For the Carolina Hurricanes, it was a season that began with hope and expectation.
It began with a victory over the Minnesota Wild at PNC Arena, in a shootout, with goalie Scott Darling stopping the Wild’s Eric Staal, once the Canes’ captain, on a final shot.
It ended Saturday with Cam Ward in net, with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at PNC Arena. Elias Lindholm's goal, 49 seconds into OT, decided it.
In what could have been Ward’s last game with the Hurricanes, the goalie made some good, scrambling stops against the best team in the Eastern Conference The Lightning (54-23-5) came into the game with 112 points, needing a victory to clinch the Atlantic Division.