Preseason Preview: September 26 at Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Carolina Hurricanes put a bow on their preseason when they meet the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.

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When: Saturday, Sept. 26

Puck Drop: 3:00 p.m. ET

Watch: Hurricanes.com (In-Market), ESPN+ (Out-Of-Market)

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Last Time Out...

• The Canes pulled off a historic comeback on Thursday night in Greensboro, overcoming a 5-1 hole to take a 6-5 victory over the Nashville Predators.
• Posting five unanswered goals, Logan Stankoven's second goal of the night served as the equalizer inside the final two minutes, and then the victory was completed by way of Felix Unger Sorum's dagger with 2.6 seconds remaining.
• In net, Pyotr Kochetkov made 23 saves in his second exhibition start.

Preseason Playing Roster Changes...

• All three lineups for Carolina this preseason have been filled with younger players due to the more lax rules.
• The new rule states that a club shall dress a minimum of eight (8) veterans for any exhibition game. A veteran shall constitute:
  • (1) any Player who has played one hundred (100) or more career NHL Games
  • (2) any Player who has played four hundred (400) or more career games in the NHL and/or AHL
  • (3) a forward or defenseman who played in thirty (30) NHL Games during the previous season
  • (4) a goaltender who either dressed in fifty (50) or more NHL Games or played in thirty (30) or more NHL Games in the previous season
  • (5) a first-round draft choice from any of the five (5) previous years’ NHL Drafts, and/or
  • (6) a second-round draft choice from any of the three (3) previous years’ NHL Drafts.
• Rod Brind'Amour said on Friday that anyone who hadn't played yet in preseason would be playing today, meaning that most of the team's top personnel (i.e. Aho, Martinook, Slavin, Staal, etc.) are expected to be in action.

Roster Cuts...

• Ahead of today's preseason finale, the Canes have really started to trim their roster.
• On Friday, the team transferred eight players from their training camp list to the Chicago Wolves (AHL), placed five on waivers, and sent two back to their respective junior teams.
• Assigned To Chicago (AHL): Dominik Badinka, Charlie Cerrato, Ruslan Khazheyev, Viktor Neuchev, Joel Nystrom, Zach Sawchenko, and Ronan Seeley.
• Placed on Waivers: Skyler Brind'Amour, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Juha Jaaska, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Justin Robidas
• Released from PTO & Reporting To Chicago (AHL): Josiah Slavin
• Released To Juniors: Filip Ekberg and Zachary Lansard

Competition On The Blue Line...

• As long as Alexander Nikishin remains without a contract, the Canes will have at least two open spots on their blue line. With P.O. Joseph placed on waivers and Joel Nystrom assigned to Chicago on Friday, it feels as if the race may be down to two veterans (Mike Reilly, and Juuso Valimaki) and one young talent (Charles Alexis Legault). This afternoon's contest is likely to feature at least one of the three.
• Thus far in camp, Reilly, who played 42 regular-season games and two postseason contests for Carolina last year, has been working alongside Shayne Gostisbehere.

In Net...

• With the newly-extended Pyotr Kochetkov having played on Thursday and his backup, Ruslan Khazheyev sent to Chicago (AHL) yesterday, this afternoon will likely feature one or both of Brandon Bussi and Cayden Primeau between the pipes for Carolina.
• The duo paired together on Tuesday night in Raleigh, each seeing their first action of the preseason.
• Bussi worked the first half of the contest, going 11/13 in just over 30 minutes of work. Primeau entered in relief and was stellar, turning in a perfect 20-for-20 and an additional two stops in the shootout victory.

Injury Updates

• Forward Seth Jarvis is practicing in a yellow, no-contact jersey after offseason shoulder surgery. He was initially scheduled to miss "probably four to six months" from the end of June.

What Are We Wearing?

• The Canes are scheduled to wear their white uniforms for all four preseason games.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Sunday and Monday. They'll kick off the NHL's regular season on Tuesday at 5 p.m. when they meet the Florida Panthers at Lenovo Center.
• Next Preseason Game: Saturday, Sept. 29 vs. Florida | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN