The Carolina Hurricanes thought they took a 2-0 first-round series lead over the Ottawa Senators during the first overtime period. They did not.
But they did past the halfway point of double-overtime in front of their fans in the Lenovo Center Tuesday night.
Left winger Jordan Martinook made up for a failed penalty shot attempt that only came after the Hurricanes had a goal overturned in the fourth frame of the game. His first goal of the playoffs means the Hurricanes won their first two games at home and now only need to win two of a maximum five games to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs.
With just over three minutes left in the first overtime period, Martinook was closing in on Senators goalie Linus Ullmark when Warren Foegele hooked him. The referee put his arm in the air to indicate a delayed penalty.
The Hurricanes kept control of the puck in the offensive zone, and 32 seconds later, Mark Jankowski capitalized on a rebound to beat Ullmark, causing the crowd in Raleigh to erupt.
Coach Travis Green and the Senators quickly called for an offside review. The NHL Situation Room initiates reviews for offside in overtime anyway, so it took a closer look.
Sure enough, in the initial rush into the zone, the Situation Room determined Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal had possession but not control of the puck when he crossed the blueline into the attacking zone.
The offside offense happened before Foegele obstructed Martinook, and the game clock rewinded to when the infraction should have been called.
Rule 38.7 indicates that if one or more penalties are called between the missed infraction and the video review that disallows the goal, the penalty still applies.
So instead of Jankowski being the overtime hero, Martinook had that opportunity.
But Ullmark stood tall, making a critical stop on Martinook to keep the game alive after both teams experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.
About two-and-a-half minutes after Senators forward Michael Amadio hit the post on a high-quality scoring chance, the Hurricanes had possession in the offensive zone, forcing Ullmark to make more timely stops.
Martinook picked up the puck in the corner off a shot and fed K'Andre Miller at the blueline. Miller passed to Nikolaj Ehlers at the wall, allowing Martinook to circle behind the two closest Senators players.
Ehlers saw Martinook alone in the slot, and Martinook caught and released the puck glove side on Ullmark, winning the game for real this time.
The Hurricanes outshot the Senators 46-39 in the game. Although Ullmark stood on his head, stopping 43 shots, Frederik Andersen had another stellar game with 37 saves for Carolina.
The Hurricanes and Senators will head to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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