The Hurricanes won the last time they were in Tampa. Why not again?

It’s worth noting the Carolina Hurricanes won the last time they played at Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena.

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was in net for the Canes, making 26 saves against the Lightning.

Jordan Staal scored what would be the game-winning goal in the 4-1 victory.

Steven Lorentz also scored as Morgan Geekie and Cedric Paquette had the assists, the Canes’ fourth line contributing.

That should be in the Canes’ collective memory bank when Game 3 of their second-round playoff series is played Thursday night. The Canes beat the Lightning and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, at their place, on April 20.

At this point, trailing 2-0 in the playoff series after two close home-ice losses, the Canes need to draw on all the positives they can. It’s a tough predicament and maybe insurmountable, but the Canes aren’t backing away from the challenge against last year’s Stanley Cup champion.

“We’ve got to stick to our game plan,” Nedeljkovic said Wednesday. “We can’t deviate. We know what works best for us and what made us successful and there’s no need to change that right now.

“We’ve played two pretty good games so far. We haven’t really gotten the bounces that maybe we’d get normally. But that’s how it goes. Sometimes, you get those bounces and sometimes you don’t. We just have to stick with what works for us and hopefully sooner than later we get a bounce and that jumpstarts us and we take it from there.”

In their last game in Tampa, the Canes’ Nino Niederreiter had a goal and assist and was named the game’s first star. Center Vincent Trocheck set up Niederreiter for his score with a nice backhand pass into the slot in the second period for a 1-0 lead -- yes, the Canes scored first that game and never lost the lead.

Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic says he ‘dropped the ball’ in Game 1

Ah, the rub. Neither may be in the lineup Thursday.

Niederreiter, who has an upper-body injury, has not played in the series and won’t be with the Canes on the trip, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday. Trocheck, who appeared to injure a leg in Game 2, was still being evaluated and his status remains unknown, Brind’Amour indicated.

Geekie, who has not been used in the playoffs, might draw back into the lineup. Paquette has played the past two games with Niederreiter out.

The Canes and Lightning were tied 1-1 in the third period of Game 1 when Tampa Bay’s Barclay Goodrow got off a tight-angle shot that got through Nedeljkovic at the short-side post. It was the kind of goal that sucked the air out of PNC Arena and the deciding goal in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 victory.

Nedeljkovic, to his credit, does not try to hide from giving up the bad goal.

“Personally, I kind of dropped the ball in that first game there,” Nedeljkovic said. “One mistake. We might have been playing five overtimes if I don’t have that little blunder there. But it is what it is and you’ve got to move on.”

Nedeljkovic said the Canes did not give the Lightning much in Game 2, limiting Tampa Bay to 15 shots and only a few chances on the rush.

“They honestly didn’t get a lot of great looks and it’s a little frustrating when you hold them to 15 shots and you give up two (goals),” he said. “Eventually we’re going to get a bounce here, hopefully, and that can kind of open the floodgates for us and we can get going and play with a little more confidence maybe.”

Can the Canes win on the road?

It should be noted the Hurricanes were beginning a four-game road trip in Florida in April and were beaten by Tampa Bay 3-2 in overtime in the first game. The next night, Nedeljkovic and the Canes responded with their 4-1 win, then twice beat the Florida Panthers.

Brind’Amour said he expected a similar, strong response Thursday.

“It’s the group, the character in the group,” he said. “Nobody knows the outcome, knows how the bounces are going to go or all that stuff, but I know how our guys are going to come to play. They’re going to give everything they can.

“Why do I say that? Just watch us all year. That’s why.”

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game 3, Stanley Cup playoff series

When: Thursday, 8 p.m.

Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa.

Watch: USA

This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 8:47 AM with the headline "The Hurricanes won the last time they were in Tampa. Why not again?."

Chip Alexander

The News & Observer

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In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.