Carolina Hurricanes: Win Streak Ends at the Hands of Tampa Bay

2. Jordan Staal

After Yanni Gourde was ejected for a dirty hit on Staal, Jordan left the game to head to the locker room. It was a more than scary moment as a leader of the team exited the game with what appeared to be a head injury after missing an extended period of time with a concussion. Trevor Van Riemsdyk quickly came to his aid on the ice and Justin Williams gave Gourde a pretty involved talking to as he headed off the ice. It was tense.

But Jordan came back. No one would have said anything if Staal wanted to sit out the remainder of the game after a head scare, but he did anyway. I was personally a little nervous that he did come back. The hit was very rough and he looked dazed getting up. But I am in no position to second guess the medical staff of an NHL team, so I was happy to see him.

The impact Jordan Staal has on this team begins inside the faceoff dot. Sebastian Aho is the number one center, but when we need a faceoff win late in the game in the defense zone, Brind’Amour is going with Jordan. I’m not in the locker room but I assume his leadership presence in there is more than noticeable. Last night though, Jordan scored on a breakaway to put the Canes ahead one goal at the time. Jordan was emphatic with his celebration as he completed the brief storybook-ness of his night.

My point is, last night was a microcosm of what Jordan means to this team. He won’t lead the team in goals, and he doesn’t wear a C anymore, but he’s a player this team needs.