Recap: Canes Fall to Ducks in Shootout

Despite erasing a two-goal deficit, the Carolina Hurricanes fell 4-3 in the shootout to the Anaheim Ducks in their final game of October.
Jeff Skinner, Jordan Staal and Justin Faulk netted goals for the Canes, while Corey Perry scored the game-deciding goal for the Ducks in the shootout.
Here are five takeaways from the Canes' October finale.

One
This one started like all the rest have at home this season: with the opposing team netting the first goal and getting to play with a lead.
"Another poor start that just wasn't even close," Staal said. "We need more. There's still more. There's still better starts we can have. … We need to get more out of everybody right from the start."
Ondrej Kase struck first just past the halfway point of the opening frame, and seven minutes later Derek Grant was left all alone in front of the net to stretch the visiting team's lead to two goals.
It was far from the ideal first nearly 18 minutes against a team that played a game in Tampa Bay less than 24 hours ago.
"We let them come in and dictate the first period," Faulk said. "We were chasing. We had a better second and third, but you just can't expect win these games when you let a team come in and you have a chance to take it to them early on."
On a late first-period power play, the Canes' most talented goal-scorer came up big when they needed something - anything - most.
Skinner scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season when he drove the net and jammed home a rebound with just 6.6 seconds left in the opening frame.

Two
Perhaps that provided a spark for the Canes because the team followed up one of its most listless periods of hockey at home with one of its finest.
The Hurricanes tallied twice in the middle frame to grab their first lead of the season at home since the one they held for about 90 seconds in the third period against Minnesota on Oct. 7.

Aho wheeled around the back of the net and found Staal open in the slot for the one-timer to tie the game. Exactly six minutes later, Faulk ripped a booming shot from the point that found the back of the net, his first goal of the season, and the Canes skated into the locker room with a one-goal lead.
"It was a good response in the second," Staal said.
"We were quicker in the second," head coach Bill Peters said. "Three is enough to win. We had enough to win tonight."

Three
With less than five minutes to play in regulation, Jakob Silfverberg's clapper from the top of the near faceoff circle tied the score at three and forced extra hockey.
And the Canes had a couple of golden opportunities to snag the extra point in 3-on-3 overtime. Sebastian Aho was denied by Ryan Miller on a breakaway at the end of a long shift. Shortly after, Scott Darling hit Victor Rask with a stretch pass while the Ducks were changing, and again Miller made the save.
"I thought we had some good looks in OT," Peters said. "It would have been nice to get one there."
Miller stopped all three of the Canes' shooters - Justin Williams, Jaccob Slavin and Aho - in the skills competition to secure the extra point for his team.
"Good teams find ways to win those, and we didn't tonight," Staal said.
Four
The Hurricanes finished their 10-game October slate with a 4-4-2 record (10 points). It's right at hockey .500, yet the team again failed to finish above that mark, something they last did in 2008 (5-2-2, 12 points). Considering the team posted a 3-2-0 record on the road, it's an opportunity that feels especially squandered due to a suboptimal 1-2-2 record at home.
"We've been in some tight games and haven't got that extra push to get us on top in those scenarios," Faulk said. "We're getting chances. We need to score goals."
"Just moving our legs, being aggressive and not waiting for the game to come to you. Take control of it right away," Staal said. "I think we've been coming out flat too often. It's not good enough."

Five
After Teuvo Teravainen left Friday night's game in the second period with an upper-body injury and didn't practice on Saturday, there was some concern about his status for this evening.
But, he skated Sunday morning and took warm-ups and felt good enough to dress, an obvious boon to the Canes' offense considering he came into the game tied for third on the team in scoring. Teravainen recorded his third assist of the season and was plus-1 in 18:20 of ice time tonight.
Up Next
The Hurricanes will head west to take on the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes later this week.