Svechnikov plays the hero with OT winner in Game 3

The Carolina Hurricanes hold a 2-1 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens with their second consecutive overtime victory.

After Nikolaj Ehlers played the OT hero in Game 2, this evening it was Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov.

After some sloppy play from the Habs in their own zone, the puck ended up on Svechnikov's stick and he made no mistake.

Check it out:

Truth be told though, this was a game that the Hurricanes deserved to win. They outshot the Habs 38-12 and carried the play for the majority of the evening.

This just continues to be a series that is absolutely full of intrigue.

Game 1 belonged entirely to the Canadiens, and frankly, nobody saw it coming.

After Carolina entered the series riding an absurd eight-game playoff winning streak, the Hurricanes looked rusty, slow, and completely unprepared for Montreal’s relentless attack. The Canadiens stunned the Lenovo Center crowd with a dominant 6-2 victory that instantly flipped the narrative of the series.

Montreal’s speed through the neutral zone caused problems all night long, while Carolina’s usually structured defensive game completely collapsed under pressure. Every mistake ended up in the back of the net, and frustrated Hurricanes fans watched a team that looked unbeatable suddenly unravel in real time.

Even worse for Carolina, the Canadiens played with swagger.

Every big hit, every blocked shot, every goal seemed to drain more confidence from the Hurricanes bench. By the third period, the building was silent except for the loud celebrations coming from the visiting side.

But if Game 1 embarrassed Carolina, Game 2 showed why this Hurricanes team refuses to quit.

The Hurricanes responded with a far more disciplined effort and clawed out a dramatic 3-2 overtime win to even the series before heading north of the border.

The hero was Nikolaj Ehlers, who scored twice, including the overtime winner that sent the Raleigh crowd into absolute madness. After being heavily criticized following the Game 1 collapse, Carolina finally looked like the powerhouse team fans expected to see from the opening puck drop.

Still, this series suddenly feels far more dangerous for Carolina than anyone predicted.

Montreal has proven they are not intimidated by the moment, but for the second game in a row they came up just short.