Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Saturday night the Hurricanes beat the Lightning 6-4 to take two of the first three meetings between the teams. Speaking of two out of three, Scott Walker and Eric Staal both got 2 thirds of the way to a beloved hat-trick. You have to feel a bit sorry though for the poor dude who could have won a John Deere tractor with just one more goal from either star. Maybe next time!

It was a fun night at the arena for several reasons. The team came out with a lot of jump right off the bat and even though Cam Ward allowed a goal on the very first shot he faced, the Canes dominated the period. A franchise record was set when 3 consecutive goals were scored within 43 seconds during the 1st period. It was amusing as the PA announcer tried to catch up with each goal announcement and eventually had to announce all three together. I wish we had that problem more often! Along with the Walker and Staal goals, Kevyn Adams and Erik Cole had the other two for the Canes. While the Lightning tried to keep in the game by making it tighter in the 2nd and 3rd periods, the Hurricanes seemed to have control and were able to score each time to answer any comeback by the Boltz.

Obviously Staal and Walker each had great games and were named stars of the game along with Rod Brind'Amour. But just to be a bit different, I'm going to name Tim Gleason and Nic Wallin as "Bubba's Stars of the Game". I'm naming both of them because as a defensive pairing they played very well together and both led the team with a plus 3, plus/minus rating. It was Nic's first game back from an injury and it's a huge lift having him back. Hopefully this pairing can stay together and continue their steady play! Finally, kudos go to 7 year old Katherine Fritsch who absolutely nailed the Star Spangled banner! What an amazingly powerful voice she has for a youngster. It wouldn't surprise me to see her on American Idol or some other reality talent show in the future. WOW.Â

Katherine Fritsch

On Sunday the Canes hosted an open practice for season ticketholders at the RBCC. As usual, it was an excellent event and was very well run by Canes staff. The festivities started at 10:30 with Chuck Kaiton performing a question and answer period while refreshments were made available.  At 11 the players came out on the ice and had a very lively practice session. After practice was over, Coach Laviolette came over for another question and answer session. Coach was very open with his answers and is extremely well spoken. A great time was had by all, nice job Hurricanes! Â

The Canes don't take the ice again for a game until Wednesday night in Atlanta for another tough matchup with our division leader. Tomorrow I will have a Halloween special and then will have a pregame comparison, analysis, and rundown. Â

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