Williams gets hat trick in Canes victory

Canes defeated Tampa Bay 5-1.

My thoughts on the game:

I thought the Canes played a really good game. They came out and matched Tampa's intensity in skating, which they hadn't really been able to do. They're beginning to look like the top-form Canes we saw last year.

Good that Williams got a hat trick, first of his career.

It stinks, though, that Cam Ward had a shutout until less than three minutes left in the game. Although, I'd rather that happen than the Canes lose, but it still stinks.

The-Former-OLN's announcers are kinda bland. I barely noticed them at all.

Did anyone notice the "Hockey Bay USA" in the middle of Tampa's ice? What's up with that? It sounds completely pathetic - even worse than Atlanta's "Blueland" theme. Well, actually it ties with Atlanta for stupidity, but Tampa gets points deducted because it sounds like Tampa's trying to rip off Green Bay's "Titletown USA".
And Green Bay always wins over Tampa. Always.

I don't like Tortorella. Just cuz.

Around the NHL:
Some Russian team (Yaroslavl) is suing the Oilers, Flames and the NHL in a New York court over the rights to prospects on those teams, saying that the prospects were under contract and not eligible to play in the NHL. Evgeni Malkin's old team is expected to do the same.

Erik Cole stats: 1 assist
On the season: 1 goal, 2 assists