Opening Thoughts on the NHL Season 

Hurricanes Win Stanley Cup

The Carolina Hurricanes win their first ever Stanley Cup with a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in game 7 of the series.  After allowing the Oilers some hope watching them even up the series after leading 3 games to 1, the Hurricanes played with resolve on Monday night and left no doubt that they were going to emerge victorious. 

Rookie goalie Cam Ward stopped just about evey shot the Oilers had to offer giving up just one goal early in the 3rd period facing 23 shots.  He also was the reciepient of the Conn Smythe Trophy for the playoff MVP.  The real story for game 7 for Carolina outside of the rookies play was  the fantastic defensive play by Carolina in shutting down the Oilers attack and in turring offensive themselves gettign the first two goals of the game.  Aaron Ward and Frantisek Kaberle lit the lamp in the first and second period respectively.

Oilers Tie Up Series

The Edmonton Oilers went home for game 6 and made it happen.  They won in very convincing fashion and are now headed back to Carolina for the final and deciding game for the Stanley Cup.   Carolina just looked sluggish and played uninspired, especially considering they should have wanted to avoid a game 7 after being up 3 games to 1 in the series.   With a win in Game 7 Monday, Edmonton would be the first team in 64 years to come back from 3-1 down to win the Cup.  The Hurricanes whiffed again, getting outshot 34-16 and totally worked over by the younger Oilers, who barely made it into the playoffs and then became the first No. 8 seed under the current format to reach the championship round.  The Edmonton Oilers mobbed their third-string-turned-starting goalie as the crowd chanted, "We want the cup!"

Game 5 Overtime Win Forces Game 6

Fernando Pisani scored a shorthanded goal early in overtime and the Oilers prevented Carolina from celebrating its first championship on home ice, stunning the Hurricanes 4-3 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to send the series back to Alberta.

Pack it back up. Game 6 is Saturday night in Edmonton.

The Hurricanes lead the series 3-2, but the Oilers refused to buckle when facing elimination for the first time in these playoffs -- even after Steve Staios was sent to the penalty box for dragging down Mark Recchi at 3:03 of overtime.

Just 28 seconds later, Pisani struck for his second goal of the game and the first shorthanded overtime goal in Stanley Cup finals history.

Carolina's Cory Stillman, a star of the playoffs, made a lazy cross-ice pass for Eric Staal as the Hurricanes set up a rush. Pisani stole it at the blue line, broke in all alone on Cam Ward and beat the 22-year-old rookie to the top-right corner.

The Oilers are hanging tough and defying skeptics who expected the Hurricanes to finish things off quickly after Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson sustained a series-ending knee injury in Game 1.