RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes are still unbeaten at home.
The Canes also are one victory away from winning their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Boston Bruins.
After two losses in Boston, the Hurricanes rebounded Tuesday with a 5-1 win over the Bruins in Game 5 before a thunderous crowd of 19,163 at PNC Arena, seizing a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
It was a big night for a veteran goalie, the Canes’ Antti Raanta, and a rookie forward, Seth Jarvis. Raanta had 34 saves and Jarvis scored twice for Carolina, which will seek to end the series Thursday in Game 6 in Boston.
Tony DeAngelo and Trocheck each had a goal and two assists, and Teuvo Teravainen three assists for the Canes.
It all fell into place for the Canes. They scored first, on a goal by defenseman Jaccob Slavin a little more than six minutes into the game. They scored on their first power play, DeAngelo unloading a big shot from the point in the period, then throwing up a defiant upper-cut with his right arm as the crowd roared.
Earlier Tuesday, Jarvis told the media he was having a “blast” in his first playoffs, and that continued in Game 5. His first goal came while he was down on the ice and seemingly out of the play, and the second with a nifty play off a rebound on a power play.
The Canes did not have a first-period penalty. They had one in second – a high-sticking call that Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour did not like – and killed that one off. They had another early in the third and then later in the third, and killed both off.
The discipline, missing in Boston, was back in Game 5 for Carolina. The precision in the Canes’ play was back.
Raanta, starting a second straight game, made an early stop on a Brad Marchand backhander in close and took it from there. He faced eight shots in the first period and 11 in the second as the Canes were quick to pucks in their defensive zone and had some strong forechecking shifts in the Bruins zone.
Boston’s goal came midway through the third when defenseman Connor Clifton joined the rush and skated in on Raanta.
With the last change at home, Brind’Amour again was able to use the Jordan Staal line to neutralize the Patrice Bergeron line, which combined for 10 points Sunday in the Bruins’ 5-2 win and had 16 points in Boston’s two wins at TD Garden.
By the third period, Boston coach Bruce Cassidy had broken up the line, replacing David Pastrnak with Jake DeBrusk.
The Bruins got a boost when defenseman Charlie McAvoy was given clearance to leave COVID-19 protocol and return to the lineup. McAvoy was ruled out of Game 4 on Sunday and it was believed he would be out for Games 5, but he was cleared and flown into Raleigh.
But this was a night that the Canes did nearly everything right, in all three zones. They also got a nice break on their third goal,
After the high-sticking call on Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Canes’ Sebastian Aho forced a turnover that McAvoy compounded by taking an interference penalty. Carolina did not not officially score on the ensuing power play but ended up with a 3-0 lead seconds later.
Aho’s shot from the top of the slot hit Swayman in the chest as Jarvis went to the net, falling as he was sandwiched between defenseman Brandon Carlo and DeBrusk. The puck hit Jarvis, who took a swipe at it. Carlo tried to clear, only to have the puck hit DeBrusk and flip over Swayman’s head and into the net.
Jarvis’ second goal came off the rebound of a shot by Vincent Trocheck, who would end the scoring for the Canes with an empty-net goal.
It was that kind of night for the Canes — and the Bruins.
