Preseason Recap: Canes Close Out Exhibition Slate With Defeat In Buffalo

BUFFALO, NY. -The Carolina Hurricanes skated in their fifth and final tune-up contest Tuesday night, suffering their first and only defeat of the stretch at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.

Three Things

1) Made It A Game Late

Tuesday morning Rod Brind'Amour acknowledged that the team's preseason finale was more about assessing individuals than seeing the systems executed to perfection. With several of the team's opening night roster spots still up for grabs, the staff was hoping to see what some players would show in their last chance at game action.
While the scoreboard did not reflect a positive outcome for Carolina, Brind'Amour still was able to make his evaluations.
Buffalo jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, scoring on a two-on-one and then two breakaways in the first period. The Canes got their footing under them in the second and held the home team off the board, before then shocking them to life in the third.
Within the first 2:09 of the final stanza Jamieson Rees and Malte Stromwall both beat Craig Andersen, rapidly pulling Carolina back within one.
Although they weren't able to get the equalizer, the late push at least showed that the unit comprised of prospects and roster hopefuls would not roll over.

2) Now Comes The Important Stuff

The Canes are idle in terms of game action for the next week, with their next bout coming on Wednesday, October 12 against Columbus - their regular season opener.
Entering Tuesday the team's training camp roster included 41 players, but between Wednesday and Monday afternoon they'll have to trim that down to at least 23.
"I'd like to have it done, just so we can move forward," Brind'Amour said pre-game, suggesting that the team may begin making roster moves sooner rather than later during the six-day period. "But that being said, it could be even harder [to make those decisions] after tonight. We don't want to make any rash decisions."

3) A Successful Preseason As A Whole

Carolina closes their exhibition slate with a record of 4-1, including lots to like along the way.
Netminder Frederik Andersen played in his first game action since his MCL tear in April, winning both of his starts and allowing just one goal in a win over Tampa Bay. His goaltending partner Antti Raanta also got live play under his belt for the first time since suffering an MCL sprain in May, allowing a combined three goals in his five periods of work.
Defenseman Brent Burns dressed in his first contests with the club since coming over via trade in July. He and Jaccob Slavin appear to be well on their way to being the team's top pairing in the regular season, each raving about the other after their two games together.
Up front their are now several difficult decisions to be made over the coming days, as Derek Stepan, Stefan Noesen and Stromwall each recorded multiple goals in their preseason appearances. Ryan Dzingel showed chemistry with Martin Necas amid #88's four-point effort on Monday. 20-year-old Vasily Ponomarev caught the attention of many from his efforts throughout camp.
Regardless of how the roster decisions shake out, perspective is key. And as nice as a 4-1 in exhibition play is, lest we forget that the team went 1-3 last season before publishing a franchise record 54 wins and 116 points. It was just preseason, after all.

Bonus Notes

What's Next?

The team is off on Wednesday, returning to practice Thursday at Invisalign Arena.
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