05/26/26 12:02:00
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05/26 12:00 CDT Andrei Svechnikov scoring in OT could be a turning point for
him and the Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov scoring in OT could be a turning point for him and the
Hurricanes
MONTREAL (AP) --- After being nearly a point-a-game producer and eclipsing 30
goals during the regular season as one of the Carolina Hurricanes' leading
scorers, Andrei Svechnikov did not have much to show for his first 10 playoff
games this spring.
Then came overtime Monday night.
Svechnikov's goal to win Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the
Montreal Canadiens was just his second of the postseason and fifth point, and
it gave Carolina a 2-1 series lead. It was a much-needed moment for the
26-year-old Russian winger.
"It's the most important time of my life right now --- of our life as a team
--- and you've got to get on the scoresheet somehow," Svechnikov said. "I think
we're just playing good as a line. We're creating a lot, and (in Game 3) we
create lots of chances."
Carolina's top line of Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis had not been
producing in the playoffs. The trio of Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake and Logan
Stankoven was chiefly responsible for the offense that got the Hurricanes
through the first two rounds unbeaten with a pair of sweeps.
But after nearly tripling the Canadiens in shots, they cashed in when it
mattered most.
"It's awesome," said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who opened the scoring
with his first goal of the playoffs. "Those guys built the foundation of this
team, and they carried us this whole season. It's nice to see them, obviously,
get the results that they've been working hard for."
Especially Svechnikov, whom teammates consistently tell to shoot.
"He's the strongest guy on the ice, and when he's playing a power forward role
is when he's his best," Gostisbehere said. "We always say, ?Just go be an
animal out there -- smartly.'"
Coach Rod Brind'Amour, who has overseen eight consecutive playoff appearances
since taking over and was captain when the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in
2006, was not unhappy with the way Svechnikov was playing. It was hard to be
upset with too much, given nine wins in 10 games. But Monday night could still
serve as a turning point.
"Hopefully it jumpstarts him getting on the scoresheet," Brind'Amour said.
"He's been a factor --- just not scoring. You're not going to advance if you
don't get production out of your top guys, obviously, so it was great to see
that."
Being a factor means hitting and physicality. Svechnikov is third on the team
with 46 hits, and part of the recipe in the East final is laying the body on
undersized Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson and his teammates.. Svechnikov is
taking that to heart.
"I don't want to really talk about it, but that's what we try to do," he said.
"Just finish the checks, obviously, and hopefully they're going to turn the
puck over or ice the puck and we get the offensive faceoff and all that stuff.
We always try to finish our checks."
Finishing on offense matters, too. Aho was pleased with how the line was
playing, and it paid off just over 14 minutes into overtime.
"We could have scored more than one goal, but it's just the way it goes and we
know more goals are coming for us," Svechnikov said.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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