ESPN's Brian Engblom breaks down Carolina's 3-2 overtime win against the Red Wings in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals:

This was a huge win for Carolina. Any time a team wins Game 1 of the series it makes a big difference, especially when it's such a huge underdog like the Hurricanes were coming in to this one.

I spoke with Ron Francis after the game and he said that the Hurricanes may be the underdogs in everyone else's minds, but not in their own. They've accomplished exactly what they wanted.

The biggest key was that Carolina established the fact they can score some goals. We already knew they play great defense, as they showed in the three rounds prior, but we wondered if the Hurricanes would be able to score some goals -- they did and in key situations of Game 1.

You don't get many 5-on-3 power plays. After Sean Hill's 5-on-3 goal, the Hurricanes gained confidence and seemed to think, "OK, we can do this," and just took off. The rest of the game fell in line.

There are a lot of sneaky, good things about Carolina that we're just starting to realize. We don't know the Hurricanes as a team as well as we know Detroit, because their players don't attract attention. That's a big advantage for the 'Canes -- they're lying in the weeds and coming out smokin'. Winning this game is monstrous for them.

The Hurricanes won't change much in Game 2. A very patient team, they've played basically the same way all along. They had a lot of mojo going into overtime in the regular season, which carried into the playoffs. They welcome overtime, thinking the longer the game is close or tied, they've got a better chance -- especially on the road. During the playoffs, they're 7-1 in OT this season.

The Hurricanes don't seem to have any nerves or qualms. They don't try to finish early or at the wrong time. With everything lined up, they're rolling along just like in the first three rounds. They've got it goin' on.

Former NHL defenseman Brian Engblom, who won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens, is a hockey analyst for ESPN.