Erik Cole is Back!!!!

Canes lost 4-0 to the Oilers. But in my mind, that is totally ignored by the fact that ERIK COLE IS BACK!!!!
Yes, I almost fainted when I saw him take the ice for warmups, and that total happiness was magnified when he actually was on the ice for 23 shifts. I can not describe the happiness I felt when he was out there skating again. I told my dad: "I'll be happy no matter what happens this game."

Which is a good thing, because the Canes downright sucked.

Where do I begin with the crappiness? Well, let's start with the numerous crappy penalties taken by the Canes. There were 10 total, three by Bret Hedican (who ought to know better), and two too-many-men penalties. These led to three of Edmonton's goals. Unacceptable.
Then there was the 0-for-6 on the power play. Funny, as the Canes power play fails, the Oiler's catches on fire.
Then there is the fact that the Canes only took 16 shots - the whole game! In some games that's as many shots they had in one single period!
The rest of the crappiness was taken up by the fact that the Canes weren't skating. They were trying to be as physical as Edmonton, but they were taking bad penalties, and not getting the puck. Let's face it, Canes, you are not a physical team (with the exception of Ladd, Cole, and C. Adams), so stop trying to be physical and actually put the puck in the net.
Joe Vasicek needs to be replaced with Larose in the lineup. Without Larose, there aren't four full functional lines, and that hurts the Canes with fatigue.

What I thought was funny is that the announcers on NBC kept saying how Cole was out of it, when I thought "Who are you comparing this to? The whole team is out of synch. Maybe it's Cole who's on, and the rest of the team is crap."

Did Brind'Amour disappear to the Land of Nonexistence that Staal was in a couple games ago (and that Matt Cullen resides in currently)? Cause if he has, could he return before Game 7? We kinda need him to contribute.

Canes need to shoot the puck more. Stop looking for the pass, and just shoot the darn thing. Who knows what will happen? Maybe it will go in, maybe it'll get tipped, hell, maybe it'll hit Pronger in the knee and put him out of the game. What's the worst thing that can happen when you shoot? A bad rebound and a 2-on-1 going the other way? Well, that's what Cam Ward is there for, people.

Speaking of Cam, he didn't seem that sharp. Then again, how could he, with the Canes playing like they did?

Well, I didn't expect them to win this game, so I'm really not surprised. I just hope they pull it off tomorrow.