Raleigh, NC -- Jordan Staal scored twice and Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 saves in his NHL playoff debut, as the Carolina Hurricanes (1-0) defeated the Nashville Predators (0-1) to take a 1-0 series lead.
Nino Niederreiter, Teuvo Teravainen, and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina.
Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula each had a goal for Nashville.
"There's no better feeling than playing a big game at home with the fans like that," Canes captain Jordan Staal said. "The boys were ready; the fans were ready. It was a lot of fun. Playoff hockey--there's nothing better."
Staal was certainly ready. The 32-year-old Canadian led his team to victory with an impressive individual performance: 2 goals, 4 shots-on-goal, and 4 hits.
"He was great," Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour said of Staal. "It's just what he does. He plays hard every shift...Whatever the situation, you can count on him. That's why he's our leader."
Staal and his teammates fell behind early to a magnificent highlight-reel goal from Filip Forsberg.
But it didn't take long for the Canes to strike back.
Brett Pesce got the first of his two assists on the night when Teuvo Teravainen tipped his point shot past Juuse Saros.
In the second period, Pesce got his second assist of the night when he fed the puck to Staal, who split two Nashville defenders and beat Saros top-shelf to give the Canes the lead.
"I saw I had a little opening there," Staal said. "[Pesce] made a great play...I was just trying to find a way to put it on net."
Former Cane Erik Haula tied the game four minutes later when his shot took a deflection past Alex Nedeljkovic.
But after Haula's goal, the play became noticeably one-sided. Carolina would outshoot Nashville 25-14 over the final two periods.
Nino Niederreiter claimed the eventual game-winner off a feed from Martin Necas.
It was Niederreiter's fifth playoff game-winning goal--the most of any Hurricane.
"I feel like we got better as the game went on," Niederreiter said. "We started playing our game in the third period--got pucks in deep, went to the net. That's how we found some success."
Staal made it 4-2 at 8:00 of the third period, beating Saros from the slot after Warren Foegele was denied on a stuff chance at the side of the net.
In the final minutes, Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal.
For a team that hadn't played a home playoff game in over two years, the victory meant a playoff storm surge--honoring the 12,000 fans in attendance.
"Coming into the game, we were all super excited having the fans back," Niederreiter said. "It was great to have some noise."
Another player who appreciated the home crowd was the NHL playoff rookie Alex Nedeljkovic.
"It was awesome. It's incredible--one of the best atmospheres that I've ever played in front of, for sure."
Going into the game, it wasn't clear whether Nedeljkovic would be the starter or the backup. After the game, Brind'Amour talked about why Nedeljkovic got the nod.
"[Nedeljkovic] has earned the right to start...[Mrazek's injury] gave Ned an opportunity, and I just felt like he earned the start."
Once again, Nedeljkovic took advantage. He became only the fourth rookie goaltender in franchise history to make an appearance in the playoffs--joining a list that includes Cam Ward, who went on to win the Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP) in 2006. Nedeljkovic is the first in franchise history to win his playoff debut.
Housekeeping
Steven Lorentz, Martin Necas, and Vincent Trocheck each had one assist for Carolina.
Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, Alexandre Carrier, and Ryan Ellis each recorded one assist for Nashville.
Cedric Paquette (lower body) did not dress for Carolina.
Up Next
Game Two is Wednesday night at 8:00 Eastern in Raleigh. After that, the series will shift to Nashville for Game Three (Friday) and Game Four (Sunday).