The community gathered for an excellent cause on Wednesday night as the Hurricanes welcomed the Nashville Predators to the Lenovo Center. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's chaos in Western North Carolina, the organization announced that all ticket proceeds and more from the game would be donated to help the region rebuild. On the ice, the team tried to bounce back after blowing a 4-1 lead to the Florida Panthers on Saturday in a 5-4 overtime loss.
The Hurricanes sent another young lineup out, with several players getting their second or third looks this preseason. In the net, Yaniv Perets made his preseason debut. Nashville brought a veteran group to Raleigh, headlined by their trio of offseason additions Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and former Hurricane Brady Skjei.
The difference in experience was painfully obvious in the first period. The Predators struck for the first three goals of the night, beginning with a soft spinning shot from Juuso Parssinen that squeaked through Yaniv Peret's pads. Just over a minute later, Filip Forsberg set Gustav Nyquist from his backside. Finally, Jeremy Lauzon jumped up and scored at the top of the crease. It was a deflating start for the Canes.
Felix Unger Sorum injected some energy into the Lenovo Center almost immediately after Lauzon's goal. The crafty Norwegian swooped through the zone and lifted a shot past Scott Wedgewood to cut the deficit to two goals. The Predators had another quick answer for it as Dante Fabbro's shot from the point fluttered into the net.
After one period, the Predators were in control, outshooting the Canes 14-6 and leading 4-1 on the scoreboard. The second period was cleaner from the Hurricanes. Yaniv Perets helped keep them in the game, coming up with a big breakaway stop on Ozzy Wiesblatt. There was also a big-time scrap between Charles-Alexis Legault and Michael McCarron.
Both teams would score in the middle period, coming 66 seconds apart. First, Ryan Suzuki played pinball. His centering pass hit Wedgewood's stick and Fabbro's body before crossing the line. Then, Marchessault got it back with a low shot that eluded Perets.
Marchessault doubled up early in the third period, scoring around Perets to extend Nashville's lead to four goals. To keep with the theme of the night, the Hurricanes' response was quick. Unger Sorum made a beautiful pass through his legs from the boards to find Brendan Lemieux in the slot for a one-timer to make it 6-3.
The Hurricanes would earn a 5-on-3 late in the game, their first two drawn calls of the night. Unger Sorum capped his night by setting up Bradly Nadeau for a one-timer on the power play to provide the last fun moment in what turned out to be a 6-4 loss for the Hurricanes. Unger Sorum finished the night with three points, and Ty Smith added two secondary assists in the final frame.
The scoreboard might indicate a closer game than the rest of the numbers would suggest. Nashville outshot Carolina 32-15 and dominated the time of possession in the game. It felt like the Hurricanes were parked in their defensive zone for most of the night. Playing against a stacked lineup, there wasn't much else we could've expected from this one.
Along with another excellent night from Unger Sorum, it was the two guys with established familial ties to the Hurricanes that truly shone. Skylar Brind'Amour showed shades of his father all night, especially in the face-off dot and on the penalty kill. He also finished with a team-high three shots. Josiah Slavin was the only forward to finish with a positive +/- in the game, providing the assist on Suzuki's goal and a pair of blocks in his forward-high 17:32 time on the ice.
The game was a mixed bag for Perets. There were moments when he looked very good. He stood tall on a penalty shot from Filip Forsberg. He also was active with his stick several times throughout the night. There were also a few soft goals that Perets would likely want back. The opening goal to Parssinen is likely at the top of the list. Perets has plenty of room to grow his game, but this was a big test for him, as it was for all of the young players on the roster.
Up Next: The Hurricanes will play their final home game of the preseason on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. I wouldn't be surprised if this were the team's last dress rehearsal before things kick off next week. They'll conclude their preseason schedule in Nashville on Saturday. Look for Scott Morrow to get his first preseason action this weekend after missing most of camp with an injury.