Preseason, Game 3: Hurricanes v. Nashville Predators

Coming off a sloppy 8-5 loss against Tampa Bay, the Canes are looking to get their regulars going while still seeing how some of the young guys play when playing alongside the big stars. Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho are among the regulars to make their preseason debuts in what is going to be the closest thing to a tune-up before the regular season starts next week. Nashville will also be playing some of their stars with Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, Roman Josi, and Mattias Ekholm getting some time while Juuse Saros is expected to get the start in the net opposite Antti Raanta for the Canes. With this being the first televised game, I figured this would be a good game to watch to get my style for this season perfect. It's good to have some hockey back, especially Hurricanes hockey.

1st Period

Scoring

(NSH) :27- Ryan Johansen, assisted by Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg

(CAR) 2:28- Steven Lorentz, assisted by Jesper Fast

Thoughts

The game certainly didn't start the way they wanted it to. Less than 30 seconds in, Johansen cashed in on a rebound that snuck behind Antti Raanta. It's exactly how Nashville would've wanted their top line of stars to start the game. It didn't take much longer after that for Steven Lorentz to score during a mad scramble in the crease to tie the game. Raanta and Saros appeared to settle in after that to keep the game tied despite numerous good chances both ways. Nashville almost capitalized on a few turnovers, most notably a 2-on-1 after Ethan Bear pinched and then threw a bad pass that was intercepted. Seth Jarvis almost connected with Nino Niederreiter but was stopped by Saros. Speaking of Jarvis and Niederreiter, I thought their line with Jack Drury was the best line on the ice for the Canes to start the game. Jarvis had another good chance that didn't come to fruition when he was knocked off the puck. The Aho line with Svechnikov and Necas also showed some flashes of brilliance, though nothing too great. They drew the only penalty of the period and it looked sloppy to start, but they'll have 48 seconds to start the period.

2nd Period

Scoring

(NSH) 2:32 Matt Duchene (PP)- assisted by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen

Thoughts

The first half of the period was extremely sloppy by both teams. There were a lot of penalties, one of which Nashville capitalized on with a power play goal from Matt Duchene on a deflected Roman Josi shot. The Canes were not without their opportunities. Necas was stopped on a breakaway that drew a penalty. CJ Smith was stuffed after a great stretch pass from Jaccob Slavin. Lorentz, Niederreiter, and Jarvis all had great chances that didn't go in. I've been extremely impressed by Jack Drury's play through two periods. He's centered the hottest line on the ice for the Canes, has been physical at times, and has put together some good chances too. The top line of Nashville has been the biggest difference and Juuse Saros has been playing like a top-caliber goalie so far. The Canes need to put together some more dangerous chances towards Saros in the third period.

3rd Period

Scoring

(CAR) 13:22 Jesper Fast, assisted by Ian Cole and Ethan Bear

Thoughts

Carolina came out like the team playing from behind and they applied the pressure on Juuse Saros. Ian Cole made an impact early with his hit on Yakov Trenin and was a key part of the team tying up the game late. It was his outlet pass to Jesper Fast that led to the clapper that beat Saros late in the period, with some help from Roman Josi's stick. The Canes owned the play before the first television break. From then until Fast tied it, there wasn't a lot going on. Both teams had opportunities to score, but the goalies played really well in the final regulation frame. Nashville pushed late and Raanta was able to fight off chances that eventually led to the game going into extra time. While they aren't playing for points right now, it was nice to see some fight in the Canes.

Overtime

Scoring

(NSH) 2:49 Philip Tomasino, assisted by Filip Forsberg

Thoughts

Oh well! The game-winner was the product of a sloppy play behind the net with Tomasino winning the race to the front to pot the pass from Forsberg. It was a very eventful overtime session, with both teams trading opportunities in short succession. The chance from Jarvis and Svechnikov was especially close, but it didn't come to fruition. I'm not going to look too much into this result because in the regular season this would've gotten the team a point against a Western Conference opponent. It's a small silver lining, but I liked the effort in the third period and overtime by Carolina.

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Seth Jarvis (17:42 TOI, 2 SOG)

There are a bunch of guys I considered here (Jesper Fast, Jack Drury, Antti Raanta) but even after being kept off the board, Jarvis made a tremendous impact and had some great chances. He almost scored in the first, almost found set up Niederreiter, and almost connected in overtime with Svechnikov on the game-winner. I know almost isn't going to get the job done, but this is exactly what training camp and the preseason is meant to be for prospects looking to crack the roster.

Second Star- Ian Cole (1 A, 4 SOG, 1 H)

He and Ethan Bear were probably the best defensive duo for the Canes tonight. I was especially impressed with his third period. His hit early on Trenin set the tone for the period and his pass is what directly led to the goal from Fast to tie the game. His last 20 minutes were impactful and I really like his partnership with Bear. To see them start the season together would be a strong third pairing.

First Star- Steven Lorentz (1 G)

From the drop of the puck tonight, Lorentz looked like a man possessed. His goal in the first to even things up was a gritty goal in the crease that I don't feel the Canes had much of last season. He had some opportunities later in the game as well. He centered the best forward line for the Canes tonight, providing both of the goals for the team. It's good to see this production from a player that might be on the fringe of the Opening Night roster.

Final Thoughts

The preseason isn't exactly the best place to look when trying to break down the intracacies of the team. As much as I want to, looking into tonight's performance won't determine how well they'll play in the regular season. Saros is a world-class goalie and the top line of the Predators was the biggest factor in determining tonight's game. They provided their entire offense, much like the Canes' fourth line. Antti Raanta bounced back well from his disappointing performance in Tampa Bay, Good to see him play well tonight and there wasn't a whole lot he could do on the goals tonight. Good to see the big guns get their legs under them. One more preseason game before things start counting for real.