-Gabriel Dorris-

Last Time Out

In the Canes’ previous outing on November 10th, they returned home, where they were 3-0-0 before this game. The teams exchanged goals back and forth, but it was the Canes scoring first and last, getting their fourth extra-time win of the season in their fourth extra-time matchup. Martin Necas had the winner, while Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo also had goals. Skjei and Dmitry Orlov both had an apple, while Sebastian Aho scored two. The team looked solid all game, especially in the third period, and are continuing to grow off of a poor start to the season. They’re 5-1-0 in their last six games and continue to play better and better each game. Antti Raanta had his best game of the season in net, even including his shutout, and stopped 19 out of 21 shots against.

In order, my three stars would be Sebastian Aho (***), Antti Raanta (**), and Martin Necas (*).

The Overview

Tonight at 7:00 pm EST, the Canes are entering Florida hoping to pan-handle the Cats and get revenge for last year’s ECF. Carolina is 8-5-0, while the Panthers are 7-4-1 after a nail-biting OT win against the Capitals. Florida is starting Sergei Bobrovsky in net. He’s 6-3-1, with a .904 SV%, a 2.71 GAA, and a shutout. Antti Raanta is the projected starter for the Canes, with a 4-1-0 record, a .876 SV%, and a 2.83 GAA. He’s had a rough start to the year overall, but his last three games have looked a lot better. He’s 3-0-0 in them, with a .924 SV% with a 1.67 GAA.

Raanta has played two consecutive games for the team, and if Pyotr Kochetkov, who would be starting in his place if he did sit out, he has a 0-0-3 record with a 4.33 GAA and a .836 GAA. Still, those games were some of the worst played by the team this year, and it’s hard to argue those stats were completely his fault. If Brett Pesce comes back tonight, which is a possibility, he’ll slot into Tony DeAngelo’s spot on the second pairing with Brady Skjei, and Dmitry Orlov will take the role of first PP QB. Pesce returning would also make this game the Cane’s first of the season played with all twenty skaters (not goalies) healthy.

The Panthers are having some injurie problems this season too, missing Sam Bennet, Aaron Ekblad, and Brandon Montour, a combined 15.425 million dollars in salary cap. Their roster still isn’t bad, as they have four players with over ten points, including Sam Reinhart, who leads the team with fifteen. Florida has 35 goals for and 35 against, and their big weakness has come on special teams, where they have a 13.2 PP% and a 72.5 PK%. The Canes have also given up the same amount they’ve scored, at 44 apiece. They have a 26.5 PP% and 76.0 PK%. Both aspects are better than the Panthers, although the PK still isn’t great. However, it has improved, as Carolina has given up just two powerplay goals in the last six games, as compared to ten in the seven before.

Things to Watch

Dmitry Orlov has gotten better and better every game he’s been in Carolina. In his first eight games of the season, Orlov had a -11 rating with just two points. In his last five, he’s had a +4 rating with 4 points. His -7 on the season is a little unrepresentative of how he’s actually played, considering that if you subtract two games against Anaheim and Seattle where he was a -5 and a -3 respectively, then he has a positive +/- this year, but he’s still showing drastic improvement from a weak start. Antti Raanta looks to be taking the starter role until Freddie returns, and how well he can play will be a huge part of if the Canes can hold onto a chance at the Metro title, or even the cup if Andersen misses the whole season.

Prediction

Florida and Carolina are off to similar starts. Both teams have a solid record while dealing with frequent injury, after a pretty weak start (Florida was 2-3 five games in). The rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals should be intense, close, and a great game, one that I believe the Canes will come out on top in.

Record: 10 (correct winner) – 3 (incorrect winner) – 0 (predicted OT/shootout loss and lost in regulation, or vice versa.)

Record in losses: 2 (correct winner) – 3 (incorrect winner) – 0 (predicted OT/shootout loss and lost in regulation, or vice versa.)

Record in wins: 8 (correct winner) – 0 (incorrect winner) – 0 (predicted OT/shootout loss and lost in regulation, or vice versa.)