Appreciating the Little Things From the Canes' Win in Detroit

DETROIT - Head coach Rod Brind'Amour knew there wouldn't be much time to savor the Carolina Hurricanes'
3-0 shutout win
against the Detroit Red Wings on opening night of the 2020-21 season.
"We'll go through this game and figure out] how we can get better. It's going to be a long night for me or tomorrow all day looking at that," he said. "There was a lot of stuff that shouldn't have happened, but the fact that we worked really hard from start to finish and there weren't any lulls in the effort was probably what I was most pleased with."
Even after a full preseason, the first week or two of games in a new season are always a bit scrambly at times. In the absence of exhibition games this year, the early-season rust might be a bit more caked on.
But to the Canes' credit, they battled through the first-game jitters and mishaps to hold the Red Wings off the scoreboard. The defense was stingy, allowing just 14 shots on goal, while the Canes put 43 shots on Thomas Greiss at the other end of the ice. The Canes' power play got on the board, and the penalty kill was a perfect 2-for-2. And, in the end, the team snagged the win to start the season off right.
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"Game one after a long layoff, I'm not too upset about it," Brind'Amour said. "The effort was really good, and that's the key."
Let's dive deeper into the Canes' first victory of the season and appreciate some of the finer details.

Mrazek Sharp Early
Petr Mrazek only faced 14 shots through 60 minutes - five in the first period, six in the second and just three in the third. That's a credit to the group of five in front of him for limiting the opposition's chances. There were breakdowns at times, though, and it led to quality scoring opportunities.
Mrazek made his first stop of the season on the game's first shot, a wrap-around bid from Adam Erne.
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Later in the period, a defensive-zone turnover led to a quality look from Sam Gagner and a rebound scramble, both handled by Mrazek.
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Mrazek wasn't tested much, but when he did face a quality chance, he responded, en route to the franchise's third opening night shutout and the first since Sean Burke's in October 1996.
"Petr, whenever we needed a save, it felt like he was going to make it," Brind'Amour said.
Let's Get Physical
Led by their captain Jordan Staal, the Canes set a physical tone early.
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Brady Skjei also got in on the action.
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Niederreiter Strikes First
Nino Niederreiter scored 11 goals in 67 games last season.
"I wasn't very happy or pleased with last season," he said. "I expected a lot more for me."
The Canes expected more, too. Seeing Niederreiter find the back of the net for the team's first goal of the season is an encouraging sign.
Even with Filip Hronek draped on his back, Sebastian Aho was able to protect the puck and slide a backhand pass over to Niederreiter, who was open with room to skate.
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Before the puck got to Niederreiter, Teuvo Teravainen tipped it through his legs, a deft, subtle skill play that went unnoticed by the official scorers until they credited an assist to No. 86 on Friday.
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With time and space, Niederreiter showed backhand to get Greiss to bite before wiring a quick shot past him.
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Dzingel, Svechnikov Seal It
It was also an encouraging sign to see Ryan Dzingel, who scored eight goals in 64 games last season, find the back of the net in game one. The Canes need offensive talents like Niederreiter and Dzingel to be contributors at even strength and the power play.
Dzingel's marker did indeed come on a late-game power play to stretch the Canes' lead to 2-0. Greiss was screened and could not track Jake Gardiner's point shot that Dzingel got his stick on to redirect in the net.
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With 65 seconds left in the game, it was Andrei Svechnikov finding bullseye in the empty net from the opposite blue line. Teravainen recorded the lone assist on the goal, the 200th of his career.
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Dougie Drops the Gloves
Thursday's game marked just the second time in Dougie Hamilton's 553-game NHL career in which he's dropped the gloves. His last? Jan. 21, 2015, against Gabriel Landeskog.
Gagner caught Staal on the numbers in front of the Canes bench, spilling the captain awkwardly into the boards. Hamilton took exception, and from there, it was on.
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"That was surprising," Brind'Amour said. "I don't like seeing that, to be quite honest, but I like that he stepped up for his teammate."
Odds and Ends
Check out this faceoff alignment with Vincent Trocheck taking a draw from the left circle. He wins it back to Warren Foegele, who swings it over to Haydn Fleury for a one-timer chance.
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During one of the aforementioned extended shifts the Canes spent in their own zone, Teravainen made a keen diving stick play to prevent what would have likely been a game-tying goal.
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The second power play unit needs a zone entry? Let Martin Necas handle it.
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Going one-on-one with Jaccob Slavin never ends well for the opposition. A nice stick play by No. 74 here to deny a shot.
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