The Hurricanes hit the ice together for the first time in five months as they opened their preseason schedule with a divisonal battle against the Washington Capitals last night. The 'Canes failed to get much going on the offensive end and posted a 4-1 loss.
With the regular season still a few weeks away, both teams were understandably a bit rusty. The Capitals did come out with a tad more oomph than the home team though, out-skating and out-battling the 'Canes for the majority of the match. The one good flurry of offense that Carolina did have lasted for about the final 10 minutes of the first period, but they failed to put a puck past Simeon Varlamov, the Washington goaltender who stood on his head for the first period. He played just twenty minutes, faced twenty Hurricanes' shots, and he stopped them all.
The lone Carolina marker came from newly-acquired defenseman Joni Pitkanen, who was traded from Edmonton in return for Erik Cole. The goal came just a few seconds into a two-man advantage midway through the second period on assists from Sergei Samsonov and Joe Corvo. The scoring effort does provide some reassurance for Carolina, who hoped the Pitkanen pickup would bolster their back line and give them another weapon on the point of the power play.
“I thought Joni played well, and not just because he scored," said coach Peter Laviolette after the game. "He skated well, he moved the puck on the back end well, and he defended strong, so that was a positive thing to see. But too many of our veterans didn’t play well enough, and we were looking for more from the people who got opportunities.”
Indeed, the effort wasn't a particularly strong one from the 'Canes as a whole. Nobody is really concerned within the locker room though, as they have only been skating together for a few days. It is futile then to expect a coordinated team attack this early on. Particularly from the special teams units, who haven't even practiced together yet. The noteworthy thing to watch for here in the preseason is the individual effort by the players who are assuming new roles, in order to assess whether or not the off-season decisions are going to pan out favorably. Joni Pitkanen is trying to let GM Jim Rutherford sleep easy, notching his first goal already in his first game with the team.
A number of other players were also under the microscope for their individual work last night. Rookie Brandon Sutter was thrown into his new role, centering one of the bottom two lines. He played hard and attempted four shots in 15:33 of ice time. Sutter let his team down in the circle though, winning just one face-off out of the 11 he took. He spoke about that aspect following the contest: “I’ve got to play an all-around game. I’m probably not going to score 50 goals, but I can contribute at both ends of the rink. It seemed like all four of us were struggling in the face-off circle. It’s a big part of the game and we’ve got to be better than we were.”
Another player looking to make a statement with his effort was Jeff O'Neil. O'Neil climbed to the top of the Hurricanes' scoring record book before being traded to Toronto in 2005. He played two seasons up north before packing it in, choosing instead to watch the games from home last year. With the injury to Justin Williams, O'Neil decided to come back to the 'Canes training camp and give it another go. Both he and the front office understand that nothing is guaranteed, but I can guarantee there will be a roster spot open for him if he can show even a glimmer of his former self during the upcoming weeks. He hit the ice for 18 shifts last night, totaling 14:25, including more than three minutes on the man advantage. Despite that time, he failed to get a shot on goal, and his overall performance was lackluster -- though solid -- I suppose.
It was unspeakably good to see center Matt Cullen back on the ice last night. After a disasterous injury-prone season last year, Cullen is healthy and back in the lineup to stay (knock on wood). I've always thought him to be one of the most versatile and crucial links in the Hurricanes' chain, and his absence last year was a big factor contributing to the team's failure to reach the postseason. We'll need Cullen desperately this year too, as Justin Williams is once again sidelined with a long-term injury. Cullen's performance wasn't exactly up to midseason form either, but I don't think anyone will fault him for that. “It seems like so long since my last game, so yeah, it was good to get out there,” said the centerman. “It was an ugly night, but for me it was step one in coming back.
Speaking of an ugly night, there was another bit of scary news. Tim Gleason was shaken up during the game and was taken to the dressing room with an undisclosed leg injury. The team isn't giving much info, but it appears to be more precautionary than serious; we can only hope. This setback comes in addition to losing defenseman Anton Babchuck during a scrimmage earlier in the week.In general, coach Laviolette was not happy with the performance last night. “We didn’t forecheck, we didn’t cycle, we didn’t grind. There wasn’t much of an attack off the rush. There are a lot of areas to work on.” Carolina will follow Washington home in preparation for the back end of their home-and-home series tonight, and will look to make some improvements for their coach's sake. The faceoff is scheduled for 7:00pm.
