Hurricanes looking to keep pace as regular season nears
Posted September 27, 2023 12:38 p.m. EDT
Updated September 27, 2023 12:43 p.m. EDT
Raleigh, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes looked to their up-and-coming talent and got a big jolt from a returning player in the first preseason game.
The Hurricanes defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 at PNC Arena Tuesday night in the first time on the ice for both teams since the spring.
Jayden Halbgewachs and Caleb Jones each scored goals for Carolina after Tampa scored first. Tony DeAngelo had a second-period goal on a slap shot and Noel Gunler and Kieffer Bellows added third-period scores for the final tally.
Carolina goalies Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov spent time in net and allowed one goal each.
Players were pleased with the performance after Wednesday's morning skate.
DeAngelo, who's back in Raleigh after a season in Philadelphia, spoke to the the addition of Dmitry Orlov. Orlov and DeAngelo were paired together on Tuesday and DeAngelo was glad to see the chemistry between the two begin to develop.
"You can't say enough good things about Orlov," DeAngelo said. "He's one of the top defenseman in the league. So it's crazy that we were able to get him here with what we already had."
Orlov will see plenty of playing time along the blue line along with DeAngelo and Jalen Chatfield, who played virtually the entire season (78 games) last year. Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce round out the rest of the defensemen.
Canes center Sebastian Aho was a scratch Tuesday. Aho said he feels good about his progress months after signing a contract extension.
"Just trying to get better every day, that's training camp," Aho said. "It's, you know, get your legs going, get your body moving, get your feel back,"
Orlov logged nearly 21 minutes of ice time and took two shots.
"This pace was a good pace, a fast pace," Orlov said of the game. "Obviously there was a few mistakes, but overall, I think we're playing good."
The Canes host the Florida Panthers on Wednesday in another preseason clash. The regular season starts Oct. 11 when the Canes face the Ottawa Senators in Raleigh.
