Recap: Canes Top Blues in Tournament Opener

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - The Carolina Hurricanes bested the St. Louis Blues, 4-1, in the opening game of the NHL Prospect Tournament.
Morgan Geekie, Julien Gauthier, Martin Necas and Janne Kuokkanen tallied for the Hurricanes, while Jeremy Helvig was a reliable rock in net.
Here are five takeaways from this afternoon's game.

1. Quick Start
Head coach Mike Vellucci had this to say Thursday on the keys to the opening game: "If we can pot one early and get a goal quick, you start building momentum."
The Hurricanes followed that game plan pretty much exactly, scoring twice in the first half of the first period to take a 2-0 lead.
Geekie was the first to strike, taking a pass from Stelio Mattheos in the rush and beating St. Louis goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick five-hole for the tournament's first goal.
"That was a great play by Geekie to go five-hole," Vellucci said.
Then, on the team's first power play of the game, some quick puck movement from Necas to Andrei Svechnikov resulted in a shot on goal, and Gauthier cleaned up the rebound.
"Gauthier had net-front [presence], but it was also the seam pass," Vellucci said. "Necas to Andrei, and then Goat being strong in front of the net to get the rebound. Quick movement. We worked on it yesterday."
2. Playing with the Lead
Skating with an early 2-0 advantage calmed whatever nerves the Hurricanes' prospects might have had and allowed them to control the pace of play. They were dominant in the first period, controlling possession and quick to loose pucks.
"We wanted to get a couple of goals there," Vellucci said. "It frees you up a little bit more, almost too much in the second period."

The Hurricanes never relented their lead and only added to it in the third period. Necas banged in a rebound to stretch the advantage to three goals early in the third before St. Louis finally dented the scoreboard. Then, it was Kuokkanen finding the back of the net late to restore the Canes' three-goal lead.
"We won, thanks to the boys," Svechnikov said. "We played good. Everybody did a great job."
3. Helvig Stands Tall
Helvig's play in the crease, particularly in the second period, was a deciding factor in the Hurricanes' victory.
"It felt great. At the beginning of the game I got a few shots in and felt great and confident throughout the game," he said. "A couple guys made a couple big blocks for me, and we got the win. Good start to the tournament."
"Helvig held us in there in the second period. He was outstanding with several big saves," Vellucci said. "We started getting loose with the puck, and he bailed us out."
His best save of the day came in the second period, a right toe save on Erik Foley, who was left all alone in front with a quality scoring opportunity.

"The side-to-side movement and anticipation were outstanding," Vellucci said. "He made several side-to-side moving saves where he had to anticipate where the guy was going with the puck. Very impressed with his effort today."
4. Surviving the Second
After a lackluster first period, the Blues pushed back in the second, as expected. The Blues' momentum in the middle frame was spurred by two early power plays.
Though the Canes killed off both penalties, St. Louis remained the sharper team for the balance of the period.
"They took advantage when they had their chances," Vellucci said. "If we didn't have Helvig in the second period, it could have been a different story."
The Canes escaped the second period unscathed, their 2-0 lead still intact, thanks to Helvig's stellar play between the pipes.
"Just try to make all the stops. Try not to get down a goal and let them get the momentum back," Helvig said of his mindset. "I just tried to stop every puck I could."
5. Svechnikov's Debut
All eyes were on second-overall pick Svechnikov heading into the first game of the tournament. It took some time for the 18-year-old winger to settle in - and was admittedly a little nervous - but his play improved as the game moved along.

"The first period was kind of hard. The second period was kind of hard, too," Svechnikov said. "But the third period, I started to feel it in my hands and skates."
"There are a lot of things he has to work on. It's a small step building it up get ready for the NHL camp," Vellucci said. "This is a great opportunity to play against bigger and stronger guys at a faster pace and build it shift by shift. He started off a little slow, but as the game went on, he got a lot better."
The highlight of his debut came in the third period, when he used his speed barreling down the wing before firing a gorgeous cross-ice feed over to Kuokkanen for the Canes' fourth and final goal of the contest.
"It was a great play," Vellucci said.
Up Next
The Hurricanes will face the Chicago Blackhawks at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

2018 NHL Prospect Tournament

| Friday, Sept. 7 | Hurricanes | Blues | 4-1 | | Saturday, Sept. 8 | Blackhawks | Hurricanes | 3:00 p.m. | | Monday, Sept. 10 | Hurricanes | Blue Jackets | 7:00 p.m. | | Tuesday, Sept. 11 | TBD | TBD | TBD | | DATE | VISITOR | HOME | TIME (ET) / RESULT | | --- | --- | --- | --- |