NHL Sunday night Match Analysis: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers 3-2 OT
Carolina was no match for a team like Florida when both faced off on Sunday night, December 18, 2011, as the Panthers kept the Hurricanes on the edge to take the match, 3-2, in overtime with a game-winner by Kris Versteeg at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise,
Florida, United States.
Florida is certainly one of the few teams that have actually managed to make some drastic changes in terms of their performance and game playing tactics, which has boosted them from one of the lowest spots in the league now to the third place in the Eastern
Conference in the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
The Panthers are now only one point below tying the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers for the top spot and if both teams lose their next respective games, Florida has the chance to overtake them and claim to be number one once again this season.
This season, Florida can hardly recall a moment they might have lost at home, which the Carolina Hurricanes were prepared for when they came in. The Hurricanes put up a good fight but it still was not enough to edge the Panthers.
"When you go on the road and you play that well and you play a team that hasn't hardly lost in their rink, you've got to find ways to pick up a win," Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. "The next step we have to do is win these games."
Muller is the new coach for their former head, Paul Maurice, who spent the past three seasons with Carolina. The Hurricanes are also looking to improve but at the rate they are going down and losing games, it does not look good for them as the season progresses.
Sean Bergenheim kicked off the scoring for his seventh of the season wide off the net in the first five minutes of the opening period, followed by an equaliser from Tim Gleason at the 18:38 mark for his inaugural goal of the year off an assist by Jamie McBain
and Tuomo Ruutu.
Both teams failed to compromise on one of the power play opportunities awarded to them during the opening period with Carolina’s, Alexei Ponikarovsky being booked in the first two minutes for tripping while Florida lost Mikael Samuelsson nearly midway through
for hooking.
Carolina countered back with a strong fight in the second period as Chad LaRose made the go ahead goal for his team and broke the tie on a breakaway opportunity unassisted, giving them a crucial lead for survival entering the third and final period of regulation.
The Hurricanes thought that Florida would not be able to make a comeback and in that disregard, let down their defences, which the red seeing Panthers were able to make the levelling goal with Jason Garrison making his 10th of the season at the
5:47 mark on a Carolina penalty with one man down.
Stephen Weiss tried to fire in the game-winner at the three minute mark in the overtime extension which Cam Ward managed to deflect with his pads but Kris Versteeg found the slot behind the distracted goalie open and slide the puck in to take the match for
their second straight win.
"After the giving the puck away in the second, you feel ashamed. It doesn't feel good but you always try to come back and help the team however you can," Versteeg said. "Great goaltending and it was just a fortunate play at the end."
Florida has the next at home against Phoenix Coyotes while Carolina will be hosting the Coyotes as well a day later on Wednesday.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: