Is This Danish Star Carolina's Missing Link?: Nikolaj Ehlers Dazzles, Scores Overtime Winner In Game 2

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Carolina Hurricanes fans celebrate Nikolaj Ehlers' Game 2 overtime winner.

For the first time in 20 years, the Carolina Hurricanes have once again won a home game in the Eastern Conference Final.

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It had been a brutal 0-10 run for the Canes up until Saturday evening's 3-2 overtime win in Game 2 at Lenovo Center, where time after time, the Stanley Cup dreams of Hurricanes fans were raised, just to be mercilessly crushed.

In all those years prior, the Hurricanes were always a good team, but they lacked the offensive depth, that game changing firepower, that teams need to get over the hump at this time of year.

Now though, they might just have what they've been missing in Nikolaj Ehlers.

"We added a piece in there and now all of a sudden, I think we're more explosive," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour, on how Ehlers has changed the dynamic of the team. "There's a guy that can win the game for you and I think that's an important element, especially in a game like this. It's tight and we needed that goal. He's got the ability to do it himself and that's what happened."

Since his acquisition in the summer, the Danish winger has been a game changer for the organization. 

He's been a consistent producer in Carolina, finishing second on the team in points with 71 (a new career high, mind you) and he's brought that now into the postseason too, where he has four goals and six points in 10 games.

"When you sign with a new team, every single year you want to win the Stanley Cup, and you want to have a chance at that," Ehlers said. "When I signed here, I knew what a great team they had. I've been playing against this team for the last 10 years, and that was something that excited me."

And in Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens, he had a pair of pretty special goals.

In the second period, Ehlers picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone with speed and then drove into the Montreal zone, fending off the defenseman in front of him and dangling between him and the supporting forward, before eventually ripping it on net and in past Montreal netminder Jakub Dobes.

Then in overtime, Ehlers once again came through the neutral zone with speed and then quickly picked his spot to seal the win for Carolina.

"Coming to a new place — it was the first time in my career — and it's been great so far," Ehlers said. "It's been special. The city's been great, the guys, the organization. To be able to do this at home, in front of our crowd was special. I felt everything out there. That's one I'm not going to forget."

But even as Carolina is evolving with the addition of Ehlers, he too has been evolving more and more in his career to get to where he is today.

"I think the biggest thing from back then was, first of all, consistency in my game," Ehlers said. "Not staying on the outside every single time, but trying to get inside and get to some bigger soring chances. The biggest thing is also just the shooting mentality. When I have that, then my legs feel a lot better."

But it isn't necessarily the fact that he's able scoring, but more so how he's able to create offense out of almost nothing.

Ehlers is one of the league's most dynamic skaters and he has the ability to move the puck as quickly and efficiently as his feet too, which allows him to materialize chances all of a sudden.

So even though his linemates — Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook — don't have a lot of offensive flair in their game, the time and space they afford him is more than enough for him to work with.

"His nickname is Fly for a reason," said Eric Robinson, who also scored for the second straight game on Saturday. "He's a special player. It seems like he gets faster when he gets a puck, which is really not easy to do."

And while the offense is what the team has needed, he hasn't sacrificed anything defensively either.

On Saturday, his line had the assignment of matching up against the Canadiens top trio and not only did they outscore them, they also limited them to just a single high-danger chance.

Ehlers has been everything the team could have hoped for when they signed him and he just might be the piece they've needed all along.

'We Can Start The Series Over Now': Nikolaj Ehlers, Jalen Chatfield, Jaccob Slavin, Frederik Andersen, Eric Robinson, Mark Jankowski On Game 2 OT WinNikolaj Ehlers’ overtime heroics powered Carolina to a gritty Game 2 victory. Go inside the locker room as the Hurricanes break down their relentless pursuit and series-tying win.Recent Articles

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