Preseason Game 1: Blue Jackets Vs. Hurricanes Recap

When 6,250 fans walked into PNC Arena on a beautiful Sunday afternoon everyone was happy to see the boys back on the ice for the start of another season. It was not just a hockey game it was fans seeing each other for the first time since April and catching up with arena staff and fellow fans. With this being the first preseason game and training camp only being open 2 days the expectations were not set very high. 

Cam Ward

Cam Ward, Elias Lindholm, Riley Nash, Jeff Skinner, Patrick Dwyer, Andrej Sekera, and Jay Harrison were the roster regulars that were in the lineup today and their veteran presence was felt. Ward started in net and played 22:45 allowing 3 goals on 13 shots; then for the final 24:01 Alex Nedeljkovic allowed 1 goal on 6 shots. The Canes scored a quick Power Play goal from Andrej Sekera in the 1st period; then Riley Nash added another goal in the 2nd and Chris Terry followed that with a tally in the 3rd to bring the Hurricanes within 1 goal of the Blue Jackets.

Jay Harrison all smiles to start the season

Even though the final score of 4-3 doesn't reflect the effort the Hurricanes put fourth; there was some improvement already from last year and that has to please the new coaching staff of Bill Peters and company. The passing was crispy with tape to tape touches, strong presence in the offensive zone, going after offensive zone rebounds, defensive players very involved on scoring chances, and the aggressiveness in the younger players. 

There were some players that stood out in this first game and their future is bright for Carolina. One of those players was Jay McClement who signed as a free agent this summer coming over from the Leafs. Even though he was not been with the organization long he is all ready making an impact by earning the “A” for today's game and was 53% in the face-off circle. Others that stood out were Riley Nash and Chris Terry. They both showed that they took the new coaching staff messages to heart and really worked hard this summer conditioning and preparing for the season; their hard work and efforts have shown in training camp and were also shown in today's game.

Newcomer Jay McClement

The Canes return to action on September 23rd in Buffalo against the Saber and return home to PNC Arena on October 3rd to face those same Sabers. 

Reminder: Canes Carnival is Friday September 26th… Come out to meet the team and have some family fun!!!

Three Stars of the Night

Jeff Skinner with 2 Assist Today!

1. Cam Atkinson - 2 Goals 
2. Jeff Skinner - 2 Assist
3. Nick Foligno - 1 Goal & 1 Assist

Hurricanes Scoring

1st Period: Andrej Sekera (1) ASST: Ryan Murphy (1) Jeff Skinner (1)

2nd Period: Riley Nash (1) ASST: Jeff Skinner (2)

3rd Period: Chris Terry (1) ASST: Sergey Tolchinsky (1) Jay Harrison (1)

Carolina Hurricanes 2014-2015 Season Preview

The ice is down at PNC Arena and Opening Night vs the New York Islanders is right around the corner on October 10th at 7pm. As the Canes take the ice for training camp on September 19 there will be faces missing and some new ones.

Some key departures that happened this off-season were those of Manny Malholtra (Montreal), Justin Peters ( Washington), and Drayson Bowman (Try-Out Montreal). Some new faces that come to town ready for a fresh start are those of Jay McClement (Toronto) and Brad Malone (Colorado). Tim Gleason and Chad LaRose also signed back with the Hurricanes organization after both taking a year away from the franchise.

Bill Peters and Ron Francis 

With a new GM in Ron Francis and a new head coach in Bill Peters the horizon for the Hurricanes looks to be bright and make them a contender for the playoffs once again. Both Francis and Peters believe in the core group of talented players that are already within the system and believe there is a contending team in the locker room. Some of the key things that need to be fixed and will be looked at this season is the Power Play, Penalty Kill, Offensive  Scoring and Leadership within the locker room.  One of things that Coach Peters has spoke about this summer is that he is not afraid to replace a player with someone else who is working harder and deserves the spot.

We know that the top three scoring lines will looking something like this and leave the 4th line to be determined in Training Camp:

Tlusty- Eric Staal- Skinner

Gerbe- Jordan Staal- Semin

Lindholm- Nash- Dwyer

Eric Staal

We know that the top three Defensive pairings will looking something like this and leave the 4th pairing to be determined in Training Camp:

Faulk- Sekera

Harrison- Gleason

Hainsey-Murphy

Justin Faulk

There will also be a goal-tending competition in camp that will determine the Opening Night goalie as either Cam Ward or Anton Khudobin.

Anton Khudobin

Some key dates that fans need to keep in mind for beginning of the season:

• September 19th: Opening of Training Camp
• September 21st: Preseason Game vs. Blue Jackets
• September 26th: Canes Carnival
• October 5th: Preseason Game Vs. Saber
• October 10th: OPENING NIGHT vs. Islanders
• October 14th: Game vs. Sabers (National TV)

Thanks for reading the season preview and cant wait for the season of start! The motto we will stick with this season is one that the Canes used back in the 2006 playoffs when they won the Stanley Cup.. Whatever It Takes!!!!

~Julie