→ For much of tonight's tilt, Tyler Johnson's first-period tally was the lone dent on the scoreboard in what was a low-scoring, limited-offense affair.
"We made one little mistake and didn't read the rush quite correctly," Canes assistant coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "It ended up in the back of the net. Other than that, it wasn't awful, but obviously we're going to have to shore up some of that neutral zone stuff."
On Friday morning, Canes assistant coach Steve Smith singled out the team's energy as a contributor to the first two preseason wins. That might not have quite been there through tonight's first 40 minutes.
"It was a sloppy first two periods for both teams, really. There wasn't a lot going on. The neutral zone was really poor. A lot of turnovers, and we never really got a good forecheck going," Brind'Amour said. "Our third period was a little more exciting."
→ The Hurricanes had their best offensive looks on the power play - they had six man advantage opportunities tonight - and finally cashed in at the 18:55 mark of the third period. With a sixth attacker on, Jeff Skinner pounced on a rebound and deposited it in the back of the net to draw the score even at one.
"It paid off for us at the end," Skinner said. "Usually on 6-on-4, it's not the prettiest goal. A rebound or the puck squirts out somewhere. You just try to find the soft areas in the ice and bury it when you get the chance."
"They had a lot of great looks," Brind'Amour said. "They worked hard and moved it around pretty well tonight. To get rewarded at the end was good just for the morale of the group, probably more than anything."
