Hurricanes 4, Maple Leafs 3

I usually attend every Hurricanes home game, but since I'm busy packing for the big trip and Elizabeth is working, I sold the tickets and watched the game on TV. A few random thoughts on the game.

The Hurricanes are red hot and not showing signs of slowing down. The scoring is balanced between all three lines (the 'Canes roll three lines and have the extra spots open for special teams players and an extra defenseman). It's this balance and creativity that is causing problems for other teams - literally every shift we have a line out there that is a legitimate threat to score. We have two players who are averaging two points per game (Staal and Whitney), our defense is playing solid, and the goalies are doing their part. I've been following the 'Canes since they came to North Carolina (actually, I started following the Whalers when I first heard they were moving to North Carolina). We continue to get season tickets every year despite the fact that we could use the money elsewhere - we love the game too much.

Elizabeth still complains that she got me Center Ice for my birthday one year and now I won't let a season go by without getting it.

Anyway, back to the game. The various media outlets complaining about diving caused a reaction in the officiating - they were very pointedly making examples of Erik Cole tonight. I'm not sure either call was deserved (in retrospect), although Erik is a bit of a showman and makes it look good. Eric Staal was robbed of his second hat trick of the season because of it. In the end, it doesn't matter - we got the win - but it still was an interesting development. I'm curious to see how many other games had diving penalties called tonight.

My current hockey rankings (Top 5):
1. Ottawa - I saw them first hand when the 'Canes beat them last week. Even though we got the win, I think Ottawa is a scary, scary team. We ended up out working them, but they were down one of their most dynamic players - Havlat. They will be tough in the playoffs and could very well represent the East. An all Canadian final (Ottawa/Vancouver) would be exciting to everyone but the network execs in the States.
2. Detroit - Playing solid in all facets of the game, but many of their wins have been over weak competition. I want to see some games vs. Vancouver and Colorado.
3. Carolina - We're just red hot. We're outskating and outshooting our competition with a balanced attack. We still don't have a legitimate #1 defenseman - no Reddens, Charas, or Lidstroms. If Jack Johnson develops into the player we hope he is, that will change. Our defense by committee, much like our scoring and goaltending, seems to be doing the job though.
4. Vancouver - Naslund is truly amazing to watch. I love catching the late Pacific-time games and see the Canucks play. Once Bert gets going, this team will be even more dangerous. They're my pick to come out of the west.
5. Montreal - They're playing very well right now. I haven't watched many of their games, so I won't try to give a more detailed analysis. They're a quick and talented team.