-Gabriel Dorris-
Recap
The Rundown
The Hurricanes had an incredibly sloppy start to their season, as for the first 10 minutes of their first game, it was all Ottawa; and just 3 minutes and 14 seconds into the game, the Hurricanes surrendered the first goal off a tip in from the blue line that snuck by Freddie Andersen. The Canes didn’t look much better directly after, although Jesper Fast did get a penalty shot chance, which he failed to convert on. About halfway through the period, Carolina snapped out of their funk, and from there on the ice was heavily tilted for the Canes, although they still weren’t able to get a shot into the back of the net. But about 2 minutes into the second period, Claud Giroux took a slashing penalty, and Michael Bunting, a newcomer, was able to slot in a nice powerplay goal to get the team going. What was a dominant period of play for the Canes continued, and they were able to strike again for the lead off of a nice Teravainen shot from an odd angle. The start of the third period looked like much of the same, and just 20 seconds in, Jordan Staal was able to pot a filthy backhander and double the Canes lead. But on a Carolina powerplay, an odd bounce off of a blocked Orlov shot sent the Senators the other way, where a nice shot in front beat Freddie to make the game 3-2. And just 33 seconds later, Ottawa struck again for the tie game. But the Canes refused to lie down, and two late goals by Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei pushed the Canes above the Sens for a 5-3 win and a 1-0-0 record.
The Standouts
Michael Bunting looked like he fit right in as a Hurricane. Besides potting the first goal of the season, he was all over the ice, getting physical and crawling under peoples’ skin. Frederick Andersen let in two goals that you might want a save on, but he more than made up for those with some incredible stops of his own, especially in the first period. Jordan Staal looked like he was back in his 20s, with a shockingly fast game that led to a beautiful goal and an assist. Jesper Fast wasn’t able to get the puck in the net, but he had multiple breakaway chances and a primary assist on a Brady Skjei goal. Brady Skjei himself was excellent, putting on three shots and playing a very solid defensive game. I struggled to put Dmitry Orlov on this list because of some annoying defensive blunders, but this beautiful hip check in the third period was enough to get him on here anyways
The last standout I want to mention is Martin Necas, who was playing possibly his most physical game ever, and was absolutely flying across the ice. He didn’t come out with nothing to show for it either, notching a primary assist on a Teravainen goal.
In order, my three stars would be Michael Bunting (***), Brady Skjei (**), and Jordan Staal (*), who are the exact same people as the actual three stars announced at the game.
The Preview
The Overview
Tonight at 10:30pm EST, the Canes are going to face off against the Kings in Los Angeles. The Kings are 0-1-0 after a 5-2 loss to the Avalanche, but as a team that is considered a cup contender by many, this will only give them more fuel against the Canes. However, goaltending is still a problem for the team, and considering that the Canes just managed to put up 5 goals against a pretty solid guy in Joonas Korpisalo, the Kings are probably going to have to score quite a bit if they want to win. The Canes just need to play like they did for 49 minutes and 27 seconds of their game against the Senators, and they should be fine. Whoever of Andersen or Raanta plays will also need to have a good night.
Players to Watch
Look out for whichever two of Brendan Lemiuex, Jalen Chatfield, and Tony DeAngelo end up playing, as the fight to hold onto spot #18 until Svechnikov gets back is in full swing. Also keep an eye on Dmitry Orlov and Michael Bunting, as we continue to see how the newcomers are doing in the Canes system. Besides them, Tuevo Teravainen had a good first game, and if he can keep up that level of play instead of that of last season, it’s huge for the Canes. Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are also huge for the success of the team, and it’s always worth trying to see how they continue to grow and develop.
Prediction
The Hurricanes are the better team, but Los Angeles is by no means not a threat, and they’ll have every reason to come out swinging as they hope to take an early advantage in the fight for the Pacific Division and playoffs in general. Still, goaltending is a problem for the Kings, and if the Canes can exploit this, I think they can come out with a pretty big win. This team also always seems to start out their season with a winning streak of sorts, and a dub here would keep that trend going.
4-1 Canes
Record: 1 (correct winner) – 0 (incorrect winner) – 0 (predicted OT/shootout loss and lost in regulation, or vice versa.)
Canes Express 
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