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The Carolina Hurricanes took 2 important points from the Florida Panthers last night. Was the loss deserved for the Panthers? Probably not. Did Carolina do enough to earn a win? Maybe. But this time of year, that doesn’t really matter. Florida was unable to finish their scoring chances, and therefore have to settle for the single point.
Any points at all for the Panthers were in doubt until the final minutes of a tightly contested, ugly game. The Hurricanes’ game plan from the opening faceoff was to neutralize Florida’s speed and slow down the neutral zone, and they did so all night long. The result was a game fought in the trenches. The Panthers cycled and possessed the puck effectively enough, but the ‘Canes kept the play on the perimeter much of the night. Florida had very few, if any, odd man rushes. Despite the Panthers’ getting on the board first, it was Carolina who had the lead until the final minutes of the game. After Jay Bouwmeester scored his 1st goal since March 3rd to give the Cats a 1-0 lead, Carolina answered with a power play goal minutes later. The ‘Canes then took the lead on a hotly disputed goal (see below) in the 2nd period. The lead would last until the waning minutes, until Cory Stillman scored a 5 on 3 power play goal. Coincidentally, it was Stillman’s 1st goal since March 3rd as well. In overtime, Carolina got just one shot on goal, but it was a winner. Ray Whitney sent a one time past a diving Vokoun. It was a well played road game for Carolina, and a frustrating, yet solid effort from the Cats. Florida outshot the ‘Canes by a 39-31 margin, outhit Carolina 34-26, and probably outplayed Carolina for most of the night. Yet, Cam Ward stood tall and turned the Panthers’ efforts away 37 times to get the W.
Should Carolina’s 2nd goal have counted? Doubtful. Not only did it look like the ‘Canes had about 12 guys on the ice, but the play looked suspiciously offsides as well. The Hurricanes were in the midst of a line change when the Panthers turned it over near the ‘Canes bench and blue line. While white jerseys were all over the ice, climbing over the boards, one ‘Cane player was going through the door in Florida’s zone. Did he get through the gate before the puck crossed the blue line? It didn’t look like it. On the other hand, to be fair, Florida got caught on a bad change of their own when they turned the puck over and gave up a 3 on 2, that Carolina finished.
But Florida got a break of their own, and were given a 5 on 3 power play with just under 5 minutes left in the game, and they were able to capitalize on that. The point earned tonight put the Panthers into a tie for the 8th and final playoff spot with Montreal. The Canadiens have played 1 fewer game, which they will make up tomorrow night.
There is no questioning Florida’s effort tonight. From the first drop of the puck to Ray Whitney’s game ender, the Panthers were gutting it out. If they play the remaining 9 games like they did tonight, there might still be hope in south Florida. I’m not sure whether to be excited that the Cats were able to fight through and earn a point when they were down late, or to be frustrated because they just weren’t good enough to get the full 2 points. Regardless, the Panthers start a vital 3-game road trip Wednesday night in Buffalo. 9 games left. Buckle up…
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