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Canes Take Bite Out of Panthers

November 28, 2016, 4:11 PM ET [2 Comments]
Ben Case
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT



So last night was definitely unique and had tons of varying storylines— we saw Michael Leighton get his first NHL win in six years (first start in three) and an assist, Staal got injured, a two-goal comeback win led by Jeff Skinner and then a coach sitting on the curb waiting for a cab after being fired-Wow!

Let’s start with Michael Leighton—this is exactly what the Canes needed from a back-up goaltender. I recently discussed how desperately the Canes needed a reliable back-up goaltender to ensure they don’t “break” Ward. IMO regardless of when Lack comes back, Leighton will be given the chance to cement his place as the reliable back-up on the team. The Canes desperately need someone they can count on to give Ward rest; so far this season, when Lack is in net you almost can consider the game already lost because he has performed so poorly.

Leighton was absolutely terrific—he stopped 31 of 33 shots and had some eye-popping saves to keep the Canes in the game. What I was most impressed with was his composure after surrendering two early goals—despite this, he stayed focused and made some critical saves in the first and second to keep the Canes within reach. His effort was a large part of the reason the Canes were in a position in the second to claw back into the game. He also was central in the third in preserving the lead, as he had some clutch saves on the PK.

The other thing that impressed me was how well he was tracking the puck—he had a few tough shots through traffic, straight walk-ins and some back-door one-timers that you could see how well he honed in on the puck. He did a great job on high glove/blocker shots and you could just see how focused he was.

In my pre-game, I mentioned that I thought Jagr would be a beast to deal with in front of the net…well he was pretty much the reason for both of the Panthers goals. The first goal Leighton allowed certainly looked like one could make a good case for goaltender interference as Jagr’s stick went underneath his pad and prevented him from butterfly sliding across the crease for the rebound shot. To be honest, Leighton made a terrific save on the initial shot which was a redirection from Jagr. This goal was the first PP goal surrendered by the Canes since Oct. 30th—they had a streak that was cut just short of 30 straight kills.




The second goal was one of the craziest goals—Leighton stopped a high shot in his chest and while controlling the rebound had Jagr knock his glove and dislodge the puck over his shoulder and into the net. It was the type of play that you can only say “wow” at because of the level of hockey IQ displayed by Jagr.

Moving forward for Leighton, I imagine that he will get a minimum of two starts in the next two weeks, as the Canes have seven games in the next 12 days (Nov. 29th-Dec 10th). Of those seven games, six are on the road and there are two sets of “back-to-back’s,” so the Canes will traveling a lot and having short rest-periods.

The competition doesn’t get any easier as every team they play, except Boston (1-point outside the wildcard), is currently in a position for a playoff spot. The Canes have won six of their last eight games which has kept them within a sniff of the final wildcard and they are three points out now.

The Comeback Win: The second storyline of the night which was over-shadowed by Leighton was the three goals that the Canes scored in under four minutes of play. It all started on a good cycle down low where Stalberg was found open in front to slam home a one-timer five-hole. It was amazing to see how quickly this goal ignited the Canes as they came out flying the next few minutes.




The next goal was just a terrific pass by Rask to find a streaking Jeff Skinner who went in on a breakaway on Reimer. Skinner showed some absolutely filthy hands and edge-work as he pulled off a fantastic forehand, backhand move and finished it off top-shelf. This is the elite level of skill that Skinner can bring night in and night out; these types of moves give goalies nightmares.




The third goal came as a result of another fantastic play by Skinner as he was able to catch another stretch pass for a breakaway. This time, Demers decided to grab Skinner to ensure that he didn’t finish off a relatively similar move from his goal a minute earlier. The Canes struck immediately on the PP, as Ryan picked up a loose puck from Skinner and just put it on net. Good things happen when you create traffic and hit the net—it was the exact type of “gritty” goal the Canes needed.




Other than that 5-minute span or so in the second where the Canes were flying, most of the game was controlled by Florida after that. The Canes showed how dangerous they can be when they get moving, however, the bigger question is consistency. Performances like last night will typically result in a rather lopsided loss. Through the first two periods, the Canes surrendered an astounding 49 shot attempts. When looking at the analytics too, one would not assume the Canes would have found a way to win the game. While the Canes should certainly be proud of the win, they need to play a full 60-minute game if they want continued success.




The final concern for the Canes was that Staal went down with an apparent upper-body injury. He left around the mid-point in the first and it was speculated as a “head” injury. There still hasn’t been any release on his status, so hopefully, he is just “day-to-day.” He would be a big loss for the top-6, as he brings a physical presence that Skinner, Lindholm, Rask, Teravainen and Aho don’t really possess.




Coach Gallant Fired: Finally, the most notable story-line was that the Panthers decided to fire their head coach, Gerard Gallant. Regardless of if you agree with the decision of the management, it was a bit of a surprise. More details have come out over the firing, which have helped explain why it appeared to be so "unusual."

I still believe that they could've done it at the airport in a lounge though. It is reported that the decision was made on November 22nd, so the "egg on face" from the transportation speculation still falls on the Panthers shoulders. Waiting almost 6-days to fire someone seems a bit absurd-this sounds like damage control to me.




Canes Extra:

Some questions to the Canes players from kids:




If you are looking for a spot for Thursday’s game:




Don’t forget to order Papa John’s tonight and get 50% off since the Canes scored three goals:




Interested in getting to some Canes games:


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