Cardiac Cane
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Carolina Hurricanes Look to Keep Ball Rolling over the Cats at Home

By Omar Abdelgawad

Dec 21, 2019; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) tries to slip the puck past the defense of Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman (6) during the second period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2019; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) tries to slip the puck past the defense of Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman (6) during the second period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 1, 2021; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Warren Foegele (13) battles Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas (7) for the puck during the third period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2021; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Warren Foegele (13) battles Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas (7) for the puck during the third period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Read My Lips, No More Overtimes

The Carolina Hurricanes are the most generous winning team in the Central. While they have just as many wins and even more as the two teams that are ahead of them in the division, they are struggling to keep up by a point or so. Why? They keep going into overtime.

Only only sixteen of the 23 games played this season have ended in regulation. The Carolina Hurricanes have gone on to win six of the other seven, four in a shootout. That is six extra points (perhaps even eight) given to other teams. How nice of them.

In a season where you only play division rivals, that needs to quit. Two of those points went to Florida. Tampa also got one of them and so did Chicago. That is four extra points given to the teams in direct competition for standings. Without those points, Carolina floats to the top.

Every game against Florida this season has ended in overtime. Today needs to go a bit differently. That means cleaning up this tired Panthers team before the clock hits zero in the third. That means netting in an empty netter or two. That means being a full offensive force to the point that the Cats are just waiting for the game to end so they can get some rest and move on to Columbus.

But it also means no resting. Especially in the third period, in which Florida is notorious for coming back alive and at least tying up the game. They have done it all three times against the Carolina Hurricanes.

In game one, they were down 2-1 before coming into the third with a pair of goals to take the lead. It was up to Trocheck to tie it again on the powerplay to secure the losing point. In game two, they were down 1-0 before the third, eventually tying it to 2-2 and 3-3 before losing in the shootout to Carolina.

And even in game three, The Canes were up 1-0 going into the third AGAIN before losing their lead again only to have Trocheck tie it late again before going into overtime. The Hurricanes won that one thanks to Necas.

You all know this already. So no more resting in the third when this Panthers team comes out of the locker rooms like the MonStars from space jam. Drink your Rod’s Secret Stuff and play a full sixty minutes and give this Panthers team nothing to move forward with on their road trip.

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