The Carolina Hurricanes opened up their preseason slate with a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Monday night at Lenovo Center.
The Canes couldn’t muster too much offense, outside of a late Logan Stankoven power play goal, but it’s the first game of the preseason with a roster primarily composed of prospects and PTOs, so it is what it is.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour along with Logan Stankoven and Cayden Primeau spoke with the media. Here’s what they had to say:
On his impressions of Alexander Nikishin: He had his moments. He’s definitely a super talented player. Like I said, once he really understands what’s going on… like he’s just getting by on talent right now. Free wheeling it a little bit, which is great, but the little details that will come in, once that communication thing starts happening and it’s a little more natural, I think he’s just going to keep getting better and better.
On if he’s able to get a proper assessment of Logan Stankoven at center due to the current level of competition: I mean, there’s some of that, but it’s tougher with all the penalties. So you really get no flow, but I thought he did a good job. That line was pretty good, they just didn’t score at 5v5. Got a point on the power play, but snapped it around pretty good and I thought he looked pretty good up the middle.
On Cayden Primeau: I thought he was really solid too. Their goalie played a great game and obviously kept them in the game, but there was a point where Cayden made a couple saves to keep us in the game too. I thought he did well.
On the passing of Bernie Parent: It’s tough. The tough part was you realize he was 80 years old, for me. Because it’s like, wait a minute. I was 21 to 28 when he was around everyday and it was a lot of fun. That’s life. It just goes on. But he was one of those special people. I don’t say player, I didn’t know him as a player, I knew him after. It’s tough to see.
On his first game back at center: There were some ebbs and flows for sure. I think draws are something I need to keep working on, but I think positionally I felt pretty comfortable out there. First game back is always a little sloppy, so it’s going to take a few games, but I was happy with how it went.
On changing mindset from wing to center: I think just being on the right side of the puck more, being aware of your guy. You’re coming back to help the D, so that’s part of my responsibility to get back there and help them out and support them as much as I can. Bit of a difference there, but I think within a few games, I’ll catch right on to it and hopefully it gets better each game.
On his reaction to moving back to center: I kind of thought that it was maybe a possibility. It was something that was brought up at the year-end exit meetings, so he just said, ‘Be prepared to maybe try that out,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ I played it my whole life growing up, so I was happy to go back to that position.
On the younger guys in the lineup: They were great. Some of the guys are very skilled and fast. A guy like Nadeau, I just love watching him rip the puck. He’s got a fantastic shot. So he’s gonna score a lot of goals in this league.
On what he tells the younger guys: Just confidence and assuring them that they’re doing a great job out there. Giving them a pat on the back. That’s kind of my role. I’m still a young guy too trying to find my way in the league. So I do what I can to help guys out and they help me out too. There’s so many guys coming up now that are skilled and you can always learn from each other.
On seeing real game action again after the summer: Yeah, especially after the offseason, it’s good to get into game action again. Wasn’t pretty, but it definitely feels good to get one under the belt.
On his impression of Hurricanes hockey: 200-feet, playing all over the ice, all over the place. Obviously very skilled, but we can play on the defensive side of the puck as well.
On how he felt about his game: I felt better as the game went on. Again, first time in a game situation in a while. You can scrimmage and practice as much as you want, but nothing replicates a game. It was good to get game action, but I felt better as the game went on. Definitely think puck touches could use some cleaning up, but like I said, it’s just the first one.
On his save on Boris Katchout in the third period: [Jakob Pelletier] looked to have a one-timer, so I thought he was going to take the shot. He passed it across and at the end of the day, you just slide across and cover the low.
On deciding to wear number 55: I chose it. I got a list of numbers and the numbers I had used in the past weren’t available. I started going down the list and saw that one and I was like, ‘Is that weird?’ But no, it’s a good homage. Also, my grandfather isn’t doing too well and he has 55, so it’s also having a piece of him for the season.
On his mindset going into preseason: Like I said, it feels good to get game action after the offseason. But I try not to look at it as [limited games to showcase my skills] I just try to be ready for the next shot and like I said, I felt better as the game went on. There’s a lot to build off of.
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