“I was doing math on the bench,” Maurice said of challenging the questionable call from the officials. “I thought the likelihood of us coming back 4-1 the way we were playing was less of a chance then that thing getting turned over.”
Denied that momentum-changing moment, the Panthers fell deeper into a hole.
After Ehlers lit the lamp on the power play to push Carolina’s lead to 5-1 at 11:17, Taylor Hall added a power-play goal of his own to make it 6-1 at 11:38. Sending a shower of hats to the ice, Ehlers earned his third goal of the game and increased the lead to 7-1 at 13:03.
All three goals game within a span of just 1:46.
With 1:37 left in regulation, Hall struck again to make it 8-1.
Just 12 second later, Eric Robinson touched the twine to lock in the 9-1 win for Carolina.
With an immediate chance to bounce back, the Panthers will visit the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
“I think it’s good,” forward Anton Lundell said. “In 24 hours, we go again. Just going to get ready for tomorrow because we want to play a better game. Just learn from this game and reset.”
THEY SAID IT
“He’s earned it. He’s played well for us. He tried right straight through that whole game.” – Paul Maurice on Sandis Vilmanis earning his first NHL point
“I think we just weren’t ready for it – that speed, that aggressive hit on us. We just didn’t have our game here. It’s unfortunate.” – Sandis Vilmanis on tonight’s loss
CATS STATS
– The Hurricanes went 4-for-5 on the power play.
– Eetu Luostarinen had a team-high three hits.
– Niko Mikkola blocked a team-high three shots.
– Sergei Bobrovsky made seven high-danger saves, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Panthers will close the book on their six-game road trip and wrap up their back-to-back when they battle the Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
To find a place to watch in South Florida, click HERE.