How'd It Happen?
The offense came to play, churning production up and down the lineup. The team scored twice on their eight first period shots, but it was in the middle frame when the output really took off. This time it was two goals on 22 shots, but it felt as if the pressure was there throughout.
Despite it being a one-goal game at start of the third period, the Canes weathered a storm before adding a pivotal insurance goal on the power play courtesy of Teuvo Teravainen with 8:24 remaining.
X-Factors
Especially after the way that the first goal of the night came - a lengthy video review that settled in the Islanders favor, deeming Mathew Barzal's shot had crossed the goal line before Frederik Andersen's left pad got down - the Canes having a quick response was extremely beneficial.
Nearly two minutes of play had passed before the call came in to review New York's early try and when it was officially confirmed, the time was of course reset to when the puck crossed the line. Before the clock had gotten back to the time when the initial stoppage came, Andrei Svechnikov already secured the response for Carolina.
Perhaps the most pivotal part of Carolina's attack tonight though was getting to the front of the net.
So, empty net marker aside, the Canes ability to have a presence atop the crease played a sizeable role in five of their tallies.
What They Said About It:
Teuvo Teravainen on the team's offensive output:
"It was just the mentality. We wanted to get the puck on net and create some traffic. That's how you score in this league. You have to shoot the puck, be at the net and go get the bounces. That's the right way."
Nino Niederreiter on if it felt rewarding to earn a win in the first game of the season, with that type of performance:
"Yeah, absolutely. It's the first game of the season and everybody was very energized. We wanted to get things going, it was a long training camp. So, the energy was great and we're very happy with the win."
Rod Brind'Amour, who noted during the week that he was eager to see if the combinations and pairings within the lineup would work, on what he thinks of them now after night number one:
"Everyone played well. Everyone played hard. It was a tough game out there. It was tough, physical, game and just fast, too. Everyone held up pretty well. We'll get a better chance to look into it [tomorrow] and dive into it, but like I said, I was really happy."
What's Next?
The Canes travel to Nashville tomorrow for their first road game of the season, coming Saturday night against the Predators.
