The Hurricanes storm back to stun the Predators, giving the Greensboro crowd a show

With the Florida Panthers in their rearview mirror this preseason, the Carolina Hurricanes turned their attention to the Nashville Predators, beginning with a fun game in Greensboro on Thursday night. The Canes' young group beat the Panthers on Tuesday in Raleigh, winning 3-2 in the shootout to avenge their loss on Sunday. Bradly Nadeau and Justin Robidas provided the scoring in regulation.

Both of Tuesday's goal-scorers were back in the lineup on Thursday, with the trio of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake also stepping in to play their first games of the preseason. Pyotr Kochetkov was back in the crease. The Predators didn't bring their entire NHL roster with them, but they still had several NHLers present as Justus Annunen made the start.

The night didn't get off to the best start for the Hurricanes. Vitali Pinchuk put a bouncing puck into the net less than two minutes in to get Nashville off to a hot start. Cole O'Hara doubled the lead with a snipe on the power play from beyond the dots, and Jonathan Marchessault capped a very good road period with a breakaway tally with under five minutes left. The Canes were immediately in a bad spot.

Carolina got on the board early in the second, with Stankoven finishing a pass from Hall at the top of the crease to break the shutout. However, the Predators responded with goals from Adam Edstrom and Jack Drury, giving Nashville a 5-1 lead with half of the game remaining. The goal for Carolina was simple from this point. Just don't get hurt.

Of course, if the Canes are playing hockey, crazy things can always happen. The last half of the second period was dominated by the Kotkaniemi line. Jesperi Kotkaniemi got it started by hammering a loose puck home to cut the deficit to three. Then, he set up Juha Jaaska for a breakaway goal late in the period, putting the Canes in a much better spot entering the third.

The Canes' power play struck midway through the third period when Juuso Valimaki found some space in the slot to shrink Nashville's lead to one. They kept pushing, and with Kochetkov on the bench, Stankoven's second goal of the night tied it up with 1:24 left. They'd stormed all the way back, and another overtime contest was on deck.

At least, that's what we thought. The closing sequence was as wild as you'll see all year. Kochetkov made a gutsy move to come out of his net. Dominik Badinka saved a goal by diving to break up a pass. Heading the other way, Nashville gave Felix Unger Sorum too much room. His shot from the right dot beat Annunen with 2.6 seconds remaining, capping an improbable preseason comeback.

The NHL crew gets the comeback going in the right direction

I was not impressed by Jesperi Kotkaniemi's preseason debut in Florida on Sunday. As one of the only veterans in the lineup, he didn't play a very good game. Tonight, we saw the side of Kotkaniemi that can be a difference-maker in the right spot. His two points in the second period were massive, putting the Canes in a spot to make a comeback much more feasible in the third.

The red-hot second line from the playoffs didn't let the long layoff stop them from producing. Taylor Hall made one big mistake in the first period, leading to a Nashville goal. Otherwise, the entire line looked really good. Hall (3A) and Logan Stankoven (2G, 1A) finished with three points each, while Jackson Blake added an assist on the tying goal. It was a pretty good showing for the trio.

Unger Sorum gets his big moment of the preseason

Before tonight's game, I highlighted Felix Unger Sorum as having had a good preseason to this point, but he needed that moment to really stand out as he competes for a roster spot. I'd certainly say that this qualifies. Nashville's defense let him hold the puck for a long time in the final seconds, giving him all of the time in the world to shoot it. Unger Sorum made them pay.

Is this the moment that secures him a roster spot? I honestly doubt it, but it doesn't hurt. I still think that the final spot up front belongs to Bradly Nadeau, who earned the only assist on Unger Sorum's goal by carrying the puck up the ice and finding his linemate. I think that both could still be in the lineup on Saturday afternoon to finish the preseason and make their final cases to crack the roster.

Kochetkov's preseason performances have left much to be desired

I chalked up Pyotr Kochetkov's start in Florida to it being his first game in over five months and his first against NHL competition in nine months, behind an inexperienced defense. He gave up five goals to the Panthers, and we didn't think much of it. Tonight, my concerns grew significantly. I'm not saying that he can't come back from this stronger, but it's not what I wanted to see.

Some of the goals that he allowed were not great. The power-play goal was a wrist shot from distance. Jack Drury's backhand goal after coming out of the box was another bad one. Justin Robidas played it well, one of a few good defensive moments for him tonight, but Kochetkov can't be beaten there. He's done for the preseason, which means his next start counts for something.

Overall, the most positive part of tonight's contest was the atmosphere in Greensboro. While there will be hockey played at the Greensboro Coliseum, or First Horizon Coliseum if we must call it that, getting the defending Stanley Cup champions in their original North Carolina venue was a fun change. I'd be interested to see this again in the future, maybe even for a regular-season contest.

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