Ehlers scores in OT, Hurricanes top Canadiens in Game 2 to even East Final

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Nikolaj Ehlers scored his second goal of the game 3:29 into overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at Lenovo Center on Saturday.

Ehlers skated onto a pass from Mark Jankowski on the rush and beat Jakub Dobes from the slot. The play began when Jalen Chatfield knocked down a chip-in attempt by Montreal forward Oliver Kapanen and sent the puck out the neutral zone to Jankowski.

“It was a great pass from (Jankowski)," Ehlers said. "Then just try to get some speed and get the puck off my stick as quick as possible and try to surprise the goalie.

“Seeing that go in and seeing the fans react was pretty cool.”

The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is in Montreal on Monday (8 p.m.; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX).

Eric Robinson scored and Chatfield and Jankowski each had two assists for the Hurricanes, the No. 1 seed in the Metropolitan Division and in the Eastern Conference. Frederik Andersen made 10 saves.

Montreal defeated Carolina 6-2 in Game 1 on Thursday, scoring four straight goals in the first period.

“There was a lot to be better at. We were better obviously,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “For the most part of the game, I thought we were pretty in sync with what we needed to do and it showed. We’ve got to find a way to keep doing it."

Josh Anderson scored two goals for the Canadiens, the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division. Dobes made 23 saves. Phillip Danault had two assists.

“I thought our execution was not as good, but it wasn't terrible," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "Overall, I thought it was a battle out there. I thought we competed. It's a close game. it's a fine line between winning and losing." 

Carolina took a 1-0 lead at 2:33 of the first period. Robinson reached back into the slot with his stick and redirected William Carrier’s shot past Dobes’ left pad as the goaltender slid to his right.

“Just trying to get a piece of it, trying to throw (Dobes) off a bit,” Robinson said. “Got lucky that it went in.”

Montreal tied it 1-1 at 11:11. Kaiden Guhle intercepted Taylor Hall’s clearing attempt and passed to Danault, who fed Anderson for a shot that deflected off the left skate of Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin.

"I think he's obviously a huge playoff performer and he's been showing that all playoffs long,” Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson said of Anderson. “Especially tonight, he was probably our best player." 

Ehlers put the Hurricanes ahead 2-1 at 17:03 of the second period with an outstanding individual effort. He carried the puck from the red line, before turning to his backhand then his forehand. Ehlers then wrapped a shot around Lane Hutson and through the five-hole. The play started when Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin rimmed the puck from behind the net and out to the neutral zone.

“He’s a guy that can win a game for you,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s an important element, especially in a game like this. It’s tight, and you need that goal. He’s got the ability to basically do it himself.”

Anderson made it 2-2 at 12:51 of the third period when he scored on a netfront scramble.

“We know what (Carolina) is all about,” Anderson said. “They really push the pace. They defend really hard. Obviously they had an off night the other night and we expected them to bring their best. It's going to be a good series. It's going to be a long one."

Slavin, who was minus-4 in Game 1, rebounded with a plus-3 rating. He and defense partner Chatfield held Montreal’s top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to four shots.

“That’s hopefully how it should look most nights, unlike Game 1,” Slavin said. “They’re a great line, they have a lot of skill.  You have to respect that. It’s taking away their time and space and being hard to play against. We did a good job about that tonight.”

NOTES: The Hurricanes are 4-0 in overtime in the playoffs. … Ehlers’ overtime winner was the second of his career. He scored exactly five years ago (May 23, 2021) for the Winnipeg Jets in a 5-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the first round.