Carolina Hurricanes: Takeaways from Home Win vs. Panthers

The Carolina Hurricanes snagged another two points last night courtesy of the Florida Panthers, this time at home in regulation time. The Carolina Hurricanes advance to 17-6-1, and have firmly grasped 2nd place in the Discover Central Division as a result of their now 5-game winning streak.

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The Florida Panthers seem to finally be coming back down to earth a bit, as they sit in 3rd place in the Discover Central Division behind the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last night’s matchup was one of the Canes’ best all-around games this season; to be completely fair, though, the Canes had just come off two days of rest, whereas last night’s game was the tail end of a back-to-back for the Panthers.

Either way, though, the Canes managed to deftly handle the Panthers despite a few mistakes on defense and in the crease.

Speaking of in the crease, James Reimer was bafflingly given the nod last night despite Alex Nedeljkovic‘s tremendous run of form lately. Reimer was able to hang onto the win despite letting up two extremely soft goals, but I digress.

Sebastian Aho looked great last night; the young Finn turned in a First Star of the Game-worthy performance as he potted a shorthanded goal and notched an assist for good measure.

Another notable standout was Vincent Trocheck, who leads the Canes in goals and is tied for 1st in points with Aho. Trocheck just can’t seem to play the Florida Panthers without scoring on them, and this trend continued last night.

Trocheck has been nothing short of a huge addition to the Carolina Hurricanes. The fact that he is having a career year in his first “full” season in Carolina is a testament to Don Waddell, Eric Tulsky and Co.’s ability to scout and acquire players that fit this system like a glove.

There are a few things to be concerned about, but nothing too major at this point. What matters is that the Carolina Hurricanes are finding ways to win against teams now; whether or not they can carry this trend into the playoffs is a whole different story altogether. Let’s just enjoy the winning for now, eh?