The Hurricanes flew to Sunrise on Saturday night to complete a back-to-back with the Florida Panthers. Led by most of their veteran roster, the Canes picked the Cats apart in the final 40 minutes, beating the Panthers 8-2 at the Lenovo Center. The new guys played very well against an inexperienced Florida team.
The roster for the second half of the back-to-back looked similar to the preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Spencer Martin took the start in the net. The Panthers didn't roll out their Stanley Cup lineup as I had initially anticipated, though several notable veterans went for the Cats.
Momentum from Friday's victory carried into the first period for the Hurricanes, beginning with Jackson Blake's opening goal early. Blake shook a defender at the line before walking down to the right dot and snapping a shot past Chris Driedger. The lead stood for most of the period until Patrick Giles won a race to the front of the net and redirected a pass behind Martin. The Canes retook the lead in the final seconds, with Juha Jaaska taking advantage of a Florida mistake to score on a breakaway.
The second period began with more great chances for the Hurricanes. Jack Drury, one of the few veterans in the lineup, was in the right place at the right time as Driedger poked the puck away from Eric Robinson, snapping it into the back of the net to extend the lead. Then, 24 seconds later, Bradly Nadeau set up Gleb Trikozov alone at the front of the net to make it 4-1 early in the period. The Hurricanes looked like a runaway train, but the Panthers had something to say about that.
Florida mounted a furious comeback down by three goals. A tough turnover and a bad line change allowed Ryan McAllister to feed Wilmer Skoog to cut the deficit to two goals. About six minutes later, Sandis Vilmanis slapped a one-timer past Martin after a scramble forced the Canes netminder out of position. To close the period, Adam Boqvist fit his shot through traffic to tie the game at four.
Both teams had ample opportunities to take the lead in the third period, but Martin and Driedger shut them down. Each goalie made a huge pad stop to keep the game tied, ensuring we'd get bonus hockey. The Hurricanes were able to kill the final 1:55 of a late Blake holding penalty, but the Cats would get the last laugh. Hunter St. Martin won a race up the ice against Felix Unger Sorum and was stopped on his initial shot, but Jesper Boqvist picked up the rebound and lifted it past Martin to complete the comeback in a 5-4 win for the home team.
Before the preseason began, I was almost certain that Bradly Nadeau would be the only rookie to make the Opening Night roster. Through two preseason appearances, I'm not sure how you can cut Jackson Blake right now. He has been incredibly noticeable, making everything look easy. He had a spinning short-handed chance in this game that nearly fooled Driedger. Blake has made a serious case to stay with the big club.
Behind an inexperienced defense, Spencer Martin had a tough night. Martin was a little all over the place, though I can't put the blame squarely on his shoulders. The Panthers found all the right places after falling behind 4-1. He could've been a little more aggressive on a few of Florida's goals, but the overtime winner was the result of a well-placed shot intended to create a rebound opportunity.
Up Next: The preseason slate is halfway completed. Next week, the Hurricanes will meet the Nashville Predators twice with a game against the Lightning sandwiched between. This will be a big week for young forwards Bradly Nadeau, Felix Unger Sorum, and Jackson Blake as they aim to crack the roster. The first game against the Predators will be in Raleigh on Wednesday.