Carolina Hurricanes Facing Elimination, Vegas Knights & Dallas St

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Carolina Hurricanes are on the ropes after dropping Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Florida Panthers 1-0 on Monday.

A sensational 32-save performance from Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky -- in the first postseason shutout of his career -- did most of the damage in Carolina's loss, which put the Hurricanes in a 3-0 hole.

Still, the defeat didn't come without some controversy. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said after the game he wasn't thrilled with the lack of a call going in Carolina's favor.

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"It's tough for me. I could go on all day on that," he said. "We got [called for] three knickknack penalties on sticks to the hand. ... Especially when they stop the play [after Gostisbehere was hit]. I don't understand that. You stop it because you saw a high stick. Why are you stopping the play then? I don't know. No explanation, just move on."

Florida has now won 10 of its past 11 playoff games and can advance to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final since 1996 with a win over Carolina in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Belief can create pressure, and pressure is something Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel has learned to manipulate in ways that work for him. He applied the right amount of it when he aggressively shadowed Ryan Suter when the veteran Stars defenseman had possession of the puck behind the Dallas net in Game 2 of the teams' Western Conference final series.

Vegas came away with a 3-2 overtime win to take a 2-0 series advantage over the Stars.

Being in a 2-0 series hole is an unfamiliar role for the Stars. They opened their first-and second-round series against the Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken with overtime defeats in Game 1 before winning Game 2 en route to winning those respective series.

The series resumes Monday in Dallas.

LOOK: 50 images of winning moments from sports history

Sometimes images are the best way to honor the figures we've lost. When tragedy swiftly reminds us that sports are far from the most consequential thing in life, we can still look back on an athlete's winning moment that felt larger than life, remaining grateful for their sacrifice on the court and bringing joy to millions.

Read on to explore the full collection of 50 images Stacker compiled showcasing various iconic winning moments in sports history. Covering achievements from a multitude of sports, these images represent stunning personal achievements, team championships, and athletic perseverance.