Recap: Canes 'Meltdown' Leads To Loss In Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - The Carolina Hurricanes saw a three-goal lead evaporate for the second straight game, ultimately falling 6-4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena.

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Despite playing the second half of a back-to-back, the Hurricanes enjoyed the far better start of the two clubs on Saturday, scoring twice on their first three shots.

Eric Robinson got things started with a one-timer from the right circle at 2:42, then drew a penalty shortly after. During the ensuing power play, Jackson Blake doubled the lead with a slick between-the-legs deflection of a Nikolaj Ehlers shot-pass.

Staying hot on the man advantage, Bradly Nadeau, who was recalled earlier in the day, ripped home a shot from the slot to inflate Carolina's cushion to three at the 12:27 mark.

But as the page turned to period two, the script flipped in Tampa's favor. Two tallies in the first 1:20 brought the Bolts back into the battle, and a breakaway conversion in the frame's final minutes leveled the score ahead of the third period.

The teams went tit for tat once more as the final 20 began to unfurl; Andrei Svechnikov initially restored the Canes' lead at 2:49, but the Lightning had an answer just 24 seconds later. When Jake Guentzel put the Bolts ahead for the first time at 6:38, though, it spelled the end of the back-and-forth. The former Hurricane then put the game on ice with an empty-netter in the final minutes.

Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 23 of 28 shots as he backstopped a defeat for just the second time this season. The loss ends Carolina's point streak at six games, marking its first regulation loss since Dec. 7.

Stats & Standouts

• Forward Andrei Svechnikov scored to stretch his point streak to a season-high-tying three games (1G, 4A). The 25-year-old leads the Hurricanes in scoring during December, with nine points (1G, 8A) in 10 games.
• Forward Bradly Nadeau buried his second career goal on Saturday, scoring for the second time in his last five NHL games after being recalled earlier today.
• Forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi set up Andrei Svechnikov's third-period goal for his 200th career point, 138 of which have come in a Hurricanes sweater.
• Forward Jackson Blake tallied his 10th goal of the season, becoming the fourth member of the team to reach double digits this season (Seth Jarvis - 19, Sebastian Aho - 13, Jordan Staal - 10).
• Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere registered an assist for the second straight game. Gostisbehere is one of just three NHL blueliners averaging a point per game this season, joining Cale Makar and Zach Werenski.
• The Hurricanes scored multiple power-play goals for the second time this season, lighting the lamp on the man advantage for a season-high fourth straight game. And after notching 10 power-play markers in their first 26 games, the Canes have potted nine in their last nine outings.

They Said It...

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

"It wasn't a good game. Even though we were up 3-0, we kind of got fortunate on a couple of plays. You come out for the second and just lay an egg, really. It was terrible. We kind of got what we deserved. Not impressive. Mentally, you could feel that we just weren't sharp. When that doesn't go, your body doesn't go. You could see the turnovers we made, just stupid plays that you can't win a hockey game doing."

Jordan Staal describing the defeat...

"It was a meltdown, obviously. That's two games in a row. When you're up three, you've got to be pretty confident that you'll go on and win that game. A slow second, some lax plays, turnovers, and they're back into it. We tried to push back in the third and came up short."

Jordan Staal reflecting on a second consecutive game lost when the team had a three-goal lead...

"We've got to be more consistent in our game. We believe in our game, but we've got to execute. We haven't done that, honestly, the last two games against two good teams and they've made us pay. They've made us look like an ugly hockey team. We've got to be strong and believe in our game. When we are up like that, we've got to stay consistent, stay with it, and be hard to play against. We got a little soft, hoping it was just going to be a shootout. It ended up being a shootout, but in the wrong direction for us. You can't play that way."

Rod Brind'Amour on what needs to change for Tuesday's final game before the holiday break...

"Just do it right. We need to get back to playing the way that we need to play. We need to try and reestablish that. I think the last couple of games we've gone astray a little bit. Obviously, we're missing big pieces here that would help drag us into that game, but we've got to be able to find a way."

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes will fly back to Raleigh immediately post-game and are scheduled to be off on Sunday. They'll return to practice on Monday before taking on the Panthers for the second time in five days on Tuesday.
• Next Game: Tuesday, Dec. 23 vs. Florida | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking