January 31, 2013

Bumpy Start for Carolina

Matt Krombach
Sports Editor 



With the lockout finally over, the Carolina Hurricanes are back in action, but the first games outcomes haven’t necessarily been in their favor.  In the Hurricanes’ first two games they were blown out by a wide margin of 5-1 against the Florida Panthers and 4-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Although with the new additions to the roster and a short training camp, they still have a lot of season left with room for improvement.  Sloppy play and a lack of good chemistry were a big factor in the first few games.      

After getting blown out in their first game and their home opener, the odds were in the Canes’ favor to win and they did just that.  The Hurricanes faced the Buffalo Sabres in back-to-back nights and received two points out of both games.  At the PNC arena on Thursday night the Canes emerged victorious as Captain Eric Staal tallied his 13th career hat trick, which is the league best since the 05-06 season.  Jeff Skinner also recorded two goals on the night.

The following night, January 25, in Buffalo, new addition from the Washington Capitals, Alexander Semin scored his first goal as a Hurricane with an incredible wrist shot.  With the score knotted up with five minutes left in the third, defenseman Jay Harrison finesses the puck past Ryan Miller with a simple wrist shot with bodies screening the net. 

However, their streak would end at two as they faced the Boston Bruins this past Monday on January 28.  The game was tied 3-3 up until two minutes left.  David Krejci slipped the puck past a very tired and sluggish Cam Ward and Canes defense.  Then with only 30 seconds left, Tyler Seguin scored the put away goal in an empty net. 

Although the improvements are evident after the first two games, there’s still a long way to go to get to the playoffs.