Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)
RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes ended the 2023-2024 NHL preseason on a winning note, a 4-1 decision over the visiting Nashville Predators at PNC Arena on Friday.
A preview of the full squad
It was the first glimpse of the full, more or less, squad that will likely start the regular season home opener next Wednesday (Oct. 11) against the Ottawa Senators.
Finishing at 3-3 for the preseason, Hurricanes followers got their share of looks at numerous prospects and a large collective of players on PTOs in game situations throughout the past few weeks.
Even though the full squad has been practicing and preparing as part of training camp, most had only played once, some twice, prior to the finale against the Predators.
Setting the pieces in place
As expected, it was a modest showing, not spectacular, but the most structured play of a lineup during the team’s entire slate of exhibition games.
Goals from Teuvo Teravainen, Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas and free agent newcomer Michael Bunting outnumbered the lone Nashville marker from Yakov Trenin.
Frederik Andersen stopped 22 shots to earn the win, his first full duration work of the preseason, while Kevin Lankinen made 31 stops at the other end for Nashville in the losing effort.
The Hurricanes will finish out training camp over the next few days, and finalize the roster which currently stands at 29 players (16 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goaltenders) as of Saturday (Oct. 7).
Notes: Bunting scored his third goal of the preseason. He leads the team in preseason goals, as well as preseason points (3g, 1a)…Carolina went 1-for-2 on the power play and is now 4-for-20 (20.0%) with the man advantage, and finished 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, now 19-for-23 (82.6%) overall during the preseason.