The Carolina Hurricanes staged a late comeback on Wednesday night to win Game 1 of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series with the New York Rangers, and Ian Cole was the unlikely hero.
New York took the early lead on a first-period goal by Filip Chytil. They held the lead until Sebastian Aho scored to tie the game with around two minutes left.
The game went to overtime, where Cole won it with a goal that surprised Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.
What’s so surprising? The 33-year-old defenseman is known for everything but his goal-scoring abilities. In 12 NHL seasons, Cole has only scored 29 career regular season goals. This was just his second career postseason goal.
Cole’s other postseason goal was a big one too, which came in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes now lead 1-0 after turning a likely loss into a win.
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