Recap: Canes Fall in Overtime on Opening Night

The Carolina Hurricanes tied the game in the final minutes of regulation to force extra hockey but fell, 2-1, in overtime to the New York Islanders on Opening Night.
Jordan Staal scored the game-tying goal for the Hurricanes, but it was Josh Bailey who tallied the game-winner in overtime for the Islanders.
Here are five takeaways from Opening Night.

One
There was a lot to like about the Hurricanes' first game in their 2018-19 regular season - really, everything except the result. Offensively, the Canes were potent and threatening with 46 shots on goal. Defensively, the team Canes limited the Islanders' opportunities and possessed the puck.
It was a hard-fought point, a grind right to the game-tying goal late in regulation.
"We had a lot of chances. We gave them a couple chances but didn't give them too much," Dougie Hamilton said. "That's hockey."
"I thought it was a good game by our guys. I thought we did exactly what we wanted to do. Unfortunately, we didn't score [enough]," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Our goalie played great when he had to. Petr kept us in it. I thought we kept going, going, going. … We can build on that. If we play that way every night, we'll have a good chance."
"We're planning on playing a lot more than 82 games this year. This was just one, one that didn't go our way," captain (and birthday boy) Justin Williams said. "I feel, if the process is right, things have a way of working out in the end."

Two
The Hurricanes pulled Petr Mrazek with just over three minutes left in regulation, opting to play with six attackers in an effort to finally find a way to sneak the puck past Thomas Greiss, who had been identical to a brick wall for nearly 60 minutes (and, not to mention, he had a 45-save shutout in Raleigh in February).
"We knew when we were going to [pull the goalie]. We've talked about that as an organization. That's where the analytics come in and they tell you it's the optimal time," Brind'Amour said. "You do have to have some sort of feel for it. I didn't want to pull him too, too early because I felt like we were getting a lot of opportunities."
Controlling play in the offensive zone with the extra attacker, Hamilton let go of a shot from the point. Traffic, in the form of the big frames of Staal and Micheal Ferland, was present in front of the net. As evidenced by a black mark on the side of his left pant leg, the puck hit Staal on the way to the twine.
"[I was thinking] the same thing as always: shoot it," Hamilton said. "Got a lane. Big bodies in front. It was nice to get that one."

Three
Andrei Svechnikov hit the ice first for warm-ups tonight, taking a few spins alone before the rest of the team joined him.
Welcome to the league, rook.
His play in his first NHL game suggested otherwise, though.
Svechnikov was particularly a weapon on the power play. In the first period, he received a pass from Martin Necas and rifled a wrister off the post. In the second period, he wrecked Thomas Greiss' mask with a quick shot before then feeding Sebastian Aho with a gorgeous cross-ice feed. In 5-on-5 play later in the second period, Svechnikov found the post for the second time.
Mere inches separated the 18-year-old from his first goal in his first game.
"I see that I have to get him out there more," Brind'Amour said. "You can see the confidence building since day one of training camp to now in the game. He wants the puck."
Svechnikov finished the night with three shots on goal, five shot attempts and a hit in 11:48 of ice time.
Four
After a preseason in which the Hurricanes outscored their opponents 28-13, the team struggled to solve Greiss for much of regulation. It wasn't for a lack of generating chances, though.

"We were on pucks hard and were hard to play against," Hamilton said.
"They know they played a good game. You look yourself in the mirror and know you played your butt off, you can walk out of here feeling good about it. That's really what the message is," Brind'Amour said. "I just hate it for the people who came in here expecting a win. We all expected to win, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Hockey isn't always fair. I thought we were the better team tonight, but it just didn't work out."
Five
Opening Night is always one of the most fun nights of the season, and the same was true tonight. The atmosphere inside PNC Arena was electric well before puck drop. There was palpable energy in the stands when the team hit the ice for warm-ups. It built from there, fueled by Petey Pablo sounding the Hurricanes warning siren prior to player introductions. By puck drop, the sold-out crowd was on its feet, waving the rally towels, ready for hockey.
"I'd take that game, other than the score, any day," Brind'Amour said. "The unfortunate part is that people came here and wanted to see a win. … That's the frustrating part."
Up Next
The Hurricanes are right back at it on Friday night in Columbus, where they'll face the Blue Jackets in their home opener.
"It's fun to play real hockey again," Hamilton said. "We'll get ready for tomorrow."