Quick hits from the morning skate
A day after learning defenseman James Wisniewski has a torn ACL, the Canes made some tweaks for Saturday’s home opener against the Detroit Red Wings.
Michal Jordan, a healthy scratch Thursday in the season opener at Nashville, will replace Wisniewski as John-Michael Liles’ partner and will play the off side, Canes coach Bill Peters said. The other D pairs will remain Ron Hainsey and Justin Faulk, and Ryan Murphy with Noah Hanifin.
Murphy will be used on the Canes’ second power-play unit, Peters said.
“It’s a great opportunity for those young guys,” Peters said. “They know they’re going to be in the lineup and be counted on heavily. I think we’re fine. I think we’ll be OK with this.”
Defenseman Danny Biega, recalled Friday afternoon from the Charlotte Checkers (AHL), was at the morning skate and will be a healthy scratch.
— Peters began switching up his forward lines during the 2-1 loss to the Predators and will stick to the changes.
Eric Staal, who had centered a line, will be the left wing on Victor Rask’s line with Elias Lindholm at right wing. Jordan Staal will center Nathan Gerbe and Kris Versteeg, and Riley Nash is at center with Jeff Skinner and Chris Terry on the wings. Jay McClement will center Andrej Nestrasil and Joakim Nordstrom as Brad Malone again will be the healthy extra.
“We shuffled the lines going into the third period and I thought all those lines were good,” Peters said.
As for game strategy against the Wings, Peters said, “Our big dogs have to outplay their big dogs.”
— The Red Wings made the most of their 22 shots Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, winning their opener 4-0 in Detroit as Justin Abdelkader had a hat trick. The Wings scored once on three power-play chances and killed off three Leafs power plays.
Forward Dylan Larkin, a 19-year-old Michigan native making his NHL debut, had a goal and assist for the Wings. How’s this for a bit of history: Larkin, the Wings’ first-round pick in 2014, became the first teenager to score in his NHL debut for the Wings since Steve Yzerman in 1983 and the youngest player in the Wings’ lineup since 1991.
Wings coach Jeff Blashill said it was a “small sample size” but said Larkin “passed every test we’ve seen and that goes to his year at Michigan last year and the job he did in the World Junior Championship.”
One of Larkin’s teammates on the U.S. World Junior team was the Canes’ Hanifin, who said the two are good friends.
— Peters said he was able to speak to Wisniewski on Friday night. He said the veteran would undergo surgery Tuesday -- the estimated recovery period is six months -- and called him a “strong guy mentally.”
Peters said he wants “Wiz” around the team as much as possible, saying, “I want him on some trips, I want him around the room. He’s a part of it. We’re going to help him with the recovery and we’re going to make sure he’s in a good state.”
— The Hanifin family group has shifted from Nashville to Raleigh. Hanifin said his parents, brother and sister, an uncle and two cousins would be at PNC Arena for his first NHL game at hone. Hanifin said he treated the group to dinner Friday night.
This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Quick hits from the morning skate."