MONTREAL — Following a regular season where he nearly averaged a point per game and surpassed 30 goals as one of Carolina’s top offensive contributors, Andrei Svechnikov had little to celebrate through his initial 10 playoff contests this spring.
That changed during Monday night’s overtime period.
The Russian winger’s game-winning strike in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final versus Montreal marked only his second postseason goal and fifth overall point, pushing Carolina ahead 2-1 in the series. For the 26-year-old forward, it represented a crucial breakthrough moment.
“It’s the most important time of my life right now — of our life as a team — and you’ve got to get on the scoresheet somehow,” Svechnikov said. “I think we’re just playing good as a line. We’re creating a lot, and (in Game 3) we create lots of chances.”
The Hurricanes’ primary offensive unit featuring Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis had struggled to generate scoring throughout the playoffs. Instead, the combination of Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven had primarily driven the attack that carried Carolina through two consecutive sweep victories in earlier rounds.
However, after outshooting Montreal by nearly three-to-one, they delivered when the stakes were highest.
“It’s awesome,” said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who recorded the opening goal with his first playoff tally. “Those guys built the foundation of this team, and they carried us this whole season. It’s nice to see them, obviously, get the results that they’ve been working hard for.”
This is particularly true for Svechnikov, whom his teammates routinely encourage to take more shots.
“He’s the strongest guy on the ice, and when he’s playing a power forward role is when he’s his best,” Gostisbehere said. “We always say, ‘Just go be an animal out there — smartly.’”
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour, who has guided the team through eight straight playoff berths since assuming control and served as captain during Carolina’s 2006 Stanley Cup championship, wasn’t dissatisfied with Svechnikov’s overall performance. With nine victories in 10 contests, there was little reason for major complaints. Still, Monday’s breakthrough could prove pivotal.
“Hopefully it jumpstarts him getting on the scoresheet,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s been a factor — just not scoring. You’re not going to advance if you don’t get production out of your top guys, obviously, so it was great to see that.”
Contributing as a factor involves delivering hits and maintaining physical presence. Svechnikov ranks third on the roster with 46 hits, and part of their Eastern Conference Final strategy involves targeting Montreal’s smaller defenseman Lane Hutson and his teammates. Svechnikov embraces this approach.
“I don’t want to really talk about it, but that’s what we try to do,” he said. “Just finish the checks, obviously, and hopefully they’re going to turn the puck over or ice the puck and we get the offensive faceoff and all that stuff. We always try to finish our checks.”
Converting offensive opportunities remains equally important. Aho expressed satisfaction with their line’s performance, which finally resulted in a goal just past the 14-minute mark of overtime.
“We could have scored more than one goal, but it’s just the way it goes and we know more goals are coming for us,” Svechnikov said.
