It’s Still Early
The Hurricanes came into the week with a duality of questions, but the first was: how will preseason influence a roster full of new players?
A rarity occurred in Raleigh: a Hurricanes rookie made the opening night roster.
Jackson Blake, a University of North Dakota star and Hobey Baker Award finalist, was the organization’s choice. Blake was an early standout in preseason, quickly becoming a fan favorite for his grit and shorthanded goals. Very rarely does this happen. Canes fans responded with eager shock and surprise at a longtime tradition being shredded for the year and wondered if it was a sign of what was to come for the organization under new general manager Eric Tulsky.
Tampa Bay Lightning rookie forward Connor Geekie also took his rookie lap on October 11 with Blake on the other end of the ice. Two rookie forwards bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders, two rookie forwards preparing for a new era in their respective organizations.
The week also left both organizations with an emotionally taxing challenge: adaptation around a very real, severe hurricane. Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 major hurricane on October 9, significantly affecting the Tampa Bay area. Just two weeks before, Hurricane Helene caused major damage throughout Western North Carolina. An NHL game was the last thing on most minds.
Breaking traditional protocol, the Tampa Bay Lightning players, staffers, and their families evacuated to Raleigh early, expecting to still have to play a Saturday game after the storm’s landfall. The team was placed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the week. Tampa coach Jon Cooper told local media that the team got to meet legendary Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and received a tour of Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina.
Welcome Home: Friday, October 11, 2024
The wait was finally over outside of Lenovo Center last Friday. After a treacherous offseason, Canes fans (known publicly and referred to by beloved Hurricanes broadcaster Tripp Tracy as “Caniacs”) were outside of the arena as early as 10am tailgating, eagerly awaiting for Southern hockey to be back.
The starting lineup appeared as follows:
Svechnikov — Aho — Jarvis
Roslovic — Kotkanemi — Necas
Martinook — Staal — Carrier
Robinson — Drury — Blake
Slavin — Burns
Gostisbehere — Walker
Orlov — Chatfield
In a controversial move with fans, head coach Rod Brind’Amour placed Frederik Andersen in net to start over younger (and fan-favorite) goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov. Kochetkov was fourth in Calder Trophy voting last season, starting unexpectedly after Andersen was diagnosed with a blood-clotting issue in November 2023. Kochetkov returned to the organization’s second starting position during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
This move didn’t stop fans from cheering for Brind’Amour at his entrance that evening. During the official roll-call of the Hurricanes coaching staff, cheers for Brind’Amour were so loud that those in attendance couldn’t hear his name being called, with his famous Number 17 laying firmly in the Raleigh rafters.
Tampa Bay’s starting lineup appeared as follows:
Guentzel — Point — Kucherov
Hagel — Cirelli — Paul
Atkinson — Geekie
Girgensons — Glendening — Chaffee
Hedman — Moser
McDonagh — Cernak
Lilleberg — Perbix
Raddysh
Starting in net for the Lightning was Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Before puck drop, the Hurricanes officially introduced the season’s new branding of “Raise Up”, and both teams held a moment of silence for hurricane victims throughout their locations.
After the puck dropped, there was no love lost, particularly between Hurricanes fans and ex-Hurricane Jake Guentzel. Guentzel was a trade deadline acquisition from Pittsburgh last season in exchange for Michael Bunting, Carolina forward prospects, and draft picks. He left the organization on July 1 to take a blockbuster 7-year, 63-million US-dollar deal in Tampa. Guentzel was loudly booed every time he touched the puck, and was chirped by Carolina fans throughout the game.
Guentzel later got the last laugh, as he was second-star of the game with two assists.
The season’s first goal was scored by current Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal. (Like everyone expected.) Staal’s goal was scored at the 14:32 mark in the first period, assisted by new Hurricane William Carrier.
Friday’s game was ultimately a game of penalties. While the first period only had a two-minute penalty each for both teams (Gostisbehere for high-sticking, Hagel for holding the stick), the second and third periods devolved into chaos. The Hurricanes had three players each get two-minute penalties during the second period, including a controversial call for slashing that sent Seth Jarvis to the box. The third period gave penalties to Sebastian Aho and Dmitry Orlov. Aho’s tripping penalty was a surprise for fans in the arena, as the associate captain and star is notorious for not racking up penalty minutes. These penalties helped lead Tampa Bay to a 4-1 win. The infamous Hurricanes penalty kill struck back, causing Brayden Point of the Lightning to score in the second period.
The evening’s standout was Tampa Bay superstar Nikita Kucherov. In the third period, Kucherov sparked and scored three goals within minutes of each other.
Brind’Amour referred to the hat trick as his group being “Kucherov’d”.
What’s Next?
High expectations linger on the Hurricanes, particularly the top two lines, after Friday’s loss.
On the morning of Saturday, October 12, Blake was re-assigned to Carolina’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
The Hurricanes currently have two players out due to injury: Brendan Lemieux, who sustained an unknown injury during a practice last week; and Riley Stillman, who has been in a yellow non-contact jersey due to a lower-body injury. Lemieux has had a “good couple of days” according to Brind’Amour. Stillman still has no clear return timeline.
Their next game is against the New Jersey Devils at Lenovo Center on Tuesday, October 15, at 7pm. Several former Hurricanes, including Brett Pesce and Stefan Noesen, will be coming back to Raleigh for the first time since their July 1 moves. Tuesday will likely be Kochetkov’s first start of the season. He appeared in the starting net during a closed Monday practice.
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