The Recap

The Rundown

The Canes opened their preseason with a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The entire team looked good throughout the game, and especially in the first and third periods. Shots were actually 28-24 for Tampa Bay, but the Canes chances on net were generally better placed and better released. Special teams did struggle a bit, with the Canes going 2/3 on the PK and 0/1 on the PP, but in game 1 of the preseason with almost all prospects and PTO’s playing, I wouldn’t look too much into that. The Canes were stronger on the boards and more careful with the puck, and that did end up making a difference on multiple goals caused by breakaways or defensive breakdowns in the middle. Overall this was a nice start to the preseason for the Canes.

The Standouts

Frederick Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov both looked phenomenal in net, with each tender giving up one goal on 14 shots for a .928 save percentage. Kochetkov even chipped in a secondary assist! Both goalies looked calm, fast, and ready, and Freddie looked healthy as can be. The goaltending was a huge part of why the Canes won this game, and this was a promising start for both of the guys who spent time in the Cane’s goal last game.

Tony Deangelo put up a goal and an assist, and even though he showed his trademark defensive struggles with some nasty turnovers, DeAngelo was potentially the Canes best playmaker in the game and has given Rod a reason to think about letting him start the season on the third pairing. Dmitry Orlov and Caleb Jones were also visible the entire game, making plays and creating chances. Jones even managed a goal of his own. Jalen Chatfield, even though he was a little less noticeable than the other 3 guys here, was just as reliable defensively as always. The battle for 6th defenseman is going to be intense, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canes played some games 11-7 next year.

The Canes 2023 second round pick, Felix Ugner Sorum, was probably the teams best forward against Tampa, and he has shown himself to be a very promising prospect already. He was great with the puck, made some nice passes, and even had an assist to show for it. He was also pretty decent on defense.

My 3 stars for this game, in order, would be Frederick Andersen (***), Pyotr Kochetkov (**), and Tony DeAngelo (*).

The Preview

The Overview

Tonight, at 7pm, the Canes are going to face off at home against a Panthers team that is currently 2 and 0 in the preseason. The Panthers roster for tonight is almost entirely consisted of AHL guys and prospects. The Canes, meanwhile, are going to be playing an even mix of NHL people, AHL people, and prospects, giving them the advantage here. The Canes will also be playing Antti Raanta in net, a modest improvement over the Panthers projected starter, Spencer Knight.

Players to Watch

The Canes entire top 4 defense from last season will be playing tonight, but considering we know all of those players will be on the roster unless traded, there are some guys who I think will be a little more important to look out for. Michael Bunting was one of the Canes big catches this offseason, and it will be interesting to see how the agitator looks in our system. Ryan Suzuki is playing in a second straight game, as he works on an upset bid to steal the 12th or 13th forward spot from Brendan Lemieux or Jack Drury, who will both also be playing. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is also playing, and it will be interesting to see how he looks in his first game action since last season, where he put up 41 points, some excellent defense, and had a career best year in both categories.

The Prediction

Considering that the Canes are going to be playing 2/3 of an NHL best defense along with a solid NHL goaltender, it’s going to be very difficult for the Panthers almost entirely AHL squad to come up with any goals, and so the Canes have the advantage there. Neither team is going to play most of their NHL forwards, even though both teams will be playing NHL level goalies, which makes me think this game is going to be overall very low scoring; but since the Canes are putting out a better roster, I still believe they take this one.

3-1 Canes