You win some, you lose some.
After starting the preseason 2-0, the Carolina Hurricanes picked up their first loss, falling 4-2 at the hands of the Florida Panthers in Sunrise.
It certainly wasn't a pretty game for the Hurricanes as they struggled to consistently push the offense and the biggest reason for that was a lack of transitional play.
Getting out of their own zone was a chore and the Canes routinely were regrouping in their own end to try again after getting thwarted in the neutral zone.
It was also a weird game that nobody could get any rhythm in due to the sheer lack of even-strength play throughout the 60-minute game.
Combined, the two teams accounted for 13 penalties, over an entire period of special teams play.
Despite the high number of calls, there were only two goals scored during a power play, both on the same one actually.
First off, former Hurricane Steven Lorentz stole a pass at the blueline and turned himself up ice for a breakaway which he finished past Kochetkov.
But moments after that, Michael Bunting was on top of the crease and collected a rebound in front and put it home.
The Canes found the equalizer in the waning moments of the game with Kochetkov pulled for the extra attacker.
It was essentially a 6-on-4 as a Panther penalty had just expired, but Brendan Perlini took advantage of the extra space awarded to him and sniped it home with a strong wrister.
However, the Canes gave it right back to Florida as Gerry Mayhew scored just 24 seconds later to put the Cats back on top.
The Panthers would get an ENG before the game's close to win 4-2.
Overall, it wasn't a great game for many Canes, but Pyotr Kochetkov put up a valiant effort in net.
The Hurricanes also lost 4-0 against the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 as the team had split its roster for a two-game evening.
