Tale of 3 periods (+5)

Blogger is having problems, but I'm going to try and post anyways... at least before it goes out totally at 2 pm PST. (grr...)

Anyways... Canes won their first game at home last night - 5-4 over the Thrashers in OT.

This game was the tale of a 3-faced team.
The 1st period look: Canes are skating, looking good. Give up a goal early, but quickly remedy that with three goals.
The 2nd period look: Crap, crap, crap. Canes let the Thrashers have 22 shots on goal, let two go through. Without Cam Ward, the game would've been most certainly lost. Canes of the 2nd are sluggish and just played like CRAP.
The 3rd period look: Pretty even - a mix between the 1st and 2nd Canes. They score one, let one go by Cam, but don't look too bad.
The +5 look: Canes look like a return to the first period look. Babchuk scores 1:10 in the OT, it's all good.

In the midst of all these different looks, the power play alternates from being crap (I didn't even know they were on one in the first until I counted the players and said -- "Hey... Why is Atlanta playing with four guys...? Oh it's a power play - WOW, the power play is crap") to scoring on them.

Justin Williams is on fire! He just looks awesome out there.
Wish I could say the same for Erik Cole... 5 shots and numerable chances and he still can't score. Maybe tonight, though...
Cam Ward is stellar.
Hutchinson looked pretty good, believe it or not.
Babchuk looks like he's beginning to come into his own - and that is good news.

Canes play Tampa Bay tonight. I will note that it is the 26th, so perhaps Cole will break out with the scoring tonight? (...knocking on wood...)

And just so you know how dedicated I am- it took me 45 minutes from the time I first tried to access the post editor until I finished this post.