Canes Open Rookie Showcase With Win Over Panthers

ESTERO, FL. - The Carolina Hurricanes' prospects started their stint in the Sunshine State on a positive note, defeating the Florida Panthers by a score of 4-1 Friday.

Opening their slate of three games in four days against the event's hosts, Carolina claimed the game's first goal on the man advantage. Operating with an extremely skilled grouping of draft picks consisting of Ryan Suzuki, Vasily Ponomarev, Justin Robidas, Blake Murray, and Domenick Fensore, the unit was able to cash in on their second try.

While Fensore's first of two points in the game would be the lone goal of the opening 20 minutes, Carolina's organizational identity of applying pressure on the forecheck allowed them to tack on more scoring in the second.

After a forced turnover by Florida left Noel Gunler wide open in the slot to double the Canes' lead, Robidas then experienced a similar fortune to make it 3-0.

Florida would get on the board before the end of the second period, but not before starting goaltender Yaniv Perets' night came to an end with 12 saves on 12 shots. Splitting the netminding duties with Jakub Vondras, the tandem was steady behind Carolina's defense throughout.

In the final 20 minutes, the Canes added another power play goal for insurance via Murray, reestablishing the three-goal lead and bringing the game to its final score.

They Said It

Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels on his group's effort...

"I thought the guys played hard.  It was the first game [of the tournament] and in situations like this, you never know what to expect.  We talked before the game about just playing hard, competing, and playing fast, and I thought we did that."

Domenick Fensore, who had a goal and an assist, sharing what he thought went right on the man advantage...

"We just kept it simple. We made a couple of passes and got a shot on net. We were creating rebounds and that's when havoc happens. We found our seams and we had a lot of good players working together. It was nice to get a couple."

Ryan Suzuki on getting back to game action for the first time...

"The first period was the toughest, just getting the wind back into you.  But in the second and third it felt like we got into the swing of things, and that obviously felt good."

What's Next?

The prospects get right back in action on Saturday, taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning at 3 p.m. ET.

A stream to watch the game will be posted to the front page of Hurricanes.com just prior to puck drop.

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