Canes Open Preseason Play With Victory Over Tampa Bay

Roster of mostly newcomers puts together complete performance to open back-to-back set

By Walt Ruff

@WaltRuff Hurricanes.com

September 27, 2023

RALEIGH, NC. - A youthful and tryout-heavy Carolina Hurricanes lineup kicked off the club's six-game exhibition slate with a win on Tuesday, taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 5-2.

Starting Strong

Dressing a cast that featured 12 forwards with no previous regular season experience on the team, Rod Brind'Amour stressed earlier in the day on Tuesday that the hope for tonight's contest was to see the newcomers picking up on the brand of hockey that the Canes desire to play.

While of course that was a work in progress to start, one element of Carolina's game, resolve, was certainly shown late in the first.

After Tampa Bay broke open the scoring with 4:21 to go in the first, it took all of eight seconds for Jayden Halbgewachs to answer.

Then, just two minutes later, Caleb Jones propelled the home team in front.

Carolina would never look back after that, holding, and adding to their lead over the course of the final 42 minutes.

Preseason goals count when we score them pic.twitter.com/zWlxOFStpe
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) September 26, 2023

Welcome Back, Tony

Making his return to game action in a Hurricanes sweater after a season away, Tony DeAngelo made his presence felt by finding the back of the net during tonight's second period.

Skating alongside Dmitry Orlov, as he had been throughout training camp thus far, #77 continues to be an interesting storyline in camp because of the logjam on the blue line.

The question remains, if Opening Night were tomorrow, who are the six that Brind'Amour dresses? With Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce and Orlov seemingly locked in, DeAngelo and Jalen Chatfield are the two names most often discussed for the final spot.

Give Kochetkov a secondary assist, too.

That's a bounce Carolina will definitely take. pic.twitter.com/kHRBzzcMvr
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) September 27, 2023

Goaltenders Getting Their Feet Wet

Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov split the duties between the pipes in tonight's victory, each playing close to half the game.

The more veteran Andersen got the start, turning away 12 out of 13 shots. The only thing to get by Kochetkov in the back half of the battle was a redirection in front.

In all, tonight was a quality starting point for two essential pieces to the club.

Feels good to be home ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3yrXF8dMJD
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) September 27, 2023

They Said It

Rod Brind'Amour on what he saw from his group tonight...

"You always like to win... The game was not great, for sure, but we capitalized. Our goaltending was good. The effort was there and we were throwing out a forward group where everyone is trying to make an impression. It says a lot that they did."

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Tony DeAngelo offering his impressions of playing alongside Dmitry Orlov...

"He was great. Really solid. We moved the puck really well together. Personally, I felt really good in the first period, but then I felt terrible in the last two... But as you see, [Dmitry] is really good with the puck. He's so patient and he's got a great stick. You can't ask for much more in a partner."

Dmitry Orlov stands smiling during his game of any kind in a Hurricanes sweater.

What's Next?

The Canes will be right back in action Wednesday, hosting the Florida Panthers.

Wednesday's game is the team's annual Community Preseason Game, featuring free parking, $10 general admission tickets, discounted concessions, and merchandise. Click here to buy your tickets.

Postgame Quotes: Rod Brind'Amour addresses the media after a 5-2 victory