The day has finally come for not only the Carolina Hurricanes but for their fans as well. Preseason hockey is officially underway for the Hurricanes and it starts now in Raleigh. Carolina will host the Tampa Bay Lightning to kick off their first of four preseason games this week which features both teams from the Sunshine State. For the Hurricanes, the first two games will see them play more of the prospects and the guys on professional tryouts (PTOs). There are some aspects to the first game that the Hurricanes coaches will mainly take a look at when accessing the start of preseason games. Furthermore, they will have some keys as well since the ramp-up to opening night has officially begun. What are the main keys going into game one of the preseason?
1. Stay Healthy
The first key seems like a no-brainer but it has to be said, game one is to ease back into full-game action while not getting hurt. Carolina is already down a player with Vasily Ponomorev sitting out since day two of training camp. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said that he tweaked something in his knee and will be evaluated. That being said, the Hurricanes need to hope no one else goes down due to injury in the first preseason game. They just need to focus on getting into a flow and find their game early on in preseason and camp.
Related: Hurricanes’ Ponomarev Has Earned Opening Night Roster Spot
For guys like Zach Aston-Reese, Kieffer Bellows, and others, games like these give them a chance to show not only Carolina’s staff but other staff around the league why they should have an NHL contract. Staying healthy is one way to give themselves a chance to play in the NHL this upcoming season. An injury in the first game of preseason and so early into training camp will hurt their chances in a big way. That is why players who are trying to make the roster need to stay healthy in the first game of the preseason.
2. Find a Flow
The second key ties into the first one and that is to find a flow early on in the game. The Hurricanes need to set a precedent early on to dictate the pace of the game. Carolina needs to create the tempo of the game that fits the style of play that Brind’Amour has set since becoming the head coach. On both sides of the ice, the Hurricanes need to have a strong presence in the corners along with a strong forecheck and backcheck. As long as they can play their game from the start, it will help them get the edge on the Lightning. Given the fact that Carolina is looking to use mainly younger players and PTO invitees, the team is able to add veterans to the lineup to help set the flow of the game.
Per NHL rules, teams are supposed to dress eight “veteran” players. That comes in a wide range of definitions of what a “veteran” is for preseason games. For the most part, that rule gives the Hurricanes the ability to use players in that “veteran” status like Aston-Reese, Kieffer Bellows, and others to fit in the eight “veteran” slots without having to use much of the main roster from last season. However, the Hurricanes did add a couple of regulars to the lineup for Tuesday’s game.
3. Balance of Prospects & Regulars
The last main point that the Hurricanes will need to focus on is finding a balance between the younger players and the NHL regulars. That feat won’t be tough to manage since Brind’Amour knows how to balance his lineups for preseason hockey. Brind’Amour on Monday told team reporter Walt Ruff that the team will mainly focus on the young players and the PTO invited players trying to make a mark in the first two games. Essentially it is mainly the PTO-contracted players and prospects who will most likely either go back to the American Hockey League (AHL) or wherever the team will send them for the season. This is where players who aren’t locked into the main roster will need to capitalize on the opportunity that they will be given for the first two games. Game one of preseason will help set the tone for the players who will want to stay. On Monday night, the Hurricanes released their lineup for the first preseason game.
At a quick glance, Carolina stuck to their word and will mainly have a roster full of young guys along with players trying to make a case to make the roster. One name to keep an eye on is forward Aston-Reese who is currently on a PTO deal with the Hurricanes. Right now he has the best opportunity to make the 23-man roster going into the regular season.
Related: Hurricanes Should Make Roster Room for PTO Invite Aston-Reese
Another name, more so on the prospect side of things is Ryan Suzuki. He had a phenomenal Rookie Showcase for the Hurricanes down in Estero, Florida. The 22-year-old finished with two goals and an assist in the three-game sweep over the weekend in South Florida. Suzuki along with Aston-Reese are the players to keep an eye on in the first game of the preseason. Finding a balance between the younger guys and the PTO players looking to make a mark on the game for the staff will maybe figure out the questions of who will make it out of camp. Furthermore, it will give the Hurricanes staff a more clear idea of who to look at more as the preseason goes along.
The Plan? Get Through Game One
All in all, the main focus is to get out of game one with as few injuries as possible and into the pace of NHL games. Also, see how the younger players will do against guys who’ve been in the league for a while along with the other team’s prospects. The first couple of games are just to get the legs into the high-pace tempo of the NHL and see where guys stack up with each other. Carolina is currently at 46 players in their training camp with 22 of them making the lineup for game one of the preseason. It will be interesting to see who shines in game one but that remains to be seen as there will be five more games for players with a longshot or a PTO deal to prove their worth. For the first one, they just need to stay healthy and show the Hurricanes staff why they belong in the NHL.
