Game 1 Three Keys: CAR 5-3 win vs. OTT Hockey has returned to Raleigh and the Carolina Hurricanes treated the max capacity of patrons to yet another season-opening win in a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators at PNC Arena Wednesday night. The Canes had five different goal-scorers in the win — fitting for it being their fifth-straight season opening win — and netminder Frederik Andersen turned aside 27 shots to record his first victory of the season. "Overall, I thought it was a great effort," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Freddie was good and kept us in there. A couple of huge individual efforts. I thought Jordo for sure, his was a pretty special goal. That was big and when they tied it up, it was obviously huge to come back and get a couple. Overall a pretty good start.” It was a slow start for Carolina as early on, the Senators were all over the home squad. Ottawa drew first blood while the Hurricanes were scrambling to recover after a bad pinch by Tony DeAngelo. The Senators sprung into the Carolina zone on a 2-on-1 following the pinch, and while Andersen made the initial save, Ottawa maintained possession, cycled back to the point and Artem Zub released a shot which Mathieu Joseph tipped in front. The only line that was going for the Canes early on was the Jordan Staal line, which generated about three grade-As in the first 10 minutes of the game, but outside them, nobody on Carolina's team was going. But as the period wound down, the Hurricanes started to find their game. Carolina finally broke through early into the second period as Michael Bunting tucked home a power play tally after cutting across the front of the crease. “It felt good to get that one out of the way," Bunting said. "It always feels good in any season to get the first one out of the way and get the monkey off your back. It was a great play by the guys and I was fortunate enough to be open and put it in. “I just saw that the D were playing a little high and I had a lot of time so I knew I could take it across and it ended up working out.” Bunting has now scored in every game he's worn a Hurricanes jersey in. All three of the preseason games he appeared in and now another tonight. When asked if he see's himself having an 82-goal season, he responded: “Let’s hope, eh?” Once they got the first one, the Canes were hungry for more and late in the period, they struck again. Brent Burns got the team going, laying a check on new Sen Jakob Chychrun in the neutral zone and Carolina then took the puck up ice and the second line started to go to work. After a few close calls, Martin Necas found the moment, nutmegging Mark Kastelic for a cross-ice feed to Teuvo Teravainen for the go-ahead goal. Then to start the third period, Jordan Staal roofed a backhander over Joonas Korpisalo to increase the lead by two. The leadup to the goal was quintessential Staal line mojo, with Jordan Martinook and Jesper Fast forechecking to force a turnover. The Senators would respond fast, tying the game off of two goals in 34 seconds. The first the result of a shorthanded 2-on-1 after Dmitry Orlov's shot was blocked and then an offensive-zone turnover quickly was turned up ice and Tim Stutzle scored off the rush. “I think they’re a really fast team," Brind'Amour said. "They were getting up and down the ice. They’re going to be a team to reckon with.” But Carolina is a team that doesn't get phased. They just went back to work and it was none other than the Staal line leading the way. Martinook stripped Stutzle of the puck, it cycled it's way from down low up to Brady Skjei at the top of the circle and last year's 18-goal scorer rifled it home. Jaccob Slavin would add another one as Kotkaniemi laced a pass to him which he sniped short-side on Korpisalo. Oh yeah, and it was shorthanded. x -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Keys 1. PK The Hurricanes penalty kill picked right back up where it left off last season, going a perfect four for four on the night. “Every night we get a lot of practice, so I think that makes us have to make adjustments," Brind'Amour said of his team's PK. "Because when you get one or two a night, you don’t have to make adjustments usually, but when you start to get up to three, now they’re doing something a little different. So it’s keeping us on our toes. Obviously, we don’t want to be doing that. That’s not going to work, but we do get a lot of practice.” While the first one was a bit shaky, it got stronger as the night went on. “I thought we got better as we went," Staal said. "We gave up a few too many grade-As to start, but I think we started to get into it a little bit more. We did a good job against a very good power play, so we’re happy about that.” 2. Frederik Andersen The Danish netminder stood on his head for Carolina, turning aside a lot of should-have-been goals to keep his team in it early. He had a strong finish to last season and now looks to start this one off strong. "Freddie made some big saves, especially in the first period, that kept it an even score," Staal said. 3. Jordan Staal Line The combination of Staal, Martinook and Fast is Carolina's identity line for a reason. They lead by example, not only working hard, but usually dominating the opposing team's best. Matched up against Ottawa's top line, they came out of the contest with a 68.97 CF% and outscoring the Senators 2-0 while they were out there. “All night they’re going against the other team’s top line which is a very good line," Brind'Amour said. "That’s as good as you’re going to get in the NHL. It’s a hard, hard matchup to play and you have to give credit to the defense as well. Pesce and Skjei were going at those guys all night. I thought they did a tremendous job. Jordo, that was just a heck of a goal. I don’t have to tell you. You know how important they are to our group and they showed it tonight.” Honorable Mention Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk5NjQ0ODk0NDA2MDA4/thn-subscribe-banner.jpg]
