In an amazing comeback from a 3-0 deficit, Carolina scored the game-winning goal less than a minute before the end of play to win the game 5-4.
During the game, the eight-day layoff Edmonton had since their last game didn't seem to have any negative effects on their play. Maybe that little trip to New York during that layoff did keep their minds on the game and what they needed to do to win.
Carolina, on the other hand looked nervous and disorganized through the 1st and 2nd period, but then the 3rd period came around and all of sudden, well, the game got good.
Fernando Pisani scored for Edmonton 8:18 into the first period to give the Oilers the early lead in the game.
Chris Pronger scored the Oilers' second goal of the game on a penalty shot 10:36 into the second period after the puck was covered in the crease by a player. The unlikely choice for the penalty shot looked like he'd been in that situation thousands of times before.
Ethan Moreau scored 16:23 into the 2nd period his shot deflected off of Carolina defensemen Aaron Ward's stick, leaving goaltender Cam Ward defenseless.
At 2:43, Rod Brind'Amour scored to give the the Hurricane's their first goal of the game on an easy chip-in play.
Brind'Amour, the Carolina Hurricanes' captain, sounded disgusted with the way his team has been playing in the game in an interview during the 2nd intermission.
"I'm not sure what game we're playing right now," he told OLN during an intermission interview. "We're not going to win keeping this up."
Ray Whitney made it a one-goal game very early in the 3rd period, beating Edmonton's Dwayne Roloson with a one-timer, lifting his team's spirits and working the home crowd into a frenzy.
The game got interesting, with Carolina's hunger for the first win of the finals finally showing.
Whitney scored his second goal of the game within 4 minutes to tie the game at 3, 5:09 into the 3rd period on the powerplay. Now, Edmonton was looking confused and unlike their typical scrappy selves this playoff series. They seemed to have complete control of the game with the Canes' appearing to be on their heels before Carolina burst to life.
Carolina still wasn't satisfied. They kept fighting back, climbing out of the hole they dug for themselves. Maybe a litte too hard, since they got a penalty for hooking. That penalty didn't seem to phase their work ethic.
Justin Williams was able to break away and no Oiler could catch him in time before he beat Roloson on the stick side taking the lead for the first time in the game. Less than 4 minutes later, Oilers' Ales Hemsky was able to tie the game again.
At 5:54 of the 3rd period Edmonton took a nasty hit in personnel. Carolina's Andrew Ladd got checked by Edmonton's Marc-Andre Bergeron sending him directly into Dwayne Roloson. Roloson layed on the ice looking to be in some serious pain.
Roloson was helped off the ice and Ty Conklin came onto the ice looking a bit nervous, and rightfully so. Conklin has not played at all during this year's playoffs.
With less than one minute left in the game, Carolina took advantage of the miscommunication between Edmontons's goaltender Ty Conklin and team Captain Jason Smith behind the Oiler net.
Rod Brind'Amour, being in the right spot at the right time, was able to get control of the puck and put in another easy shot for his second goal of the game.
Frantically, Edmonton tried to tie the game with the remaining seconds of the game, but again, Cam Ward was just making the big saves over and over.
Rod Brind'Amour was tough on his team with what he said during that second period intermission interview. Whatever he said to his team in the locker room during that intermission, his team listened.
After the game, it was announced that Roloson will not return for the rest of the Stanley Cup finals.
