Erik Cole has been a part of some powerful lines. There was the BBC Line of the 2002 playoffs, with Bates Battaglia and Rod Brind’Amour. There was the combination with Cory Stillman and Eric Staal that was so productive in 2006.

From the looks of the Hurricanes’ past two games, he may be part of another. Cole scored twice in Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Red Wings, giving him three goals and an assist in the two games he has been playing with Ray Whitney and Matt Cullen.

“My first game back from the ankle we played together on the Island (on Oct. 27) and I thought we played well together,” Cole said. “I’ve said this a couple times, it’s a little different than when I’m playing with Eric and Cory. I don’t need to be out in front pushing back the D. It’s more they handle the puck in traffic and make little plays at the line to me driving with speed. I don’t think I was playing near as well as I’m playing now when I was with Eric and Cory. I think maybe I was holding those guys back a little bit.”

Cole scored only four goals in Carolina’s first 29 games and had gone the previous five games without a point. But not only did that line account for both of Carolina’s goals Sunday, it scored three of Carolina’s five goals Saturday and two of Carolina’s eight goals on Oct. 27.

“They had the most dangerous shifts for us offensively,” Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said. “They seem to feed off each other — the skill, the power. Right now it seems like a good match.”

On what was essentially a frustrating night for the Hurricanes, there were two net positives: that line and Cam Ward.

Other thoughts on Sunday’s game:

[More:]

• Ward kept the Canes in the game in the first period, made some huge saves in the second and had stopped 33 of 36 shots with 2:38 to play. Then Eric Staal turned the puck over to Pavel Datsyuk at the Carolina blue line — breakaway, goal — and another turnover caught Ward in no-man’s land as he headed to the bench for a Tomas Holmstrom goal 32 seconds later.

Frustrating end to a stellar night for Ward.

“That was extremely frustrating,” Ward said. “I thought the guys were coming on in the third period. We started pressing and then we just made one bad mistake to the wrong player. He put a nice move on me and put it in the net and next thing you know it kind of deflated us.”

• Not only Frantisek Kaberle’s best back-to-back games of the season, but his two best games of the season period. On Carolina’s power play early in the third period, he was the old Frankie on the point — smooth, efficient and confident.

For the Canes, the best answer to the Kaberle-or-Seidenberg question would be “both.” Right now, with Seidenberg on top of his game and Kaberle rounding into form, that might be it.

• The first four minutes were everything the Canes could have wanted, other than a shot on goal. They pressured the Red Wings, played well in their own end and dealt out a few hits.

Then Glen Wesley knocked the puck between Cam Ward’s legs while diving to poke-check it away from Valtteri Filppula to make it 1-0 only 4:25 into the game.

Tim Gleason shot the puck over the boards for a penalty a minute and a half later, followed by a Wesley interference penalty to give the Wings a two-man advantage.

In short, worst-case scenario.

But the Canes killed off the 47-second five-on-three and the rest of the Wesley penalty to stay within a goal despite being outshot 9-2 at that point.

And they had chances despite being outshot 16-4 in the first period, including two futile power plays with the score 1-0 — one cut short by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Laviolette, who was unhappy with referees Stephane Auger and Brad Meier pretty much from the get-go.

“Unfortunately, we need to play those 16 minutes,” Laviolette said. “In the second period, we played better. We had a little more zip. They’re a quick team, a puck-possession team. I thought for a lot of that we were fairly solid defensively as far as scoring chances go, but we were chasing a little bit, in a defensive posture.”

• Whitney may have joked about not making an impact in his one season in Detroit, but he stole the puck three times in the Detroit end on one first-period shift, setting up two scoring chances.

• Bret Hedican, who set up Alex Kovalev in the slot with a clear up the middle Saturday, nearly did it again Sunday with a blind pass from in front of his own net that nearly turned into a three-on-one for the Red Wings.

• After playing basically three lines Saturday night, the Canes continued to play with a short bench and seven defensemen. Trevor Letowski didn’t have an even-strength shift and Andrew Ladd didn’t see the ice in the first 15 minutes. The NHL box score had Ladd with no first-period ice time, but it was wrong. He and Letowski came out for the final 11 seconds of Carolina’s first power play and stayed out for a full shift. Letowski was properly credited with the PP time.

• It took the Canes only 46 seconds to tie the score 1-1 in the second period, when Tim Gleason intercepted a pass in front of the Detroit net and fed Erik Cole at the post. Dominik Hasek stopped Cole’s initial attempt but Cole flipped the rebound over Hasek out of midair.

Ward made two big saves in the next few moments, stopping Brett Lebda alone in the slot and taking a Johan Franzen shot in the mask before Cory Stillman took the Canes’ second penalty for delay of game by tipping the puck over the glass, putting the Red Wings back on the power play.

Tic-tac-toe passing from Jiri Hudler to Dan Cleary to Johan Franzen for a deflection in front put the Wings in the lead again, and a penalty against Chad LaRose as the goal was scored put the Red Wings on another power play immediately.

But the Canes killed that one and Cole struck again on a Carolina power play, ripping a slapper past Hasek through a Rod Brind’Amour screen.

• It wasn’t a good night for the active games-played leaders among defenseman. Filppula beat Wesley for Detroit’s first goal with an abrupt downshift that left Wesley defenseless, while Chris Chelios was planted in place by Staal’s deft toe drag past Chelios’ left shoulder.

• Five Carolina players Sunday were in the lineup for Game 5 of the 2002 finals here: Wesley, Hedican, Niclas Wallin, Brind’Amour and Cole. David Tanabe was on Carolina’s playoff roster but did not play in that game.

• And finally, here's what my good friend Mike Russo had to say about the Joe (scroll down):

I love Joe Louis Arena. I really do.

I mean, it’s a part of history. For instance, you can find historical remnants of every piece of garbage that’s ever been dropped on the floor or spilled on a seat in there. It’s quite something to be in an arena that’s never been cleaned before.

I just bathed in tomato juice and tomorrow I have an appointment to get de-liced.

It’s like that Seinfeld episode when Jerry said, “Don’t you see what’s happening here? It’s attached itself to me. … It’s destroying the lives of everyone in its path. … It’s a presence. It’s the Beast.”

That’s Joe Louis Arena. I can continue. I really can.

Memo to the Red Wings: I’ve seen your team. They’re good, the best in the league. Yet you mysteriously can’t sell out? Hmmm.

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