The Carolina Hurricanes wrapped up the 2015-2016 season with a 5-2 loss against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center in a game that did not affect the standings.
The Carolina Hurricanes (35-31-16) had already been eliminated from the playoffs coming into this game and therefore had nothing to prove against a very solid opponent. The Florida Panthers (47-26-9) entered the game with a firm grip on the Atlantic division title, and the win tonight helped them further cement their position atop the division.
The Hurricanes fell into an enormous hole early on after falling three goals behind in just seven minutes and 40 seconds. Winger Teddy Purcell, winger Jussi Jokinen, and defenseman Aaron Ekblad all found the net before the clock hit the eight minute mark.
It was obvious that the Panther fans were enjoying the humiliation, but the Hurricanes didn’t seem to be phased. Their season was over and they were certainly playing like it, as they managed only five shots in the first period.
The beginning of the second period followed the pattern of the first, and the Panthers went up by four goals, five minutes in, with a goal from center Jonathan Huberdeau.
The Hurricanes finally found an offensive spark when center Jordan Staal whipped in a shot that was initially saved by Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo, but was nicely followed up by center Elias Lindholm to cut the lead to three goals.
The goal gave the Hurricanes a bit of momentum, and Luongo was called into action for the remainder of the second. He made some spectacular saves, including a wonderful glove save after Staal received the puck during a Panthers’ power play, and careened at the Florida goalkeeper for a one-on-one opportunity.
The Hurricanes carried their energy into the third period, and found the net through Staal just five minutes into the period. Lindholm fired a shot from the left side of the ice that was beautifully redirected by Staal to make it a 4-2 game.
The Hurricanes continued to press but were unable to cut farther into the lead. Winger Jeff Skinner hit the inside of the left post with four minutes remaining — the closest they would get.
With two minutes remaining in the third, the Canes pulled goaltender Eddie Lack and played the rest of the game with six on the ice. There would be no miracle, however, as the Panthers made it 5-2 in the final seconds with a goal from winger Reilly Smith.
A positive that the Canes will take away from their final game is the effectiveness they had on the penalty kill. In fact, they were the best team in the NHL in this category, and they successfully killed all three Panthers’ power plays.
The Hurricanes also finished with their best season record since 2010-2011, so there is definitely a lot of potential for this team moving forward.