Raleigh, N.C. – Trial by fire.
Facing the tough task of trying to shut down a loaded NHL-caliber roster, the Florida Panthers suffered an 8-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Friday.
Going with their big guns, the Hurricanes deployed all four of their top returning scorers from last season, including the top-line duo of Sebastian Aho (89 points) and Seth Jarvis (67 points). By comparison, the Panthers didn’t send any of their top scorers to Raleigh.
Still, the game was a good experience for Florida’s youngsters.
"You want them to compete hard and I think that's probably the way that game should look," said head coach Paul Maurice. "They're on you pretty good. I think what you see, when you get to day nine and ten at training camp and we run a heavy camp, there's almost a break, right? The guys have pushed so hard and they're all short-legged out there, but it's great there's guys that are able to push through."
Getting tested right off the bat, Spencer Knight, who got the nod in net for the Panthers, made some big saves to withstand a strong push from Carolina early in the first period.
Able to capitalize on their early offensive zone time, Josiah Slavin put in a rebound at 7:00 to break the ice and give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead.
Holding their own during the first period while only being outshot 9-6, Josh Davies and Will Lockwood each delivered some big hits to energize the Florida bench.
Stepping up against a critical 2-on-1 rush, Mike Benning broke up a pass between two of Carolina’s best in Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas to keep it a one-goal game.
"I was just trying to stick to the systems," said Benning. "We didn't get the win, but I think there's always positives to take out of a game."
Starting the second period on the penalty kill, the Panthers were able to weather Carolina’s power play before Seth Jarvis made it 2-0 at 4:02, tipping Knight’s glove before rolling in.
With another chance on the man advantage for Carolina, Knight stopped what could’ve been an easy tap-in for Aho to keep the red light from flashing once more.
Able to keep the puck in the zone, Carolina’s Sean Walker blasted a slap shot into the cage at 9:20 to increase the lead to 3-0.
Already with one, Jarvis extended the Hurricane’s advantage to 4-0, netting his second of the game on a tip-in at 11:52.
Jordan Staal, who’s suited up in more NHL games than Florida’s entire roster, added to Carolina’s lead at 15:55, hitting the back of the net with a slap shot to make it 5-0.
With their first chance on the power play, Oliver Okuliar, who’s entering his first season with the Panthers, tipped in a shot from Benning to trim Florida’s deficit to 5-1 at 16:33.
