The Carolina Hurricanes lost their first exhibition game on Monday night by a 2-1 score to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The home team had some good moments but could not score enough to overcome the Bolts, who took advantage of their opportunities in this game.
Cayden Primeau played the entire game in goal for Carolina and played well. He made 18 saves on 20 shots faced and made a couple of grade A saves.
After the game I asked him if he was assigned number 55 by the team or if he selected it himself.
He
smiled when he replied that there was a listing of available numbers to choose from and he chose that one. For those who might not remember, that was the number his father wore when he played for Carolina.
Primeau mentioned that his grandfather is not very well right now, so he is wearing the number as a tribute of sorts for him as well.
The goalie was acquired by Carolina over the offseason from Montreal for a 7th round draft pick. He went 21-2-3 in the AHL last season and played a total of 55 games for the Canadiens over his career.
The Canes fell behind with just a fraction of a second left in the opening period when the Bolts had a player with a wide open chance after a turnover.
The visitors made it, 2-0 when they scored a powerplay goal in the second.
The Canes had several chances and outshot the Lightning, 30-20 but could not light the lamp until later in the third when Logan Stankoven tipped in a Kevin Labanc shot to put the home team on the board.
Earlier, Labanc made a silky sweet move to beat Tampa Bay goalie, Jonas Johansson, but the goal was disallowed after being challenged for offsides.
The forward is here on a tryout and I could see Brind’Amour liking him for his versatility and experience.
Alexander Nikishin stood out in this game as he collected his first preseason point. He also led the team with 23:08 of ice time, had two blocked shots and three hits, and played in all situations. He looks very comfortable at the point of the powerplay. “Boom” also had a booming hit which brought the crowd to life.
The Canes will take Tuesday off before returning for another preseason game on Wednesday, this time against Florida.
