Carolina Hurricanes Remain Winless After Home Loss to Florida Panthers

Carolina Hurricanes dropped their third game straight to open the season. Canes fall at home to former division foes, the Florida Panthers.

Scoring Summary

First Period

FLA Goal (2:01); Nick Bjugstad – assisted by Brian Campbell, Brandon Pirri

Nick Bjugstad started scoring early in the game just over two minutes into the game.  The Panthers were able to force a turnover on an Eddie Lack pass attempt. Pirri knocked the pass down, and after two quick passes, Bjugstad was able to capitalize from the slot.

Second Period

CAR Goal (12:06); Elias Lindholm – assisted by Brad Malone, Justin Faulk

Elias Lindholm got the Carolina Hurricanes only goal when he gained the zone and took a quick slap shot from the right side of the zone. Brad Malone was able to take control of the puck with great forechecking.  Lindholm drifted to the slot where Faulk found him, and he was able to bury it to even up the game.

Third Period

FLA Goal (12:18); Connor Brickley – assisted by Dmitry Kulikov, Derek MacKenzie

Florida entered the zone with a three on three Kulikov carried the puck deep in the zone to the right side of the goal.  Kulikov threw the puck towards the back post and Brickley was able to guide the puck in while being pushed to the ice.

FLA Goal (13:08); Aleksander Barkov – assisted by Jaromir Jagr, Erik Gudbranson

Barkov was able to score the 2nd Panthers goal in 50 seconds by scoring on a puck that was behind Lack. The goal was sprung by a turnover, and Jagr was able to gain the zone and put a great wrist shot past Lack.  Lack got a piece of the puck but wasn’t able to cover, Barkov was able to find the puck and tip it in

FLA Empty Net Goal (18:13); Jussi Jokinen – Reilly Smith

Recap

The Carolina Hurricanes fell to 0-3-0 on the season in a 4-1 loss at home to the Florida Panthers. In many ways the game was closer than the final score indicated.

The Hurricanes came out slow in Eddie Lack’s first start, and paid the price early. Nick Bjugstad was able to capitalize just two minutes into the game to give Florida its first lead of the game.

Early in the game the pairing of Hanifin and Murphy were a little rusty on the ice.  They looked frantic on the ice which lead to traffic in front of the net and multiple pile ups.  They eventually settled down and played better hockey, but the inexperience across the defense showed early.

Carolina Hurricanes

Justin Faulk once again led the team in time on ice with 24:35 and was one of the top performers of the night.  In the Canefirst power play of the night, Faulk took control and showed his skills as a power play quarter back. Though no goal was scored during the power play, the Carolina Hurricanes were able to turn momentum their way by the end of the first period.

The Carolina Hurricanes came out looking much better in the second period and Lindholm was able to tie the game at the 12:06 mark.  The play was impressive for him as he positioned himself perfectly in the offensive zone to score the goal.  He showed his hockey intelligence by gaining the zone, getting the puck on net, and quietly sliding behind the defense to find an open area in the slot to score from.

In the third period, the Canes were able to put the pressure on the Panthers and looked close to taking the lead at a couple of different points.  In the 12th minute of the game, Hanifin showed his great skating skills and was able to gain the zone and weave through four different Panthers players.

Though the Carolina Hurricanes had good play, they lost where it counted in the third period. the first goal of the period came from the inability of the defense to clear out the crease and protect the back post.  Brickley was able to skate hard to the post and put in the puck while being hit.  If the defense was stronger they could have kept him from that area and the pass would have gone to the boards.

Eddie Lack overall had a solid game stopping 26 of 29 shots, but the 3rd goal was his fault.  Jagr came into the zone on a two on one but decided to take the shot, and beat Lack.  Lack got a piece of the puck, but it came to rest behind him in the crease and Barkov was able to bury it to make it a 3-1 game. Though Lack had many other great stops, hes responsible for the shooter in that situation and is expected to come up with that save.

Oct 13, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Elias Lindholm (16) is stopped on his shot by the Florida Panthers goalie Al Montoya (35) and tam mate Florida Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad (5) during the third period at PNC Arena. The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Overall in this game, Lack had a good performance and was able to stop a couple of sure goals to keep the game tight.  The Hurricanes performed well, but when they made mistakes, they were costly.  In upcoming games the Canes have to put together a full 60 minutes to be able to win the game.

These characteristics are normal for a young and inexperienced team.  The upcoming weeks will be important to see how quickly the team can gel and play as a team.  Developing team chemistry will help with the turnovers that led to costly goals.

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