Hurricanes 6, Panthers 4

Staff photo by Chris Seward

• First Look

What a way to open a season. The Carolina Hurricanes, after quickly falling behind the Florida Panthers 2-0 early in the game, surged to an exciting 6-4 victory at the RBC Center.

A second-period goal by defenseman Joni Pitkanen, Carolina's biggest offseason acquistion, gave the Canes a 4-3 lead, and Dan LaCouture's goal early in the third made it 5-3 and proved to be the game-winner.

The Canes were playing a Southeast Division rival and the team that kept it out of the playoffs last year with a victory in the final regular-season game. 

"There were some good things and certainly some things we can do better," Canes coach Peter Laviolette said. "It's a starting point. I thought it was important for us to come back from 2-0 and we showed some character there."

LaCouture was out of the NHL last season and made the Canes roster in training camp as an unsigned free agent. The forward, who played in Switzerland last year, last scored an NHL goal Feb. 21, 2006 for the Boston Bruins.

"He's worked hard," Laviolette said. "He's worked hard to get himself back to this position. Whatever you've asked of him, whatever it might be ... that's the type of guy he is."

Rod Brind'Amour's power-play goal at 6:35 of the second period pushed the Canes ahead 3-2. Brind'Amour scored off a rebound of a Frantisek Kaberle shot. It was his first goal since Jan. 31 against Toronto, having missed the last 22 games of last season with his knee injury. 

The Panthers countered on Radek Dvorak's goal for a 3-3 tie, but Pitkanen's goal at 14:45 of the second pushed the Canes in front. It was Pitkanen's first goal for the team that traded Erik Cole to Edmonton to obtain the defenseman. ...

Talk about a nightmarish start for the Canes. Barely four minutes in, it was 2-0, Panthers. Adding some irony: former Canes forward Cory Stillman had one of the goals. 

But the Canes, after a sluggish start, answered. Tuomo Ruutu's power-play goal at 10:29 and then a goal by Ray Whitney at 17:25 tied it 2-2 after the first period.

The Canes had just four shots in the period but made the most of them. Whitney's goal came  after the Canes kept control of the puck in the zone against Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun. ...

After David Booth's goal at 4:13 made it 1-0, Pitkanen and then Eric Staal picked up penalties. With the two-man advantage, the Panthers quickly struck when Stillman took a centering pass and popped the puck past Canes goalie Cam Ward. ...

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford keeps talking about a trade to bring in a forward. Seems like a defenseman-for-forward deal could soon be in the works. ... 

Owner Peter Karmanos flew in today for the opener. He plans to be back Monday for the Red Wings game. ...

Defensemen Anton Babchuk and Josef Melichar were healthy scratches. ...

Zach Boychuk, the Canes' first-round draft choice, is the first
Carolina player since Eric Staal in 2003 to be on the roster on opening night. Boychuk, still wearing a brace on his left wrist today, could be cleared for contact on Monday and could play next week. ...

Rutherford said tonight Boychuck will get his opportunity for at least 10 games, then a decision would be made on either keeping the forward up or returning him to junior hockey. ...