BOSTON — There was a moment early in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Thursday where a defiant Dougie Hamilton went face-to-face with Zdeno Chara during a scrum. He didn’t flinch or back away.
"Just a hockey play, I think," said Hamilton. "An old friend."
It seemed to say a lot about where we’re at to begin this best-of-seven series. You had Hamilton, the former Boston Bruins defenceman of the future, looking fear directly in the eye — a nice proxy for his Carolina Hurricanes coming into TD Garden and trying to hold their nerve while keeping company among the NHL’s Final Four.
They were each left with some regrets after a disastrous six-minute stretch in the third period derailed an otherwise encouraging night. It saw Carolina take three penalties — two by Hamilton — and the fans derisively chant "Dougie! Dougie!" while the Bruins instantly flipped a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead on their way to taking Game 1.
"Well, I just watched both of them and I didn’t agree with either," Hamilton said of his penalties. "Not much else to say. The game’s over now and there’s nothing you can do about it."
The calls were certainly debatable. There seemed to be a never-ending discussion involving referees Marc Joannette and Dan O’Rourke during stoppages in this uneven opener, with Patrice Bergeron and Chara often pleading a case for the Bruins, and Justin Williams cross-examining on behalf of Carolina.
So the standard was in question, but the Hurricanes were also in a position of control with a lead on the road and 20 minutes to play.
Then,they let it slip away. A boarding call on Jordan Staal allowed the Bruins to tie it before Hamilton was whistled for roughing Joakim Nordstrom and then given an interference penalty for hitting David Backes in the corner.
"Everyone knows that those penalties kind of cost us the game," said forward Sebastian Aho.
"It took all of the momentum out of us," added Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, never the excuse-making type.
"We took penalties, we need to kill ‘em. Whether they’re good or not, whether there was some let go that we thought should have been called, I mean that’s going to happen every night," he said. "We’ve got to come up with a better way to kill ‘em and when we get our power plays we’ve got to make them count."
The huge swing of special teams momentum was made even tougher by the fact the Hurricanes controlled a healthy swath of the second period at 5-on-5. They were skating and relentless, working the puck around the offensive zone and mostly keeping it away from potential danger.
They’d also spent a fair bit of their preparation in recent days emphasizing the importance of not letting Boston’s league-best power play go to work. Then they handed them five opportunities straight away, including the three at the start of the third period on freshly resurfaced ice.
"You look at their roster, obviously, they’re a pretty talented group," said Hurricanes forward Greg McKegg. "They’ve had that power play there for a while. There’s a lot of chemistry and they move it around."
For Hamilton, in particular, this loss stung. He was a former ninth overall pick by the Bruins who was part of the team that lost in the 2013 Stanley Cup final, and then saw his relationship with the organization sour.
He welcomed the change of scenery when the Bruins traded him to Calgary in June 2015 and appears to be on the upswing at the end of his first season in Carolina. Absent the penalties, he played a hell of a Game 1 — recording a team-best four shots on goal while helping the Hurricanes control 60.7 per cent of even-strength shot attempts and 68.75 of scoring chances while he was on the ice.
But it’s the sight of him sitting helplessly in the penalty box while the entire building screamed his name that will endure.
"I don’t really care," said Hamilton. "They’ve chanted my name before. For me, it is what it is. Obviously unfortunate that I was in the box and taking those penalties. I mean, it’s playoff hockey. That’s what you expect."
As for the heated moment with Chara, the 25-year-old defenceman was reluctant to delve into the details.
"I don’t remember what he said," said Hamilton. "I don’t remember what I said."
Brind’Amour thought his player was on the "edge" throughout the night. It was mostly positive, the kind of thing you want to see in the biggest game for the Hurricanes franchise in a decade.
"Usually, the first game of a series there’s a little tiny feeling out, just to see what you’re up against," said Williams. "Unfortunately, it’s tough, because that game was there for us."
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