on that play to reach 74 points on the year, matching last season's total in just 73 games.
• The Hurricanes have now scored a power-play goal in six straight games, their longest such run of the season.
• Carolina fired 35+ shots on net for the 28th time this season, which is the second-most among NHL clubs. On the flipside, Montreal's 32 blocked shots marked the fourth-highest single-game total by any team this season.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour giving his assessment of the contest...

“It’s pretty much identical to the game up there (on Tuesday.) We played well. We created enough opportunities. We just didn’t score. Tip your hat to their goalie. He played great, again.”

Rod Brind'Amour continuing, and referencing Montreal's 32 blocked shots, the fourth-most by a team in a game this season...

“They had a lot of blocks. We still had 30-plus shots. They blocked a ton at the end, obviously. It’s a tough game. Their top guys cashed in. We definitely had looks. We didn’t cash in, that’s all you can say about it… They executed better than we did at the end of the day. I thought we had a lot more of the play. I liked most of the game, almost all of it.”

Jordan Staal talking about tonight, and the three-game season series against the Canadiens...

“We had enough chances to win the game. Throughout a lot of the games, their goalie played well. We can do a better job capitalizing on our chances and make them pay for their mistakes. All in all, they played a solid defensive game, leaving it to kind of one shot. Not too many rebounds, not too (much) stuff around the net. They did a good job boxing out and keeping it to the same shot.”

Sebastian Aho on one goal not being enough...

“On a night like this, you need to find a way to score, and obviously, we weren’t able to do that. I had a few looks too. You can’t get too frustrated because you have to keep on going and trust that it’ll come eventually, but tonight it didn’t, and that’s on us.”

What's Next?

• The Canes will fly to Columbus on Monday, before taking on the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.
• Next Game: Tuesday, March 31 at Columbus | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO
• Next Home Game: Thursday, April 2 vs. Columbus | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking