Canes strike back in an instant classic Game 2: Gr...

Down is up. Right is left. The future is the past. Nothing makes sense. In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Carolina Hurricanes trailed by two goals, scored three straight to take a lead in the third, lost that lead and then won 4-3 in overtime against the Vegas Golden Knights. Both of the first two games really came alive once the clock was within the last five minutes. Now the setting shifts to Las Vegas for Games 3 and 4, with the Cup Final resuming Saturday. Every game comes with its own set of questions and thoughts to ponder. This one had a lot of them. Here's a look at how both teams influenced the momentum of the game, the players to watch going forward, along with the looming questions facing all parties going into Game 3. Perhaps the easiest way to dissect this game is to look at how the Hurricanes performed in the first 50 minutes versus what happened afterward. The first 50 minutes was an extremely complicated scenario. The Hurricanes found what could be deemed success in preventing the Knights from consistently generating shots and scoring chances; the blemishes were the two goals by Brett Howden. What overshadowed that defensive effort was how the Hurricanes had a first-period shot share of 82.1%. The top-six forward group featuring Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake, Nikolaj Ehlers, Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Andrei Svechnikov each had a shot share that was greater than 60% -- only to come away with nothing. It also didn't help that Alexander Nikishin was the only member of the Canes blue line that recorded a shot on goal by midway through the third period, an odd occurrence for a team that had four defensemen finish with more than 30 points in the regular season. Then came the final after that initial 50 minutes. The Hurricanes broke out for three unanswered goals in the span of five minutes. One of them was from Stankoven, who won a puck battle to get his team on the board, before Mark Jankowski tied it a little more than two minutes later. Frederik Andersen's efforts were important throughout, but the stability he provided became even more crucial when he made the sprawling save on Ivan Barbashev that led to John Totorella using a coaches challenge because he believed the puck went in before the play was ruled dead. His challenge failed, the Hurricanes went on the power play for the delay of game, and Jordan Staal scored with less than five minutes left for a 3-2 lead. With the momentum and the crowd back on the Canes' side, Jackson Blake was assessed a two-minute minor for interference. The Canes killed it off, but the Golden Knights tied it on a 6-on-5 just eight seconds after the Hurricanes returned to full strength. The final turning point of the game was the result of Tomas Hertl getting called for tripping. That led to Jarvis, who has been part of that much-maligned top-line that hadn't scored going into Game 1, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. Similar to the Hurricanes, the Golden Knights' performance in Game 2 can be viewed through two prisms. Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now The first being how they needed their defensive structure to overcome an offensive system that greatly struggled. It started with having those two-way centers such as Jack Eichel and William Karlsson that can be paired with two-way wingers like Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, which allows their forwards to remain steadfast in that defensive approach. Especially in extended time when they don't have the puck. Brayden McNabb's injury forced John Tortorella to make lineup adjustments. Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin gave the Golden Knights a consistent defensive pairing, while Shea Theodore played 28:30 and Jeremy Lauzon finished with 21:08. The Knights had 25 blocked shots and forced one giveaway during a game in which they struggled for goals and scoring chances aside from Howden's heroics. That leads to the second prism being Tortorella's challenge on the potential Barbashev goal -- and the ensuing power play for the Canes. Carolina had failed to score on its first four power-play chances this series before Staal's goal that gave the Canes a late lead in the third. For a time, it appeared that Tortorella's decision to challenge was going to doom the Golden Knights. Stone's net-front goal tied the game to force overtime, but any chance of taking a 2-0 series lead were erased with Hertl getting called for tripping and Jarvis scoring the game-winner. This is going to be a talking point until it's not. And the "this" in this case is how the Canes are struggling to receive offensive contributions from certain members of their top six. Svechnikov is one of the players who has faced the most scrutiny. The 6-foot-3 winger had the strongest regular season of his career, with 31 goals and 70 points. He was part of an offensive phalanx that saw the Hurricanes enter the playoffs with seven players that had 20 or

Canes strike back in an instant classic Game 2: Gr...

Key takeaways

More in sports