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Tuesday Caterwaul: Panthers Gameday Open Forum

[New Carolina head coach Kirk] Muller will meet the Hurricanes players today at the RBC Center. He will take them through the morning skate, then coach them this evening against the Florida Panthers, the surprise leaders of the Southeast Division.

– The News-Observer‘s Chip Alexander

There is absolutely no excuse for the Cats departing Raleigh with anything less than two points tonight. If Dineen’s boys can’t “get up” for this one – division rival, an untried coach at this level, a Canes team spiraling south in the standings, and an opportunity to seal a potential 5-point lead over Washington – the Panthers may have deeper issues than simply struggling recently to defeat Tampa’s 1-3-1.

EASTERN

Rank

Team

GP

W

L

OT

PTS

GF

GA

Home

Away

Last 10

Streak

1

Pittsburgh

24

14

6

4

32

77

59

8-1-2

6-5-2

6-3-1

Won 2

2

Toronto

24

14

8

2

30

79

75

6-3-2

8-5-0

5-4-1

Won 3

3

Florida

23

12

7

4

28

64

59

5-2-4

7-5-0

6-3-1

Lost 1

4

Boston

22

14

7

1

29

75

47

9-5-1

5-2-0

9-0-1

Won 1

5

Philadelphia

23

13

7

3

29

80

68

6-4-2

7-3-1

6-3-1

Lost 1

6

NY Rangers

20

12

5

3

27

56

43

6-1-1

6-4-2

8-2-0

Won 2

7

Buffalo

23

13

9

1

27

67

61

6-6-1

7-3-0

5-4-1

Won 1

8

Washington

22

12

9

1

25

70

73

8-2-1

4-7-0

3-6-1

Lost 2

9

New Jersey

22

12

9

1

25

57

58

5-4-1

7-5-0

6-4-0

Lost 1

10

Tampa Bay

23

11

10

2

24

63

72

7-3-0

4-7-2

5-5-0

Lost 1

11

Ottawa

23

11

10

2

24

69

79

6-4-1

5-6-1

4-4-2

Won 1

12

Montreal

24

10

10

4

24

61

60

4-5-4

6-5-0

5-3-2

OT 1

13

Winnipeg

23

9

10

4

22

66

74

5-3-0

4-7-4

4-4-2

Lost 1

14

Carolina

25

8

13

4

20

60

83

5-6-2

3-7-2

3-6-1

Lost 2

15

NY Islanders

21

6

11

4

16

41

68

5-6-2

1-5-2

2-6-2

Won 1

Why last night rocked:

  • Fourteen clubs from the East jumped on a one-day Minnesota bandwagon, willing the Wild to a coma-like 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay

Why last night jonesed:

  • None to be found. OT: Florida’s 6-3-1 record over their past ten is tied for third-best in the conference among “playoff” teams

Why tonight is a Big Deal:

  • St. Louis at Washington, 7pm
  • Isles at Buffalo, 7pm
  • Pittsburgh at the Rags, 7:30pm…how huge is this one?
  • Ottawa at Winnipeg, 8:30pm

Next up for the Cats:

  • Tonight @ Carolina; game thread at 6pm