Working overtime suits some people well. In the case of the Nashville Predators, overtime is the tonic of success.
On Sunday, the Predators’ Luke Kunin scored 57 seconds into the game for a 1-0 lead and again in the 17th minute of double overtime to give Nashville a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
The victory evens the series 2-2.
“I broke my stick, our equipment guy (Pete Rodgers) had it ready,” Kunin said. “I got up in the slot and found a way to get it in there. Great play by [Calle Jarnkrok and Granlund]. Just happy it went in.”
Juuse Saros made 58 saves for the win.
Brock McGinn struck for two goals for the Canes.
“I thought we played great,” Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Felt like we had the play most of the game. In overtime, it felt like we were at their end. Eventually, they’re going to score if we don’t score. We couldn’t find a way to get one, but I love the way our guys are playing.”
The series heads back to Raleigh for Game 5 on Tuesday.
“It’s definitely draining, disappointing losing those two,” McGinn said. “But they’re playing just as long as we are. We’re both in the same situation. Everyone has to go home, we have to recover, regroup and come back the day after.”
Vincent Trocheck added a single strike for Carolina.
“Since Day One, we’ve loved the character in our room,” Nashville’s Ryan Johansen said. “The resilience is showing when we need it most. That’s our group, and we continue to try and get better and keep moving forward.”
Johansen and Nick Cousins also scored for Nashville.
“We did a lot of good things tonight,” Johansen said. “You’ve just got to be mentally tough. You’ve got to stay ultra-focused, and your details got to be very sharp.”
Alex Nedeljkovic made 39 saves in the loss.
“He was great,” Brind’Amour said. “Of course he’d like to have that one back. That’s what happens, didn’t get the break. It wasn’t for lack of effort.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.