Carolina Hurricanes: Three takeaways from first loss of season

We wish nothing but the best for Raanta’s health

Carolina’s netminders were far from being to blame in this game and when Antti Raanta was blown up by a Florida healthy scratch who was forced into the game because of a late injury. There was a 5 minute major on the play and Raanta was taken straight to the Canes dressing room, and the team has already called up Alex Lyon from the Chicago Wolves.

I waited until the eve of the Tampa Bay Lightning game to write this hoping we would get an update on Raanta, but as of now, we have no idea. Raanta has not had a lot to do and to see him get hurt in only his second game as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes is heartbreaking. Obviously, we all want nothing but the best for a great guy and a great goaltender.

Now, there was a 5-minute major called on this play and the Panther who hit Raan

ta was given a game misconduct. I don’t know that was the right call, but it was a penalty. This reminded me a lot of the hit in the Zamboni driver game against Toronto where there was only a 2-minute minor called on the hit after being reviewed down from a major.

For me, the difference here was that the Panthers’ player led with the elbow and made first contact with the head of Antti Raanta. You can make the case Raanta put himself in a vulnerable position, and to a point he did, but you can’t hit a goalie like that, to begin with. Not only was it a charge with an elbow to the head, but it was also on a goalie that forced him from the game.