Recap: Canes Wrap Up Road Trip With Point In Tampa

TAMPA, FL. -The Carolina Hurricanes closed out a three-game road trip with five out of six possible points, losing out on just one as the Tampa Bay Lightning earned a 4-3 overtime victory Tuesday.

The Rundown:
Fewer than 24 hours after the final horn sounded to conclude their 6-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Monday, the Canes were right back at it for their third game in four days.
A key component to the team's first two victories on the trip in St. Louis and D.C. was an early goal and while Tuesday's didn't come within the first three minutes like the first pair, they got the game-opening tally for a third consecutive outing. After Tampa had come out of the gate hot, forcing Antti Raanta to make several crucial stops, a hard-working shift from Jordan Staal's line put the puck in the back of the net courtesy of Nino Niederreiter.
Coming out of the first media timeout, the Lightning failed to handle the puck pressure by Carolina's third line, turning the puck over and allowing the Captain to hit a streaking Niederreiter in front for his 21st of the season.

The marker was the only one of the first, but the scoring swung for a big uptick in the second, with Tampa responding for their first in the seesaw trend.
After Ian Cole was called for a penalty at the 20:00 mark of the opening frame, Alex Killorn struck for the first of three Lightning power play goals on the night.
The 1-1 score lasted for a sleepy section of eight minutes but then Seth Jarvis put his team back in front with a redirection on the rush. A saucer pass from Teuvo Teravainen was clipped by the rookie, beating Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it 2-1.

That score would last for all of just 62 seconds though as the home squad had a near-immediate answer, this time via Victor Hedman during four-on-four play. In between the two goals a scrum after a whistle resulted in Niederreiter and Zach Bogosian heading to the box for their respective sides, leaving some open ice for the 2018 Norris Trophy winner to step into the slot.
Before the game could move into the third tied though, Sebastian Aho was able to push his team back into the driver's seat. The 30th of the season for the Canes leading scorer came by way of tipping a Tony DeAngelo shot behind Vasilevskiy, turning momentum back towards Carolina's side once again.
In the third the Lightning's second man advantage tally of the evening came after Brett Pesce unintentionally tripped up Nikita Kucherov, sending Tampa to the power play. Less than a minute into their chance, Brayden Point made it 3-3.
That would be the only goal of the final 20 minutes of regulation, giving both sides a point and sending Carolina to overtime for the 14th time this year.
Three-on-three play would last just 26 seconds before Staal, chasing down Steven Stamkos for a loose puck, was called for holding. This sent the defending Stanley Cup Champions to a four-on-three, where Stamkos would end the night, giving his club the 4-3 result.
They Said It:
Rod Brind'Amour'sopening response, post-game:
"I could tell from the first shift that we were gassed. I was like 'oh, we're in for one tonight'. The guys tried their hardest but we were so slow on everything. It was clear to see. To have a chance to win the game, you have to give credit to Rants. He held us in there. If you look at it as a whole, that's a great road trip. But we don't look at it that way - tonight wasn't a great game."
Brind'Amourcontinuing on the importance of Niederreiter scoring on the team's first shot of the night, despite the slow start:
"That's honestly how it feels sometimes with us. We have some great starts and we have nothing to show for it or we go down a goal. It's happened to us so many times this year. Tonight was the reversal, we had no business being up in the game."
Antti Raantafollowing his 28-save performance:
"I could have been a little better here and there. Obviously the first goal was kind of tough to give up. When you play these types of games you can't give up those soft goals. That kind of bugged me. In the third period they got a couple chances and I was able to make those saves, so at least I got something there. Overall I could have been a little better. Small details. I need to be a little sharper against that type of team. I'll keep working."
What's Next?:
The Canes return to Raleigh post-game and are scheduled to be off on Wednesday. They'll resume activities with morning skate on Thursday before taking on the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m.
Bonus Notes:
Worth A Click:
Mailbag #21: After The Deadline
Burnside: Examining The Lead-Up To The Deadline For The Canes
Kotkaniemi Elated To Be A Cane For The Long Haul
Hurricanes March Schedule
NHL Standings