The Carolina Hurricanes had an offensive outpouring in their season opener, putting home six goals against the New Jersey Devils (as well as hitting seven posts along the way too) in a 6-3 win.
The Lenovo Center was bumping for the boys and the team will hope to replicate that success again on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
But back to yesterday, here are 10 observations from the Canes victory:
'It Was My First Game, But It Was Amazing': K'Andre Miller, Seth Jarvis, Taylor Hall, Rod Brind'Amour On Season Opening Win
The Carolina Hurricanes started their season off on the right foot, defeating the New Jersey Devils 6-3 Thursday night at Lenovo Center.
1. PP1 Looking Dangerous
The Hurricanes' power play looks like it could be really good this season.
While PP2 was the one that converted last night, PP1 has a lot of potential to be among the best in the league now with the addition of Nikolaj Ehlers.
PP1 struggled with zone entries after the loss of Martin Necas and the Danish forward brings that speed element back to Carolina which should help a ton.
The unit was also very mobile last night and it seems like the team is moving to a more fluid setup for the power play with players moving all around the offensive zone.
"I think tonight our power play did really well," Jarvis said. "We created a lot of chances and I think we had a lot of looks. We had a lot of motion. I think that's something maybe we've missed in the past and it's something that's taking over the NHL a little more. Not so many spots, but more options and more guys moving around makes it tough on the kill. I think bringing him in here really helps."
2. Fourth Line Creating Mismatches
How many teams can boast about having a first overall and third overall selection on their fourth line?
Now neither Taylor Hall or Jesperi Kotkaniemi are going to be much more than they are now at this point of their careers, but both are still very talented players and paired alongside a fast, heavy player like Eric Robinson, they can create mismatch nightmares for teams.
The Canes' specialty is their depth and with additions like Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller, that just pushes good players down the lineup a bit more, which should prove valuable for Carolina.
They got two of the six goals last night and I think they can be a real difference maker for the Hurricanes.
"For a lot of my career, I was against top D-pairs and top lines and checking lines and all of that," Hall said. "A little bit different now and for us, we actually might get more offensive zone faceoffs because the guys that we're out against, especially at home, are going to be defensive players, maybe faceoff specialists."
3. Taylor Hall Comfortable With Role
Speaking of Hall, he's really embraced the reality of where he is at in his career and his role in Carolina with a lot of grace.
I don't know if many number one overall picks would have as positive of an attitude as he does about playing fourth line minutes, but it's a blessing for Carolina to have a player with still a bunch of talent accept and embrace it.
"You try and not think about what line you're on or whatever and just try and be the best player I can be with the shifts I'm given,' Hall said. "Probably every player on our team wants to play as much as they can, but we're such a deep team that has huge aspirations for late on this year and we're gonna need everyone. I love it here, love the guys, love how we're pushed by the coaching staff. It's a great win no matter how you spin it."
And with a goal and a primary assist in the win, he's showing he still has plenty left to give.
"He did that last year when he showed up too," said Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "It was, 'I know I'm just here to contribute in any way I can.' I think he'll get his ice time, it was just the way the game went. I don't really look at it like a fourth line, you know how we do things, but everyone has to do their part."
4. New Guys on the Scoresheet
It's also a good sign when your new players can get on the scoresheet right away, because it just helps guys feel more at home and like they belong.
In his first regular season game, Alexander Nikishin collected his first NHL point with the secondary assist on Hall's opening goal.
It was a strong all-around showing for the young Russian blueliner who had two 90+mph shots on goal, three hits and two blocked shots in 15:34 of ice time.
And then there was K'Andre Miller who absolutely dazzled in his debut.
You can read more about Miller's big night here.
Miller Time: K'Andre Miller Dazzles In Carolina Hurricanes Debut
The Carolina Hurricanes knew they had to make a bold move if they wanted to improve their blueline this past offseason after back-to-back years of top-four departures.
5. Defensive Cleanup
It was the first game of the season and the first time the Canes had their full complement of skaters all in the lineup, so it makes sense that things were a little rough around the edges.
There's still lots to cleanup in the neutral zone especially and with in-zone assignments, but again, it was to be expected.
The Canes have a lot of talent and it's only a matter of time before it all starts to gel perfectly.
6. Second Line
The Canes are hoping to build a potent second line around Logan Stankoven at center and Jackson Blake and Andrei Svechnikov on the wings
Last night was the first real test for the trio and the results were a mixed bag.
The line generated a ton of good looks, with a 14-4 edge in Corsi For, but they were also on the ice for the first two goals against.
I think there's a lot to like from the three, as they're all very talented offensive players and they are also going to shoot the puck a ton as the trio combined for nine shots on goal at 5v5.
We'll see if they can get things to click more as the season goes along.
7. Posts
The Hurricanes hit the post seven times last night, which is honestly kind of crazy.
Jarvis, Aho and Hall each hit the post twice, while Jaccob Slavin hit it once.
Despite the bad luck, the Hurricanes stuck with their gameplan all night and got rewarded for it in the end.
"I loved the fact that we didn't hang our heads and even when they kept tying it up, we were playing pretty well and had plenty of chances," Brind'Amour said. "Just kept moving forward so it was a good first step, for sure.
"It's more about the chances," Hall said. "There's different posts. Posts that hit and go toward the net and then there's posts that really are anticlimactic. We're looking to get as many chances as we can and sometimes posts are the way it goes, but it all evens out in the end, I think."
Recent Articles
Hurricanes Team President Doug Warf Resigns
Miller Time: K'Andre Miller Dazzles In Carolina Hurricanes Debut
Logan Stankoven Starting At Center To Open Hurricanes Training Camp
Oilers Sign Former Hurricanes Forward Jack Roslovic
Olympic Aspirations, New Teammates and Rising Stardom: A Q&A With Seth Jarvis
Rod Brind'Amour Gives Update On Pyotr Kochetkov
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.