The Hurricanes come up short to open the preseason, fall 2-1 to the Lightning

The Carolina Hurricanes played hockey on Monday night at the Lenovo Center for the first time since being ousted in the Eastern Conference Finals. It marked the end of a nearly four-month break as we inch closer to the regular season. To open their preseason slate, the Canes welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first of two meetings over the next five days.

Both Carolina and Tampa Bay opted to ice younger rosters. The Canes' side owned a slight veteran advantage, with Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake all suiting up for the contest. Cayden Primeau earned the nod for the Canes in his first appearance with the team. Tampa Bay sent backup Jonas Johansson out to oppose him.

There were encouraging signs early as the two sides felt each other out in the first period. The Canes felt like the faster team, earning a few good chances that Johansson denied. In the dying seconds of the frame, Bradly Nadeau made a tough decision. He panicked, turning the puck over in the defensive zone. Emil Lilleberg benefitted greatly, scoring with 0.8 seconds left from the slot to break the ice.

The Bolts doubled their lead on the power play before the midway point in the second period. JJ Moser's shot from the was redirected by Mitchell Chaffee, beating Primeau to make it 2-0. The Canes had three chances on the power play in the period, and it generated good movement. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a goal as they entered the second break down by two.

It appeared the Canes had broken their goose egg in the third when Kevin Labanc froze Johansson and slid one home. However, the Lightning challenged for offside to wipe the goal off the board. They managed to finally get one on the power play late in regulation as Logan Stankoven redirected a shot home, but it was too little too late as the Canes fell, 2-1, in their opener.

The Canes' top line was clearly its best

With only one full NHL line on display, you'd expect the trio of Jackson Blake, Logan Stankoven, and Taylor Hall to be the team's best against a younger Tampa lineup. That they were. Blake might've been the best player on the ice tonight. He led all players with six shots in almost 19 minutes. Hall was the quietest of the three, with only one shot, but he formed good chemistry with his linemates.

Stankoven playing center felt like a natural fit. With the team looking for a consistent 2C who can contribute, he could be the guy. He was better than 50 percent on his draws, winning nine of 17. It didn't hurt that he scored the team's only goal, too. Leading the team's forwards with 19:23 on the ice, I'd like to see him against an NHL-caliber lineup before the end of the preseason.

Alexander Nikishin is going to be just fine

Readers might get tired of me hyping up Alexander Nikishin all season over the smallest things. I thought he did it all tonight, and he did it very well. Nikishin was used in all situations, quarterbacking the top power play and killing penalties. Only Tampa's Moser played more than him, coming in at just over 23 minutes.

It was his work on the power play that was the most encouraging. If you were worried about whether he'd be able to handle a power-play unit in the NHL, this should make you feel good. He picked up the secondary assist on Stankoven's goal, getting the puck over to Labanc to set the play in motion. Nikishin also laid the hit of the night, leveling Dylan Duke in open ice.

Additional Thoughts

Going the distance on Monday night, Cayden Primeau wasn't tested often, but there were some quality chances thrown at him that he handled beautifully. He made the save of the night, getting over to rob Boris Katchouk during a delayed penalty early in the third. Primeau faced just 19 shots, and neither goal felt like it was on him, coming off a turnover and a deflection on the power play.

There was a decent level of physicality to the contest. Givani Smith dropped the gloves with Conor Geekie in the second period. He also received a 10-minute misconduct late in the third. He finished the night with 19 penalty minutes. Both Tyson Jost and Steven Santini earned early exits after a skirmish earlier in the period.

Lastly, it felt like an encouraging night for the AHL defensemen on the Canes roster. Domenick Fensore, who made his NHL debut at the end of last season, looked good, especially early. Charles-Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom had good moments, too. The Canes lack right-handed defensemen on the main roster, so positive development from both could be huge in the near future.

Up Next: The preseason slate continues on Wednesday night as the Hurricanes host their Community Benefit Game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at the Lenovo Center. They'll meet the Lightning again on Friday night, traveling to Florida to finish their preseason duo.