Sitting A String Of Starters...
With a first-round matchup against the New York Islanders already set entering the affair, the Canes elected to give a handful of their key players the night off.
Sebastian Aho, Frederik Andersen, Jake Guentzel, Seth Jarvis, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal, and Andrei Svechnikov all watched the contest from above as Jackson Blake and Bradly Nadeau made their NHL debuts, Max Comtois made his team debut, and Dylan Coghlan dressed in his season debut.
When the action got underway, it was a tough start for Spencer Martin, who was making his first start since February 29.
As has become customary to the Canes, the night's first goal belonged to a debuting opponent, with 20-year-old Luca Del Bel Belluz getting things started just 3:37 in.
Under two minutes later the visitors were down two.
It was a tough way to begin the night, but Carolina pushed back as the period moved along.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi got the first answer for the Canes, and before the intermission, he set up the returning Teuvo Teravainen to bring the game back even.
It looked like the atypical cast was starting to find their footing and was building a game, but before the team could head back to the locker room, Columbus reclaimed their lead.
