*Photo from Reuters*
The Florida Panthers have asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with this season. Just look at Wednesday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes as evidence. Jonathan Huberdeau produced a highlight reel assist, added two goals of his own, and the Panthers beat the Hurricanes by a 4-3 score in overtime Wednesday night.
The first period was all Carolina, however. Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho scored just 22 seconds apart in the first to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead. In the second, Huberdeau cut into the Carolina lead with a power play goal to make it 2-1. In the 3rd, Alex Wennberg took a beautiful pass from Huberdeau and sent it to the back of the net to tie things at two. Juho Lammikko then scored his first NHL goal, and the Panthers were ahead 3-2. Vincent Trocheck then tied things for the Hurricanes to force overtime. In OT, Hubderdeau scored the game winner to give Florida a 4-3 win.
Huberdeau discussed the red hot start to the season by the Panthers, saying that "We're feeling really good. It's a lot more fun when you win. That's what we're doing. We're playing as a team. Everybody is supporting one another. It makes it fun. We've just got to keep going. We've got two more games in Detroit. Let's finish the road trip the right way."
Chris Driedger started in net for the Panthers, stopping 32 of 35 shots that came his way, as his record improved to 5-1-1 on the season, while the Panthers improved to an amazing 10-2-2 on the season, taking control of first place in the NHL's Central Division with the victory.
Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, when asked about Huberdeau's big night, said that "The pass was the highlight for me. I said to him, 'Wow, it's been a long time since I've a play like that.' He goes, 'What about Patrick Kane? I said, 'Well, I don't know, but it's been a while since I've seen something that special."'
On the other side of things, Alex Nedeljkovic started in net for the Hurricanes, who were also vying for first in the Central Division last night. Nedeljkovic stopped 33 of 37 shots that came his way, as his record fell to 1-1-1 on the season. The Hurricanes as a whole are still in a good place, sitting at 4th in the Central with a 10-3-1 record.
Hurricanes forward Staal said of the loss that "The way we finished that game was disappointing. We were in control in the first, and we kind of just let them back into it with sloppy play and not being sharp. We've got to find a way to get to the game we know we can play, the simplicity of getting in behind them, grinding them out and creating chances off of turnovers."
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'amour talked about what happened after the first period, saying that "Everything changed after that. We were on our heels the rest of the way and were probably fortunate to even get a point out of it. That second half of the game we just didn't get to work. We let the other team back in, and they've got too much talent to do that. We have to be better for the whole game."
The Panthers travel to Detroit on Friday to face the Red Wings, where Driedger is expected to start again for Florida. The Hurricanes welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to town on Friday, where James Reimer is slated to start for Carolina.
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