Regular Season, Game 1: Hurricanes v. New York Islanders

The season kicks off and it's starting to feel like it's all normal again. The fans are back in the building from the start and the team has a bunch of fresh faces. Kotkaniemi, Stepan, Bear, Cole, DeAngelo, and Andersen are all making their team debut and the energy could be felt in the build-up. The Islanders advanced to the Conference Finals last season and are a defensively strong team. Ilya Sorokin starting opposite Frederik Andersen should prove to be a major matchup. It's good to have hockey back in October.

1st Period

Scoring

(NYI) 7:23- Matthew Barzal (1) (assisted by Kyle Palmieri (1))

(CAR) 9:15- Andrei Svechnikov (1) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (1) and Ethan Bear (1))

(CAR) 13:57- Jesper Fast (1) (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (1) and Jordan Staal (1))

Thoughts

The Canes were the better team for the first 20 minutes and the scoreboard will show that. The power play set the pace early, especially the first unit, even though they didn't score. The Islanders' goal was a bit of a weird one because it originally looked like a stop from Andersen that they went back and looked at two minutes later and determined it had completely crossed the line, though it was extremely close. It didn't take the Canes long to retaliate with Andrei Svechnikov tipping home a shot from Teuvo Teravainen that also gave Ethan Bear his first point as a Hurricane. The team also killed off their first penalty of the season and scored not too long after. Jaccob Slavin wristed a shot on the net that was deflected and managed to trickle through Sorokin and it appeared to be Jesper Fast's stick. The team would kill another penalty and the team headed to the locker room with a 2-1 lead. I thought the team came out hot and looked very good. Tony DeAngelo and Ian Cole also made some statements, with DeAngelo laying a huge hit on Cal Clutterbuck during that first Canes' power play. I'm looking to see more from the Aho line in the second period and for the defense to keep the pressure on the Islanders. 

2nd Period

Scoring

(NYI) :52- Brock Nelson (1) (assisted by Anthony Beauvillier (1) and Noah Dobson (1))

(CAR) 6:30- Jordan Martinook (1) (unassisted)

(CAR) 11:28- Nino Niederreiter (1) (unassisted)

(NYI) 14:20- Anders Lee (1) (assisted by Ryan Pulock (1) and Kyle Palmieri (1))

Thoughts

This period had tons of momentum swings. The Islanders came out and looked like the better team. Brock Nelson was all over this period and he potted a goal 52 seconds into the period on a rebound from a bad angle of Andersen's pads. They then drew a penalty that was negated about halfway through to give us 4-on-4 for the first time. The Canes didn't score on the back half of their chance but still looked dangerous. This is about when Carolina turned the momentum back in their favor. Jordan Martinook sniped a shot top corner to give the Canes the lead again on a feed from Steven Lorentz that trickled through from behind the net. Nino Niederreiter scored a gritty goal as he was being slashed by Zdeno Chara. It prompted a goalie interference review, but it was determined that he scored legally and the Canes took a two-goal lead. The Islanders got one back at the end of the period on another rebound and goal from Anders Lee that is likely the first goal Frederik Andersen might want back. The Islanders kept the pressure on for the rest of the period, but the Canes head to the locker room with a one-goal lead again. Still waiting for the Aho line to break out and make a major difference, but I've liked the play of the remaining forward lines with contributions up and down the lineup. Would also like to see a power play goal for the Canes in the period since they've looked sharp so far.

Third Period

Scoring

(CAR) 11:36- Teuvo Teravainen (1) PP (assisted by Tony DeAngelo (1) and Andrei Svechnikov (1)

(CAR) 19:18- Andrei Svechnikov (2) ENG PP (assisted by Tony DeAngelo (2) and Sebastian Aho (1))

Thoughts

The Canes finished the game strong and it was led by the power play. They came out on fire to open the period with a long shift in the offensive zone from the Trocheck line. Andrei Svechnikov attempted a lacrosse goal but just missed during that opening flurry. They held the momentum through the first commercial break, but the Islanders mounted some serious pressure. The turning point in this game was the Oliver Wahlstrom penalty that Jaccob Slavin drew in the defensive zone. The ensuing power play resulted in a goal from Teuvo Teravainen on a perfectly placed clapper over Sorokin's shoulder. From there on, it was all Carolina. Derek Stepan drew a slash with the net empty and Andrei Svechnikov buried his second of the night in the empty net to secure a 6-3 win for the team. This was a complete period for the home team. It was good to see special teams make a major difference in the period and help push the Canes over the edge against a team that many think could win the division

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Tony DeAngelo- 2 Assists in Carolina debut

This will be the last time I mention it, but there were a lot of questions surrounding his signing. What I saw from him tonight was really good. He quarterbacked the first power play unit and they looked lethal. He recorded two primary assists on the power play, the most impressive being his assist to set up Teuvo Teravainen and laid a huge hit in the first. It was a good debut from a guy with huge shoes to fill.

Second Star- Teuvo Teravainen- Power Play Goal, Assist

It's good to see Turbo at full strength to open the season. His goal on the power play was an absolute bullet over Sorokin's shoulder. Even in the first two periods, I thought he played with pace and looked dangerous. He factored in on the first goal from Andrei Svechnikov to tie the game and played a strong defensive game as well. 

First Star- Andrei Svechnikov- 2 Goals (Teams first of the season and an ENG PPG), Assist

When you sign a contract like he did in the offseason, there are high expectations that are going to come with it. That's why it was only fitting he score the first goal of the season for the Canes on a beautiful deflection and finish the scoring with an empty net goal. The league better take notice.

Final Thoughts

This is how you expect to start the season. The offense was on fire and there were contributions up and down the lineup. 10 different players scored points, including three of the newcomers (Bear- A, Stepan, A, DeAngelo- 2 A) and Frederik Andersen won in his team debut. The stars played like they needed to and that's why the Canes were able to pull ahead in the third period. The power play was lethal all night and scored twice in the third period, granted one was an empty netter. I would've liked to see more from the top line of Kotkaniemi, Aho, and Necas, but it speaks to the depth of the team when you can win against a quality division opponent even when arguably your best player didn't play amazing. It's always fun to win games, but this was a fun game all-around. I expect to see this same effort against Nashville on Saturday night. It'll be interesting to see if Rod Brind'Amour inserts Seth Jarvis into the lineup and gives Antti Raanta the start in the team's second game. This is going to be a fun team to watch all season.