Carolina Hurricanes rout Florida Panthers 3-1 for fourth straight -NHL Update
Carolina looks like they are making a last run for a playoff position as the Hurricanes dominated Florida Panthers, 3-1, Wednesday night, March 21, 2012, at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, for a fourth straight victory.
Hurricanes still have a lot to work for as they sit at number 11 with 75 points, five down from eighth place Washington Capitals. Anything is still possible for the team as Carolina still has eight games remaining till the season comes to an end, but they
would be required to win most of them to come anywhere near the postseason race.
"At the All-Star game, we had a meeting," said Hurricanes coach, Kirk Muller. "We said to the guys, this is when the big boys come out to play and where you've got to step up. Our guys have been doing that since then. They're battling and they're not going
away. We'll give it all we've got every game and see where we end up at the end of the year."
Eric Staal led the Carolina team to their longest winning streak of the year and got the first goal of the night only 46 seconds into the opener for his 22th of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
Joni Pitkanen was taking part in his first matchup in nearly three months and potted the second straight goal for Carolina midway through the second, but it did not come without some nervousness.
"I don't remember the last time I was this nervous before a game," Pitkanen said. "The first period was so fast, and the game went longer, and I started feeling more comfortable."
Tomas Fleischmann attempted at bringing Florida back with his only goal of the match, but Staal secured the contest 8:14 into the third with his double of the night on a power play advantage.
Carolina still has a long way to go before making any significant progress towards capturing a playoff spot as they have the next against Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
Florida, having lost their first in the past six now, will be looking to rebound against Edmonton Oilers on the same day.
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