Carolina's superior shot volume — 41 to Boston's 21 — created the structural conditions for a comeback, but it was special teams and a second-period collapse that actually delivered it. This was a 6-5 overtime win for the Metro's top seed against a Bruins team that owned the first period and lost control of everything after it.
⚡TURNING POINT
Stankoven's power-play goal at 5:17 of the second erased Boston's 3-2 lead and equalized at 3-3 — the moment Carolina converted Boston's penalty trouble into momentum rather than just a special-teams stat. Three 5v5 Carolina goals followed in the same period, meaning the power play unlocked an entirely different gear; without that conversion, the Bruins carry a lead into a period they were outshot in and likely hold.
🏆WHY CAR WON
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A 3-0 second-period run — built on a power-play conversion and two immediate 5v5 goals within 90 seconds — dismantled a 3-2 Boston lead before Boston could adjust
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Carolina's 41-shot output against Boston's 21 created sustained offensive pressure that Boston's structure couldn't absorb across 65 minutes
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Slavin ended it 73 seconds into overtime, finishing a sequence Carolina's shot dominance made statistically inevitable
📉WHY BOS LOST
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Boston took 8 PIM to Carolina's 2 — that 4-to-1 penalty differential handed Carolina the power play that triggered the second-period collapse
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22 giveaways to Carolina's 17 fed Carolina's transition game and enabled the volume that overwhelmed the structure
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Swayman conceded 2.60 goals above average on 24 shots — in a one-goal overtime game, that margin was the difference
Three Stars
Jaccob Slavin1st
CAR, D
1G 0A 1P
His overtime goal — assisted by Aho and Svechnikov — was the direct final consequence of Carolina's defensive depth driving offensive production when it mattered most.
Taylor Hall2nd
CAR, L
1G 1A 2P19:24 TOI
Hall scored and set up the Stankoven power-play goal that reset the game, making him the engine of the decisive second-period swing.
Sean Walker3rd
CAR, D
0G 2A 2P4 hits19:26 TOI
Walker's two assists — both on first-period goals — and physical presence established the defensive-zone exits that kept Carolina competitive before the comeback.
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Boston won the faceoff battle 56-44, out-disciplined nobody, and got outshot 2-to-1 — Carolina's structural dominance was always going to outlast a fast start.
