With a four-game winning streak being snapped by the Flyers three nights ago, the Hurricanes came ready with a game plan. That plan must have involved not starting with the lead, so they couldn’t blow it like mentioned in the three keys to the game.
Aaron Ekblad would get the Florida Panthers started with an early goal, cutting to the net with a nasty backhander. Brian Boyle skated in to the front of Petr Mrazek and lifted a perfect shot to put the Panthers up 2-0. Instead of being the victims of blowing a 2-0 lead, the Hurricanes became the perpetrators.