Plus: Team defense
The Canes played with five defensemen for much of the game - more on that below - but they still were able to lock down Tampa Bay's threatening offense.
"Honestly, I didn't really notice we were down because we were just playing so well," Alex Nedeljkovic said. "As a D corps, they were solid."
The Canes limited the Lightning to 27 shots on goal, including seven in a dominant second period and nine in the third, when the Canes sealed their fourth win against the Lightning this season. The team was also 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, which included a stellar outing late in regulation to preserve what was a 3-1 lead at the time.
When the Canes did break down defensively, Nedeljkovic stopped 26 of the 27 shots he saw, including a sharp, quick-reaction stop on Ryan McDonagh's point-blank scoring opportunity in a 0-0 first period.
In his last 14 starts, Nedeljkovic is 10-3-1 with a 1.57 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage and three shutouts.
Minus: Losing Brady Skjei
The Canes had to play with five defensemen for nearly two periods because of Blake Coleman's dangerous hit-from-behind on Skjei late in the first period.
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"That's a hit from behind. Nothing's going to happen, but now we have a guy who might have a concussion. Not happy about that," Brind'Amour said. "The five D hung in there and battled hard for each other."