Nashville Predators Vs. Hurricanes Recap

Nashville the top team in ESPN's power rankings, #1 in their division, and riding a 4 game win streak came into PNC Arena Tuesday night with a lot of momentum. The Hurricanes coming off a loss Saturday against Pittsburgh was ready to play and look well rested after a day off Sunday and a strong practice Monday.

Liles 

Nashville came out strong testing Cam Ward early but Carolina matched their intensity and kept the offensive fore-checking going strong. Cam Ward saved 28 of 29 shots faced and had a save percentage of .970; even thought Cam's overall record doesn't reflect the type of performance he is putting on the ice, fans can really see the improvement for last season and the confidence he has gained under new goalie coach David Marcoux.

Victor Rask

Hurricanes got on the board late in the 1st period on a goal from Jeff Skinner who has 5 goals and 5 assists in his career against Nashville. The Hurricanes got another goal to add to the lead from Victor Rask and held that lead till Mike Ribeiro got a goal in the middle of the 3rd period. That was all the Predators could get past Ward; what didn't help Nashville was the 2 penalty they received half-way through the third period. Even though the Hurricanes did not score on those PowerPlays it took the momentum away from Nashville.

Hurricanes ended Nashville's win streak and also ended their own losing streak! A win over one of the top teams in the West had to be a great confidence booster for the team and for Elias Lindholm who celebrated his 20th birthday. This was also a family affair for Elias Lindholm; his cousin Calle Jarnkrok is a recent call up for the Predators.

Upcoming Hurricanes Home Game

#1 Star Skinner

12/4 - Washington Capitals @ 7pm
12/7 - Detroit Red Wings @ 5pm
12/8 - New Jersey Devils @ 7pm

Three Stars of the Game 
1. Jeff Skinner: 1Goal 1 Assits
2. Cam Ward: 28 saves
3. Victor Rask: Game Winning Goal

Hurricanes Goals
1st Period: Jeff Skinner (6) ASST: Nestrasil (3) Liles (4)
2nd Period: NONE
3rd Period: Victor Rask (4) ASST: Jeff Skinner (7)

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)