Canes fall to Predators 2-1 in season opener

The Carolina Hurricanes absorbed a few big early punches Thursday in their season opener and nearly recovered.

The Nashville Predators emerged with a 2-1 victory, holding off the Canes in the final minutes at Bridgestone Arena behind the unshakable goaltending of Pekka Rinne.

Eric Staal pulled the Canes within 2-1 with 1:40 remaining in the third period after Carolina pulled goalie Cam Ward for an extra attacker. Staal centered the puck toward Victor Rask in front of the Preds’ net and had it glance off a Preds defensemen.

The Predators, beginning Peter Laviolette’s second year as coach, led 2-0 after the first period as Craig Smith scored an early power-play score and rookie forward Viktor Arvidsson scored late in the period.

The Hurricanes lost defenseman James Wisniewski to a leg injury a little more than three minutes into the game -- an immediate jolt. Wisniewski, obtained in an offseason trade, did not return and coach Bill Peters was not sure of the severity of the injury.

Ward did all he could to keep his team in the game. The Predators had 14 shots in the opening period, their two goals coming on deflections.

Defenseman Noah Hanifin, the Canes’ first-round draft pick this year, made his NHL debut at 18, and with Wisniewski sidelined played more than 18 minutes.

“As the game went on we got better,” Staal said. “Our puck movement was a little stronger especially in the second period. We got on the forecheck and were able to create a little more. I thought we attacked hard in the second and third but their goalie made some big saves.”

Rinne was not seriously tested in the first period but made some solid saves in the second as the Canes regrouped.

“We had a little adversity and I thought we handled it well,” Peters said. “We were on our heels early for whatever reason but (the Predators) did a good job. They forechecked hard and were all over us. We didn’t handle the forecheck pressure as well as we liked but we settled down and we were fine. In the third we had a real good push and that was a positive sign.”

The opening period was nightmarish for the Canes.

There was an early penalty on Jordan Staal followed by a Predators power-play score.

There the early Wisniewski injury – the veteran pinning his leg along the boards on his second shift.

Most of the first period was played in the Carolina zone, with Ward being peppered with shots. The Canes did not have a shot in the first six minutes before Jeff Skinner got off the first shot of the season.

Smith scored on the power play when the puck appeared to glance off Canes defenseman Ron Hainsey in front of the crease. Hainsey was playing without his stick and Ward had no chance on the redirection.

The Predators’ second goal came on an apparent double deflection. Defenseman Seth Jones got off a shot from the point and the puck nicked Calle Jarnkrok and then hit Arvidsson near the waist to get past Ward.

The goal, with a little less than three minutes to play in the period, was the first of Arvidsson’s career and had Bridgestone rumbling.

The Canes, outshot 14-5 in the first, were the more assertive team in the second and third periods. Carolina had more even-strength shots than Nashville (23-14) but managed three shots on three power plays.

With Wisniewski out, the Canes had to juggle their defensive corps. By the end of the second period, defenseman Justin Faulk had put in 22 shifts and played more than 20 minutes — a heavy workload -- and closed with 29:28 in ice time.

Hanifin left Boston College after his freshman year, made the Canes roster in training camp and was in the lineup Thursday for his first professional game. He began the game with Ryan Murphy as his defensive partner but that plan changed quickly.

Hanifin said he expected his NHL debut to be slightly surreal, and the injury to Wisniewski resulted in 18 minutes of ice time for the 18-year-old.

The Hurricanes, winless in October a year ago, will face Detroit on Saturday in their home opener. It will be a sellout crowd at PNC Arena and should be a festive atmosphere –the kind of environment the Predators had.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 10:39 PM with the headline "Canes fall to Predators 2-1 in season opener."