The Canes head to Sunrise for the second half of a back-to-back against the Panthers

The Hurricanes have officially entered the win column this preseason, scoring a big 4-2 victory on Sunday night against the Nashville Predators. After three straight losses to start training camp, the Canes finally put it all together to earn their first victory. Cayden Primeau was outstanding between the pipes, making 18 stops in the win.

Fresh off his two-goal performance last night, Bradly Nadeau will skate in his fifth game this preseason, as will Kevin Labanc. They aren't the only players skating both halves of the back-to-back, with a good number of Hurricanes playing the twin bill. They're joined by Alexander Nikishin, Ivan Ryabkin, and Frederik Andersen, among others.

On the other side: Florida Panthers

Tonight marks the second and final meeting of the preseason between the Canes and the Cats after they met last Wednesday in Raleigh. Carolina dominated the early portion, getting goals in the 1st period from Ryan Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. However, the Panthers recovered to score four unanswered in the 3rd period, winning by a final of 4-2. Daniil Tarasov made 47 saves in Florida's win.

The Panthers were dealt a huge blow at the end of last week when they announced their captain, Aleksander Barkov, would miss 7-9 months after tearing his ACL and MCL at practice. Paired with Matthew Tkachuk likely being out until December, it's tough news for the two-time defending champs. However, this team still has considerable depth, so I'm not too worried.

Hurricanes to watch

Frederik Andersen: As the veteran of the tandem with Nikita Quapp and with Sergei Bobrovsky going for Florida, I'm expecting Frederik Andersen to get the start tonight. It would be his second appearance against the Panthers this preseason, but his first start last Wednesday was not very eventful. The projected Opening Night starter only faced eight shots in 40 minutes.

The Canes iced a veteran group for that game, but this lineup is a little younger, so Andersen should be under fire a little more. While it's never good to place too much stock in these games, it would be nice to see Andersen respond well to the greater output from the Panthers. It'll likely be his last appearance before next Thursday's opener, so a good start could be a confidence booster.

Ryan Suzuki: Across his three appearances this preseason, Ryan Suzuki has been noticeable in a positive way. He has a goal and an assist for his efforts, but he's been doing it in the face-off circle, too. He's mostly played next to the guys on PTOs, giving him good veteran presence to work with.

I've seen it said this preseason that Suzuki is ready to play in the NHL, but it's uncertain whether his future is with the Hurricanes. The 2019 1st rounder made two appearances with the Canes last season, marking his first two games at the NHL level. He's still young at 24 years old, but his path is continually being blocked.

Justin Robidas: Another player who made his NHL debut last season was Justin Robidas, and he made an immediate impact with a goal and an assist in his two games. He's making his third appearance of the preseason, trying to build off his two-assist effort on Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I view Robidas as being in a similar boat as Suzuki. He's trying to prove that he can last on an NHL roster, but I think he has a little more scoring potential than Suzuki, and that's not just because he scored last season with the Canes. Robidas is being deployed in all situations, and he has looked good doing it.