Recap: Canes Defeat Preds to Remain Unblemished in Preseason

NASHVILLE - A young, scrappy Carolina Hurricanes squad bested a more veteran Nashville Predators group, 4-1, to remain perfect in the preseason with a 4-0-0 record.
Scott Darling made 28 saves on 29 shots, while Warren Foegele tallied a goal and an assist for the Canes.
Here are five takeaways from tonight's preseason match-up.

One
It's fun watching these kids play. Some of those in the lineup tonight won't be with the Hurricanes on Opening Night. Some were fighting for another day in camp. Some are rounding their games into form as the regular season nears.
But they all came together to best a Predators team that featured quite a few NHL regulars.
"They did a great job," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "You can have your young guys provide that energy, and they play like it's their last game against a veteran team that's kind of going through the motions, and that's what happened here tonight. I give our guys credit because they came to compete."
It's the fourth straight victory for the Canes in as many preseason games, and though the results might not mean a thing, the compete is evident, the hard work is evident, and the good habits are being established now.
"That's the reality of it. Some of these guys bought themselves another day, as far as I'm concerned," Brind'Amour said. "[Hard work] is what it's all about. That's the way our foundation needs to be built. Everyone has to buy into it if we're going to have any success."
"These guys were lights out. They worked and executed the game plan," Darling said. "If we play our game plan, it doesn't matter what the other team does. It's up to us. We controlled the game, and the guys played great tonight."

Two
Warren Foegele does not want to go to Charlotte.
It's not a slight against the Queen City, but Foegele's play in the preseason has pretty clearly illustrated where he belongs come Opening Night.
"He's what we want in a Hurricane," Brind'Amour said. "You want good kids, number one, and then you want them to play their butt off. They don't leave anything left in the tank. That's what we want."
"Just working hard. That's what Roddy is preaching to everyone. Play fast and play hard," Foegele said. "For myself, that's what I've been doing, and hopefully I can stay here longer."
He entered his third preseason game having racked up a trio of assists already, and he built on that point total by factoring in on the Hurricanes' first two goals.
Clark Bishop made a nice stickhandling play to create space and elude a couple of defenders. He then hit Foegele in the slot, and Foegele backhanded a shot past Pekka Rinne.
"Great play by Bish to just keep fighting for the puck," Foegele said. "I saw the goalie jump and thought my best chance was to throw it far side. Luckily it went in."
In the second period, Foegele set up Brett Pesce at the point. Pesce wired a shot that touched nothing until it hit the twine.
"It was a good forecheck," Foegele said. "I heard Pesce scream for it. I'm going to get him the puck, and of course he scores a really nice goal. It was a good play by the entire line and a great goal by Pesce."
Three
Scott Darling played a full 60 minutes in net and made 28 saves on 29 shots. He was sharp, he battled hard and his athleticism was on display on a handful of saves, perhaps most notably in the third period when, with the team shorthanded, he denied Kevin Fiala's initial shot and then outstretched the pad to stone Ryan Johansen's poke at the rebound.
"I felt really good. It was a nice game to kind of get into it," Darling said. "The guys played great and kept the chances in the first to the outside. They got a couple during the game, but overall they didn't get too much. It was nice to play the full 60."
"We gave up a lot of grade-A opportunities, especially in the third, but he looked pretty solid," Brind'Amour said. "That's what goaltending does for you: It allows you to keep playing your game and not take the foot off the gas. He was great."
Darling has now turned away 44 shots in just over 90 minutes of work in the preseason.
"I just feel stronger and more in control," he said. "As everyone has talked about, I've done a lot of different workouts this summer. I think Pilates helped me a lot."
Four
The Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 19-4 over the first four preseason contests. Leading 2-0 heading into the third period, the Canes added another pair of goals to stretch their lead to 4-0 before the Predators dented the scoreboard.
After winning a battle in the corner to force a turnover, the puck popped out to Trevor van Riemsdyk, who buried his shot. Then, on a power play soon after, Brock McGinn banged home a bouncing, loose puck in the slot.
"We're really buying in to what Rod is saying," Foegele said. "From the beginning of training camp, everyone has been working really hard, and it's paying off."
Five
A constant thread in these four preaseason wins? Hard work, no matter who is on the ice or what the situation might be. It's just the preseason, but the Canes are building a foundation.
"Good habits and consistency," Darling said. "Everyone here has been playing great. Everybody is pushing and doing their job, making it tough on the coaches."
"It's pretty simple: I think we've outworked the opponents. It's certainly not anything we're doing special or any secret," Brind'Amour said. "We've been trying to ramp it up from day one."
Up Next
The Hurricanes will square off against the Capitals in The District on Friday night before closing out the preseason against these same Predators at home on Sunday afternoon.