One of either Tyson Jost or Aleksi Heimosalmi is to thank for a go-ahead goal with under a minute in regulation.
Well, it was certainly a pre-season game.
While it wasn't the prettiest by any stretch of the imagination, the Carolina Hurricanes managed to pull out a 2-1 win Tuesday night in their pre-season opener thanks to a last minute goal.
Tyson Jost ended up deflecting home a Aleksi Heimosalmi blast, or actually it may have hit something else because I think it's being credited to Heimosalmi because nobody cares enough about the pre-season to check, with 44 seconds left in regulation to push the Canes to a win at Amalie Arena.
It really shouldn't have been a game that Carolina won because for most of the night, they were not the better team.
I just didn't think that the Hurricanes were very strong with the puck and also they struggled a lot defensively, especially with clearing and pressuring the points.
For the first two periods, the Lightning were constantly applying pressure to the Canes, but as the game progressed, Carolina did get better, turning the tide in the third period before finally breaking through.
Pluses
- Pyotr Kochetkov - The Russian netminder stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced in the win, only being beaten by a shot through traffic that he never saw. Kochetkov was active in his crease and had to make a few difficult saves throughout the contest. Overall, a good first showing by him.
- Ronan Seeley - I'm not sure if Seeley will ever be anything flashly, but he's just so efficient defensively.
- Jackson Blake - The 2021 fourth-round pick had a handful of pretty setups and even had an assist on the game-winning goal.
Minuses
- The Kid Line - Heading into the game, there was some real hype surrounding the Bradly Nadeau - Felix Unger Sorum - Jackson Blake line and it only got one period before it was broken up.
Misc. Notes
- It was a good night in the dot for Jesperi Kotkaniemi who went 16 for 22, winning 72% of his draws
- I liked the energy I saw from Jack Drury, Eric Robinson and Brendan Lemieux. I feel like they can be an effective fourth line.
- Anttoni Honka scored a goal on a great solo effort, but right before it, made a really bad turnover. He's a very hot and cold player and it's so hard for me to judge him.
Recent Articles