Recap: Canes' Special Teams Pave Way To 3-2 Win Over Tampa

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes snapped their first four-game skid of the season Tuesday, earning a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Three Things:
1) A Spectacular Special Teams Evening
The first two goals of the night for Carolina came on their first two power play attempts, marking the 11th time this season they've scored multiple power play goals.
Tonight's occurrence couldn't have come at a better time, as the man advantage units had been held off the score sheet for the last six games, snapping an 0-for-15 drought. Similar to his overtime winner against Tampa back in November, Martin Necas claimed the first tally with a well placed shot, and Tony DeAngelo earned his 10th of the season with a redirection in front to close out the second period.
While those goals set the tone nicely for the group, the league's leading penalty kill was also needed, killing off a pair of attempts for the Lightning. Although they rank 15th in the league at the moment, any time the likes of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman are on the ice at the same time, it's a heightened threat.

2) If Not For Vasilevskiy...
As cliché as the saying goes, Tampa's netminder was the sole reason the Canes did not come away with a 6-1 or 7-1 victory.
The league's leader in wins (32), Andrei Vasilevskiy, ultimately wound up with 38 saves in the defeat, denying the Canes of several point-blank opportunities along the way. Per
NaturalStatTrick
, Carolina had 20 high danger chances over the course of the evening and the Lightning's #88 was a key reason the majority of them stayed out.

3) See You Again Soon
With 2:41 remaining in regulation Mikhail Sergachev and Jordan Staal were both tagged for matching minor penalties. That forced the game to four-on-four and with Tampa bringing Vasilevskiy to the bench in favor of the extra attacker, it essentially provided the Lightning with a power play chance - without Carolina having the ability to ice the puck. Sure enough, Tampa took advantage and made it a 3-2 game with just under a minute to play.
Then, in search of the game-tying goal, Nikita Kucherov was called for interference on Sebastian Aho, halting his team's comeback bid.
When the Canes then killed the final 26 seconds, Kucherov approached Aho once again after exiting the box. It brought the two teams together for quite the scene at center ice, which is almost certain to carry over into the final regular season meeting between the two sides next Tuesday.
They Said It:
Rod Brind'Amourwhen asked if it was relieving to earn a victory after the way the last few games had gone for the team...
"Four of our last five games have looked the exact same, we just didn't get the result. We played really hard and we were able to cash in on the power play, which was the difference tonight."
Tony DeAngelotouching on the power play and their success tonight, including his goal...
"Power play was good. I thought we had good entries. Like I said the other day ago, I think the power play hasn't been bad, we've been moving it around. A couple of those goals, we've had a million of those chances over the last 15 or 16 power plays, they just haven't gone in. When you're playing a team like Tampa though, those have to go in and they did.
Frederik Andersenoffering his take on what transpired at the end of the contest...
"I don't know what was going on. The guys were just up there looking at each other. I think that atmosphere today just brings out a little extra in the guys. That intense crowd is just so cool to play in front of and yeah, I think the guys maybe get a little bit more tempered."
What's Next?:
The Canes are scheduled to hold practice Wednesday afternoon and then host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Bonus Notes:
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