2024-25 Regular Season, Games 1 & 2 Preview: Hurricanes-Lightning Home & Home

*Note*- There's a chance that Saturday's game scheduled to be played in Tampa Bay could be cancelled due to Hurricane Milton. As of Thursday morning, they hadn't, so I'm treating it as it they'll play the back-to-back as scheduled. 

A new season is upon us, which means the hunt for the Stanley Cup has begun. After a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season, the Carolina Hurricanes will begin the new campaign with a home-and-home back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Game 1 will be the first regular-season game at the newly named Lenovo Center, while Game 2 will move to Amalie Arena in Tampa. There was a good deal of turnover for the Hurricanes in the offseason. Gone are established names like Teuvo Teravainen, Jake Guentzel, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Stefan Noesen, and Antti Raanta. In their place, the team signed forwards Jack Roslovic, William Carrier, Eric Robinson, and Tyson Jost, and defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker. They also paid their stars, giving Seth Jarvis, Jaccob Slavin, and Martin Necas extensions.

The expectations for the Hurricanes are crystal clear. Their window to compete for the Stanley Cup won't be open forever. They are a well-built team from top to bottom. They can adapt to any style of play. They have one of the best coaches in the league. This is a team set up to succeed. The first step on their journey back to the top is the Lightning.

The Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning (45-29-8, 98 Points- 4th in the Atlantic Division in 2023-24)

Posting their second straight 98-point campaign, the Lightning earned the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference last season, behind an MVP-caliber season from Nikita Kucherov. The Bolts winger finished second in Hart voting after capturing his second Art Ross win with 144 points and becoming the fifth player in NHL history with 100 assists. He was one of three players on the team to finish with 40 goals, along with team-leader Brayden Point's 46 and captain Steven Stamkos' 40. Victor Hedman and Brandon Hagel rounded out their 70+-point scorers, but there was a steep drop after that. While boasting the league's best power play, the fifth-best penalty kill, and the fifth-most goals scored, the Lightning struggled defensively 5-on-5. They were in the Bottom 10 in the league in goals allowed after an uncharacteristically tough season for Andrei Vasilevskiy. He missed the early portion of the season with an injury, yet still managed just a .900 save percentage in 52 starts. The Lightning were dispatched of quickly in the first round by the Florida Panthers, marking their second straight first-round exit. 

The big news this offseason was the exit of Steven Stamkos, who signed in Nashville after Tampa Bay failed to provide a suitable contract to their now former captain. In his place, the team signed winger Jake Guentzel to a huge deal after acquiring his rights from the Canes before he hit the market on July 1. It was also a big summer for Victor Hedman. The Swedish defender received a four-year extension and was named the team's next captain. Tampa Bay was also active on the trade market, sending Tanner Jeannot to the Kings, Mikhail Sergachev to Utah for a package including JJ Moser and Conor Geekie, and re-acquiring Ryan McDonagh from the Predators. This is a team that will ride-or-die by its top two lines and its goaltending. If everything is clicking, they're tough to beat. 

Last Season's Meetings: The Bolts won two of the three meetings last season, with each game played before the end of November. Jonas Johansson pitched a 32-save shutout in their first meeting, making the Hurricanes finish their State Fair trip 2-4-0. Brayden Point finished with a goal and an assist. The Canes returned the favor when they returned to Tampa a few weeks later. This time, Pyotr Kochetkov stopped all 22 shots he faced while Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns had a goal and assist each. The most notable of the three meetings came when the Lightning visited Raleigh around Thanksgiving. After the Canes led 1-0 through 20 minutes, the Bolts' power play opened the game up. Brayden Point recorded a hat trick and two assists, and Nikita Kucherov recorded a pair of goals and four assists in an 8-2 win. Antti Raanta allowed eight goals on 14 shots, marking the worst complete game save percentage in NHL history.

Stories of the Night:

1. Jake Guentzel Returns to Raleigh

For a few days in late June, it looked like the Hurricanes were going to re-sign Jake Guentzel. While I'm not sure whether Don Waddell leaving played a part in his decision not to, the Canes did the cordial thing by trading him to the Bolts. He was an incredible fit with the Canes, especially with Aho and Jarvis late in the regular season and during the postseason. He has been historically solid against the Canes in his career, with 20 points in 21 games. I'm interested to see what type of reception he'll receive from the Caniacs on Opening Night. 

2. Canes PK vs. Bolts PP

In the current NHL, there are no better units of their respective kind than the Lightning's power play and the Hurricanes' penalty kill. Historically, the Bolts have gotten the better of the Canes on special teams. It was especially bad in that 8-2 drumming last season, with Tampa going 4-for-5, while the Canes' power play went 1-for-6. While Tampa has two units, their top group will hog most of the ice time. The key to success for the Canes will be to remain disciplined and not give the Lightning an inch when they do each the man advantage. 

3. Which Goalie Steps Up?

With this being a back-to-back, logic would indicate that Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov will each get a start. With Kochetkov seemingly primed to take over the starting role at some point in the near future, this could be a good way for him to establish himself early in the season. Going back to his days in Toronto, Andersen has struggled against the Bolts, posting an .888 save percentage in 20 career games. Kochetkov has fared slightly better, pitching a shutout last season and holding a 2.04 GAA.