Every week, Cardiac Cane will make a complete wrap-up of each week of the 2015-2016 Carolina Hurricanes’ season.
Preseason 9/21 – 9/27
Summary:
The Carolina Hurricanes opened the preseason with two away loses to the Capitals and Penguins. Despite the similar result for the ‘Canes, the two games were very different from each other.
Against Washington, the team fielded an incredibly young and inexperienced blue line. The defense and goaltender Eddie Lack held really strong. The Caps scored on two savable goals conceded by relief goalie Drew MacIntyre. Offensively, the ‘Canes were poor, almost resembling the anemic offense of last season. Regulation ended with the Caps winning 2-0, but the NHL, in an attempt to familiarize 3v3 overtime to all teams, enforced a mandatory overtime. In bonus hockey, the ‘Canes scored a beautiful 3 on 1 passing goal with new addition Kris Versteeg finishing off the play.
The next night in Pittsburgh was anything but a defensive struggle, with 10 goals in the first 2 periods. The game seesawed in the 1st period, until the Pens scored two quick goals to make it 4-2 at the intermission. The second period saw Pittsburgh continue to roll. They netted three more goals in the 2nd compared to Carolina’s one, bringing the score to 7-3. The result held through the third period. Starting goalie Cam Ward played 29 minutes and gave up six goals. He did not look strong in net for the Hurricanes. On the flip side, forwards Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, and Jeff Skinner played solid. Rookie Noah Hanifin registered an assist and was only a -1 despite playing just over 23 minutes.
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The middle of the week was dominated by the large cuts made to the training camp roster. Many were expected, including cuts to players like Lucas Wallmark and Roland Mckeown. Some cuts, like of Danny Beiga and Zach Boychuk, were a bit surprising. Beiga played quite well against Washington. Boychuk was the most experienced player cut. Both might get called up later in the season.
At the weekend, the ‘Canes participated in two neutral site games in Atlantic Canada. Finally victorious, Carolina beat the New York Islanders in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Saturday. Jeff Skinner pocketed two goals in regulation to lead the ‘Canes to a 5-3 victory. New guy Joakim Nordstrom, Eric Staal, and Victor Rask also added goals. Skinner scored again in the mandatory 3v3 overtime period. Noah Hanifin also had two assists, bringing his pre-season total to three assists in two games.
Sunday night, the ‘Canes took care of the Ottawa Senators 2 goals to 1. Due to the lack of NHL infrastructure up in Atlantic Canada, statistics are hard to come by. Brock McGinn scored on a breakaway with center Riley Nash grabbing the primary assist. Late in regulation, defenseman Jaccob Slavin took a feed from Kris Versteeg and scored to win the game for Carolina. Also, Cam Ward was apparently far better in this game, having 26 saves and only conceding one goal. With the win, the ‘Canes ended the week with 2-2 and have two home games before the regular season gets underway.
Cane of the Week:
Noah Hanifin – Stat Line: 2 GP, 3 A
The sample size may be small and it’s just pre-season, but Hanifin is already looking like even more of steal than he already is. In his first taste of the NHL, he played the first pairing with Justin Faulk against only the likes of Crosby, Malkin, and Kessel. He skated the second most minutes on the team, played both powerplay and penalty kill, had a team high 2 takeaways, and of course had an assist on the Skinner goal. Unfortunately, statistics for his second game against the Isles are sketchy. Still, from what we do know, Hanifin had two assists in his second game.
More from Hurricanes News
- 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
- Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
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Granted, it’s still preseason. Anything can happen. Thinking of all the places Hanifin can go as a player is fun, but at the same time some those expectations should be reasonable. It would be foolish to say Hanifin won’t hit bumps during his rookie season. It would also be foolish to suspect he can continue an over point per game career average as a defensemen. But hey, he could be the second coming of Paul Coffey or Bobby Orr, you just never know. This week he played fantastic for any NHL D-man, let alone an 18 year old rookie. For what he did this week, he deserves great praise.
Honorable Mentions: Jeff Skinner, Eddie Lack
The Forecast:
Wednesday 7:00 pm @ PNC Arena against the Washington Capitals
Friday 7:00 pm @ PNC Arena against the Pittsburgh Penguins
These are the only two home games of the preseason and both are against high flying Metropolitan Division offenses. Being the last chance to impress Bill Peters, look to see guys pushing themselves to solidify their positions, particularly in Bottom 6.