Hurricanes fall to Lightning: Observations from Carolina’s game in Tampa
Observations from the Carolina Hurricanes’ second preseason game, an 8-5 loss Friday to the Tampa Bay Lightning:
▪ The Lightning had Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and a mostly veteran cast in the game. The Canes left Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen, Jaccob Slavin and a lot of those guys in Raleigh.
The vets made their mark. Derek Stepan and Jordan Martinook each scored for the Canes, who led 3-1 in the second period. The Lightning tied it 3-3 on a power-play goal from a newcomer with a little age on him, Corey Perry.
Gabriel Fortier had a hat trick for Tampa Bay, the third goal shorthanded for a 7-5 lead in the third. C.J. Smith had two goals and an assist for the Canes, both in the third. Goalie Antti Raanta, playing his first game for the Hurricanes, faced 25 shots and allowed seven goals.
“We worked hard,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said on the postgame media call. “It was a good effort from our group.”
▪ Seth Jarvis, who made his NHL preseason debut and had a game-high six shots, is in a tough predicament: either make the Canes roster for the season or be sent back to his junior team, the Portland Winterhawks. The problem: Jarvis, the Canes’ first-round draft pick in 2020, probably is not ready for the full grind of the NHL but is too skilled for another year in the Western Hockey League.
One NHL scout at Tuesday’s game in Raleigh said Jarvis was the best player he watched among the four teams at the Tampa Bay prospects tournament a few weeks ago. Had he been eligible to play in the AHL this season, Jarvis could continue to develop his game with better players while being eligible for a callup to the Canes.
It’s possible Carolina could keep Jarvis, who has a three-year entry-level contract, on the roster and play nine games, then make their decision — likely an inevitable return to junior, not activating the first year of his pro contract.
▪ Brind’Amour has said the biggest hurdle some of the new players have is the learning curve of absorbing the Canes’ aggressive system, especially for defensemen. So it has been for Ethan Bear, who come to Carolina in the trade that sent Warren Foegele to Edmonton and played his first game Friday for the Canes.
Bear took a shot off the foot in the first and was in pain. But kept on playing, finishing with 21 minutes of ice time.
▪ Brind’Amour had this to say about Jarvis’ game: “I liked that I say, really from everybody. I thought he really showed some offensive flair. He’s not a big guy but he was taking pucks to the net. The flip side, the learning curve on the defense, he kind of got puck-watching like every junior kid who comes to the league. He’s got some work there for sure but he’s looking like he’s got a lot of potential.”
▪ Is it too early to speculate on how the goalie will split the regular-season games with Raanta and Frederik Andersen?
One guess has been close to a 50-50 split, keeping the two veterans sharper and fresher. The caveat: injuries. The biggest caveat, of course, is performance.
Rough night Friday for Raanta, who didn’t get a lot of help in the third. “What are you going to say?” Brind’Amour said. “I’m sure he’d like to have a couple back. We can’t give up those chances.”
▪ This won’t be the season that Jarvis, Jamieson Rees and Jack Drury play for the Canes. But that season might come soon. Brind’Amour has to like their 200-foot games and commitment to playing in all three zones.
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 9:44 PM.
