5.2.22 Recap No Frame

RALEIGH, NC. -Carolina Hurricanes netminder Antti Raanta made 35 saves in his first career postseason start Monday, backstopping the club to a 5-1 victory.

Three Things

1) Fantastic Father Finn
Boston came out of the gate the hotter team, taking an early 14-4 shots advantage. Antti Raanta was tested, but he was up to the task on each effort. It turned out the early amount of rubber faced allowed the first-year Hurricane to get into a groove, carrying his team to the second scoreless.
In the second the Canes offense got going and found the back of the net, taking control of the game from there.
While the Bruins were able to ruin Raanta's shutout bid early in the third period, it was the only one that got by him all night and it was an easy decision for whom the game's first star should be.
2) The PDX Express
Rookie Seth Jarvis recorded his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs goal in his first postseason game, getting Carolina the first lead of the night. After finishing the regular season with points in seven straight games (3-4--7), the 20-year-old kept it rolling, redirecting a Jaccob Slavin shot from the point.
Then, 2:10 later, fellow former Portland Winterhawk Nino Niederreiter was able to beat Linus Ullmark with a shot from the blocker-side circle, quickly doubling Portland's lead.
The rapid momentum swing was one of, if not the most pivotal moment of the night, putting the home side in the driver's seat comfortably.

BOS@CAR, Gm1: Jarvis opens scoring with tip-in goal

3) A Total Team Effort
While Raanta made 35 saves when all was said and done, both Brendan Smith and Ian Cole also deserve credit for one each on the evening.
During the first period a Craig Smith shot from the slot squeaked through Raanta, but Smith was there with some last second stick work to keep the puck from crossing the line.
Then, in the third period, Raanta was out of position after making an initial save, but Cole was there to swoop in and keep a second effort out with his hand. The full commitment by the two defenders were two strong testaments to the team's willingness to leave it all on the line.

BOS@CAR, Gm1: Raanta reaches back, robs Smith in 1st

They Said It

Rod Brind'Amour'sassessment of the game and the importance of Raanta...
"It was a good game. It was kind of what we expected would happen. Two evenly matched teams. They were good at the start, we weren't as good. Rants played really well, made some big saves and then we got our game going a little bit in the second. Obviously in the third we came out not as well, but the Teravainen goal was big. We didn't have a whole lot of action going, but that settled it down a little bit for the rest of the game."
Antti Raantaon the environment for his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs start...
"It was something else. Every time the fans started going, your ears were ringing a bit. When we scored our first goal, I was like 'what is happening?' Everyone says it's the loudest building, but I couldn't imagine it getting this loud. I can't wait until Wednesday to hear them again. It's a huge energy for us and you really don't want to disappoint the fans when they are putting everything on the line. It's an awesome feeling and an awesome experience for me, for sure."
Seth Jarvisexpressing his thoughts on what his first NHL postseason game was like...
"Way more intense [than the regular season]. The fans, that building is insane. Everyone was going to say it was going to be crazy, but you can only believe so much. That was awesome. As for the game itself, physical. I took a lot more hits. [The officials] were letting us play more, which was nice, but that building was electric."

What's Next?

The Canes will hold a limited practice Tuesday. Game Two is set for Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at PNC Arena.

Bonus Notes