This Day in Canes History: April 24

On this day in Canes history ...

April 24, 2019

Brock McGinn scores at the 11:05 mark of the second overtime to lift the Canes to a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round.

It had been 10 long years since the Canes last made an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and in the most dramatic of ways, they knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions in the First Round.

The home team was victorious through the first six games of the back-and-forth, momentum-swinging series. The Canes staved off elimination with a decisive 5-2 win at home in Game 6, forcing the series back to Washington for one final match.

Game 7 in enemy territory played out a familiar script early. The Caps scored two goals in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the game and took that 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Sebastian Aho netted a shorthanded goal about midway through the game to cut the deficit in half, but Evgeny Kuznetsov potted his first of the series just about four minutes later to stretch Washington's lead back to two goals. Teuvo Teravainen netted a critical goal about three minutes later to again bring the Canes within a goal. Then, early in the third period, Jordan Staal streaked down the right wing and beat Braden Holtby clean on his blocker side to tie the game at three.

McGinn poked away a loose puck in the crease late in regulation, a game-saving maneuver, and from there, the Canes outlasted and outworked the defending champs.

With just under nine minutes to play in the second overtime, Justin Williams tracked down a puck in the corner and threw it toward the net, where McGinn's stick was perfectly placed to redirect the puck past Holtby.

Game and series. McGinn tossed his hands in the air, jumping up and down. His teammates spilled off the bench, and Petr Mrazek raced down the ice (and then slid on his belly) to join in the celebration.

"We battle. This is a special team. Everybody in here works for each other, and everybody respects Rod so much. We'd go through a wall for him," McGinn said after the game. "We're jelling right now and having fun. This is a big step for us."

The Canes then swept the New York Islanders in the Second Round before losing in four games to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final.

April 24, 1999

Ray Sheppard scores at the 17:05 mark of overtime to lift the Canes to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, marking the team's first playoff win in North Carolina and first since April 29, 1992.

The Southeast Division champions were shut out, 2-0, by the Bruins in Game 1 at the Greensboro Coliseum, but rebounded to even the first-round series in Game 2. The two teams traded goals in the second and third periods. Future Hurricane Sergei Samsonov opening the scoring and Sheppard answered back in the second. In the third, Steve Heinze put Boston back ahead before Robert Kron tied the game with 5:32 left in regulation.

Then, late in overtime, Steve Chiasson held the puck in at the point and walked the line, firing off a slap shot. Martin Gelinas' rebound bid popped off to the post to Sheppard, who lifted the puck into the net.

Though the Canes took Game 3 in Boston, 3-2, the Bruins then won three straight games, including a double-overtime thriller in Game 5 in Greensboro, to advance to the semifinals.