Hurricanes lean on Nadeau, Robidas and a perfect penalty kill to edge Panthers 3-2 in a shootout

A first period that refused to settle down

For a few minutes, this looked like one of those NHL nights where every clean look might matter. Florida opened at 4:31 of the first when Brady Tkachuk scored on a snap shot, with Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov on the play. Carolina answered at 7:00 through Bradly Nadeau, whose snap shot pulled the Hurricanes even after setup work from Mike Reilly and Aleksi Heimosalmi.

The level score lasted all of 18 seconds. Barkov put Florida back in front at 7:18, finishing a sequence created by Brady Tkachuk and Seth Jones. That quick exchange was the Panthers at their most dangerous: Barkov and Brady Tkachuk touched both Florida goals, and Florida spent the opening stretch showing why its centers ended the night with a strong edge on draws. Barkov won 72.7 percent of his faceoffs, Anton Lundell won 72.2 percent, and as a team the Panthers finished at 61.9 percent.

When the goals stopped, the special teams story grew louder

Carolina’s answer came later and it changed the feel of the game. Justin Robidas tied it 2-2 at 11:25 of the second period on an unassisted goal, and from there the game tightened into a test of which side could make a power play matter or find one more finish at even strength. Neither happened in regulation or overtime. The winner had to wait for the shootout, where Carolina finally took the decision and the extra goal on the final line.

What kept the Hurricanes alive was not command of the shot clock or the faceoff circle. Florida outshot Carolina 33-26 and had five power-play opportunities. Carolina won anyway because its penalty kill was perfect. The Panthers went 0-for-5 with the extra skater, and that empty column became the loudest stat on Florida’s side of the sheet. Carolina’s own power play was hardly sharp at 0-for-4, but when both teams fail there, the one that survives more disadvantages usually feels better about the math.

The goaltending totals fit that same story. Carolina’s tandem combined for 31 saves and a .939 save percentage, better than Florida’s 24 saves and .923. Cayden Primeau stopped all 20 shots he faced, while Brandon Bussi turned aside 11 of 13. Florida got 12 saves apiece from Akira Schmid and Jacob Markstrom, a respectable night in its own right, but the Hurricanes received the cleaner line when the game stretched beyond 60 minutes. Carolina also chipped in with 13 blocked shots and 29 hits, numbers that help explain how it stayed level despite spending less time starting with the puck.

Our take: Carolina won the details Florida could not cash in

This result is a useful reminder that a team can lose some of the broad-count categories and still be the steadier side where the score is decided. Carolina did not own possession off draws, and it did not run away on shot volume. What it did do was answer both Florida leads, get seven shots from Nadeau, find a second-period equalizer from Robidas, and kill every Panthers power play. In a 2-2 game that stayed frozen through a full third period and overtime, that combination is enough to deserve real credit.

Florida will probably look first at the power play and puck management. The Panthers had five chances with the extra skater, won 39 faceoffs and generated 33 shots, yet still could not push past the two goals they scored in the first 7:18. That is not a volume problem alone; it is a conversion problem, and the 22 giveaways did not help. When Barkov and Lundell are winning that many draws, the Panthers should at least expect to squeeze more sustained value out of those possessions.

Carolina, meanwhile, should enjoy the win without pretending everything was polished. The Hurricanes were 0-for-4 on the power play, won only 38.1 percent of their faceoffs and were outshot by seven. That is a narrow path, not a habit to rely on. But the upside was clear too: Nadeau drove the shot count, Robidas supplied the tying goal, the penalty kill held, and the combined goaltending gave the Hurricanes a margin for error. On a night that began with a burst and ended with patience, Carolina found just enough of both.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 4:31

   Brady Tkachuk Goal (3) Snap Shot, assists: Sam Reinhart (1), Aleksander Barkov (2)

2. 1st · 7:00

   Bradly Nadeau Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Mike Reilly (1), Aleksi Heimosalmi (1)

3. 1st · 7:18

   Aleksander Barkov Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Brady Tkachuk (2), Seth Jones (1)

4. 2nd · 11:25

   Justin Robidas Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: none