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First Game Of ECF Was Stressful, But Here’s Ave’s Faves

By Avery Thomas

May 11, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns (8) walks past the fans before the start of game five of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New Jersey Devils at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
May 11, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns (8) walks past the fans before the start of game five of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New Jersey Devils at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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The last time I was this stressed I was writing a 10-page research paper for Communication Theory.

One week without hockey felt like the wait until October and I was ready to write about my faves by Tuesday. Y’all, I needed another emotional support (decaf) iced coffee halfway through the game. For an 8 o’clock game on a weekday night, I was not expecting it to go so long. Then again, this is playoff hockey and you never know what’s going to happen.

Moments that sound the siren:

  • Jonathan Stewart sounding the siren. His headbanging made me want to head bang and he set the excitement level for the game!
  • Seth Jarvis’s goal during the Canes’ two man advantage powerplay in the first period of regular gameplay. I’ve enjoyed watching Jarvis this season and seeing him develop. His energy is off the charts. That, along with the positive dynamic he brings to the team, has made him one of my favorite players.
  • Goaltending from both sides was top notch. Aside from the two goals from Florida, Frederik Andersen was a beast and made 55 saves on 57 shots. Sergei Bobrovsky was like a brick wall and he’ll be an advantage for Florida in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Honorable mentions:

  • Did anyone else catch the “Carolina Panthers” during the live commentary in the first period? I thought that was funny.
  • Turbo almost had it in the third period of regular gameplay! I would’ve loved to see him score his first night back. Even though he didn’t make the shot it goes under honorable mentions because that was smooth puck handling and in my eyes, I saw determination.
  • Gojira made up for four overtimes as “Stranded” was being played at one point. Another excellent music choice from the DJ if you’re into metal.

Moments that go in the penalty box:

  • I’ve noticed in the playoff series that Carolina has a slump in the second period then bounces back in the third period, occasionally overtime if the game goes for that long. Even though they’ve gotten this far in the playoffs and that’s awesome, I want to see them be more consistent in their gameplay.
  • Four overtimes. I’m an old lady in a young adult’s body and like my sleep. I stayed up way too late for a hockey game! That and I have generalized anxiety disorder in addition to autism spectrum disorder, so when I say my anxiety was high, I mean it was high. Holy cow.
  • Florida scoring the winning goal. It’s definitely not how I wanted to see the series start as that gives the Panthers a head start. But, this is a best of seven games, so hopefully the Hurricanes turn it around and play like they mean it.
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