Preseason Gameday: Capitals vs. Hurricanes

After back-to-back wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning to begin the exhibition season, the Carolina Hurricanes host the Washington Capitals in their third of six preseason games.
Similar to Wednesday's game group, the Canes will ice a fairly veteran lineup, at least one that somewhat resembles what we could see on Opening Night on Oct. 4.
"We want to see certain players elevate their game and stand out," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "The guys we know are going to be here are playing, for the most part. There are a couple kids, hey, let's see what you got. Hopefully they emerge."

The lineup features a good chunk of players from Wednesday, plus a handful of the "veterans" that played in Tuesday's game in Tampa. It's a strong blend of NHL-ready players that will face off against the Capitals, who dressed many of their veterans in Quebec City on Thursday night.

"I think everyone has done a pretty good job," Brind'Amour said after practice on Thursday. "It's one game, essentially; everyone has only played once. I don't want to make too many judgments yet."
Those judgments will be coming sooner rather than later, though, as the preseason chugs along and numbers are trimmed.
Both Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov will be in the lineup tonight, though they won't play on the same line. (Brind'Amour said about this idea: "I'm not sure that's the best plan for those guys.") Necas will center Warren Foegele and Teuvo Teravainen, while Svechnikov will play on the right side of Valentin Zykov and Sebastian Aho.
The top two defensive pairs will remain the same from Wednesday, while Brett Pesce will draw in for the first time this preseason and play alongside Haydn Fleury.

"The fact that he feels good now is a great sign for us," Brind'Amour said.
Petr Mrazek will get the start in net and is expected to play two periods, with Alex Nedeljkovic taking the reins for the third.
"I think that's the plan," Brind'Amour said. "It's about what he needs to get ready."
Lineup
McGinn-Staal-Williams
Foegele-Necas-Teravainen
Zykov-Aho-Svechnikov
Martinook-Wallmark-Di Giuseppe
Slavin-Hamilton
de Haan-Faulk
Fleury-Pesce
Mrazek
Nedeljkovic
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