Are The Carolina Hurricanes Divers?

Ray Whitney's game-winning overtime goal against the Florida Panthers last night kept the defending Champion Hurricanes' playoff chances alive, albeit on life support. The goal also officially eliminated the Panthers from playoff contention. But it wasn't necessarily the result as much as how the two teams got to it that had the Kitties fuming afterwards.

After Florida defenseman Bryan Allen was whistled for tripping 'Canes center Eric Staal on a questionable call in overtime, Panther netminder Ed Belfour lost it (clinical term) and started skating around while doing his best pantomime of a dive (though if we were playing charades, I'd have probably guessed "high hurdling" or something). The result was a two-minute minor for Belfour for ~~bad acting~~ unsportsmanlike conduct, a two-man advantage for Carolina and a two-point win on the Whitney goal moments later.

After the game, the Panthers were still steamed at the call(s) and the way they believe the Hurricanes play the game.

"We've got to get five or six guys to dive every time you touch them," Panthers captain Olli Jokinen said in reference to Carolina's Eric Staal hitting the ice on Allen's penalty.

"He embellished it as much as he could," said Allen. "It's embarrassing the way they play the game. They're looking for the easy way out, taking dives and looking for the cheesy call."

The teams have one more meeting left this season -- Saturday night in Raleigh -- and you can bet that nothing would make the Panthers happier than hammering that final nail into the Champs' coffin (though chances are the 'Canes will already be dead and buried by then). Just ask Jokinen, who added, "[Carolina] has stolen so many points from us, we have to ... make sure they don't go anywhere. I'd rather see Tampa and Atlanta make it than this team.''

UPDATE: CasonBlog answers my rhetorical question with one of his own.