For different reasons, DeAngelo, Jarvis answer call in complete Canes win over Bruins
Everyone had to answer for something after what happened in Boston. No one more than Tony DeAngelo. No one less than Seth Jarvis.
And as the Carolina Hurricanes rebounded from their two-game Hub horror show, redemption secured and a chance to advance at hand, those two were out ahead of everyone else.
DeAngelo ran the play instead of his mouth. Jarvis, who had every excuse to protect himself, sacrificed his body instead. They were far from alone as the Hurricanes played their most complete game of the series in a 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins, but those most felt the glare of the spotlight, and earned the most acclaim, for drastically different reasons.
There were surely others, from Antti Raanta’s flurry of first-period saves that staved off early catastrophe to yet another defensive master class from Jaccob Slavin to contributions, without scoring, from players as varied as Andrei Svechnikov and Max Domi. The Hurricanes won the matchups they had to win, starting with Jordan Staal against Patrice Bergeron, and on down the list.
But DeAngelo and Jarvis were different, and very much at the opposite ends of the spectrum. DeAngelo lost his cool at the end of Game 4, the personal representation of a team that lost its way, but he couldn’t have been cooler Tuesday, flipping the puck against the grain to Slavin for the Hurricanes’ opener, firing a power-play blast in the top corner of the net for their second.
He didn’t need to say a word to Brad Marchand or any of the other Bruins this time. Three points said it all.
“You guys are trying to stir it up more than me,” DeAngelo said. “I’m not really worried about it.”
Said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour: “We have lots of conversations.”
And Jarvis admitted he was still ailing Tuesday morning after taking a Brendan Smith shot in the spot where he’d probably least enjoy it, but that didn’t stop him from spending as much time getting knocked down around the net as any of his teammates, even scoring while prone, swiping at a loose puck after getting tackled that bounced off a Boston skate and fluttered over Jeremy Swayman like pollen wafting in the breeze.
“A lot of things had to go perfect for that to even happen,” Jarvis said.
But he was right at the net again for his second goal, ushering a shot that got through Swayman over the line. There’s a fearlessness to his game that belies his 20 years, and it’s the kind of thing that, to say the least, earns the respect of one’s teammates. Especially goalies who are used to taking pucks in unprotected areas.
“That’s why he scored those goals, going to the net and getting to those dirty areas, and you know, sometimes you might get hit with the puck,” Raanta said. “It’s nice that players know how it feels to get hit with shots not in the perfect spot. That’s what it takes sometimes. You might get hit with the puck in an area you really don’t want to. It’s been amazing to watch this season. He’s growing pretty much every day.”
Not even the miraculous exit of Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy from COVID-19 protocol — praise be, some beatified bishop is now one step closer to canonization — could help Boston keep up. The Bruins’ doctors may be in line for a Nobel Prize after figuring out how to instantly neutralize the coronavirus, but the Hurricanes have figured out how to neutralize the Bruins. In Raleigh, at least — and in a series where matchups have been the ultimate wild card, they’ve got to figure out how to do it on the road.
But they have the Bruins on the ropes now, and while the Hurricanes continue to dominate play five-on-five, all the other elements of their game were in place Tuesday. After saying they needed to stay out of the penalty box in Game 4, they actually did in Game 5. The Hurricanes just need to make a copy of this one and use it again.
DeAngelo spoke loudly but said nothing. Jarvis played through the pain, fearlessly, and asked for more. This hasn’t been an easy series for the Hurricanes, for the two of them least of all, but the conclusion lies within reach, if the Hurricanes can take this particular show on the road.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 6:23 AM with the headline "For different reasons, DeAngelo, Jarvis answer call in complete Canes win over Bruins."
