Nikolaj Ehlers scored his second goal of the game at 3:29 of overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Final on Saturday evening in Raleigh, N.C.
Ehlers scored from just above the right hash marks on the rush to even the best-of-7 series at 1-1 heading to Game 3 in Montreal on Monday.
Carolina had lost 10 straight games on home ice in the conference finals round.
Eric Robinson also scored and Frederik Andersen made 10 saves for Carolina, the No. 1 seed from the East which swept its first two opponents in these Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Josh Anderson scored twice and Jakub Dobes made 23 saves for Montreal, which was coming off a 6-2 win in Game 1 on Thursday.
Both teams scored on their first shots on goal nearly nine minutes apart in the first period.
Carolina forward William Carrier attempted a one-timer from above the hash marks, but didn’t make solid contact. Robinson reached out with one hand as he skated through the slot and he redirected the puck to the side of Dobes and across the goal line for a 1-0 lead just 2:33 in.
The Canadiens went the first half of the opening period without a shot on goal before Kaiden Guhle stopped a clearing attempt at the Carolina blue line, passed it to Phillip Danault and he fed Anderson in the slot for a redirection that tied it 1-1 at 11:11.
The Hurricanes outshot Montreal 7-2 in the first period.
Carolina was outshooting the Canadiens 12-4 when Ehlers scored at 17:03 of the second period for a 2-1 lead.
Ehlers took possession of the puck as he crossed the red line with speed. He split between Montreal defenders Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson and turned his back to the net before spinning back around at the left hash marks and shooting the puck between the pads of Dobes.
Anderson got to a loose puck in front of the crease and shot it under Andersen to tie it 2-2 at 12:51 of the third period.
