When Jordan Staal left Sunday’s game against the Florida Panthers with an apparent head injury and it was announced that he would not return, the Hurricanes were in the middle of a 2-0 drubbing of a first period at the hands of Aaron Ekblad and the Panthers. Staal leaving the game literally added injury to insult, and that point in the game felt like a turning point for the entire season for the worst.
That was, of course, until the ‘Canes rattled off three goals in less than four minutes to take a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish for the duration of the contest.