Recap: Late Surge Lifts Cats Past Canes

RALEIGH, N.C. - A largely dominant display by the Carolina Hurricanes crumbled in the third period on Wednesday as they fell to the Florida Panthers, 4-2, during the Canes' annual Community Benefit Game.

GAME SUMMARY | BOX SCORE | BUY TICKETS

A capacity crowd came ready to party, and just past the halfway point of the first period, they got their wish. As Ryan Suzuki opened the scoring with a deft deflection of Mike Reilly's wrister from range, Givani Smith simultaneously dropped the gloves with Ben Harpur, electrifying the locals.

Six minutes later, Jesperi Kotkaniemi extended Carolina's lead with a quick snap shot from the slot off an Andrei Svechnikov feed from behind the goal line.

But thanks in large part to some stellar stops from Daniil Tarasov (47 svs) that kept the Panthers in the game, Florida found late life with a seeing-eye shot early in the third. From there, three goals in the final four minutes lifted the visitors to victory.

Frederik Andersen stopped all eight shots he faced in the first 40 minutes, before Amir Miftakhov took over with four saves on seven shots in relief.

Stats & Standouts

• Five players - Nikolaj Ehlers, Amir Miftakhov, Mike Reilly, Ivan Ryabkin and Dominik Badinka - made their Hurricanes preseason debuts on Wednesday. Reilly picked up the primary assist on Ryan Suzuki's opening strike and ranked second on the team in ice time (20:59).
• Bradly Nadeau skated in Carolina's "top six" alongside Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Known for his shooting ability, Nadeau fired four shots on net, but brought a notable edge to his game with four hits, good for second on the team behind Ivan Ryabkin.
• Make it two fights in two games for Givani Smith, who is bringing his tenacious brand of hockey to Carolina on a Professional Try Out (PTO).
• The Hurricanes fired a hefty 49 shots on net but solved Daniil Tarasov just twice, as the Russian backstop stood tall to keep the game in check amidst Carolina's dominance through two periods.

They Said It...

Nikolaj Ehlers following his first appearance with the team...

"I liked the way that we played in the first two periods. We put a lot of pressure on them and gave them nothing. I've played against this team enough to know that that's the identity of this team, and we did that for 40 minutes."

Nikolaj Ehlers on his first game with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis...

"You want to lay a foundation in practice, but ultimately, it's the games that you find that chemistry, and you learn how to play with each other. I think we did a lot of good things today, but also a lot of shifts where nothing was happening at all. That's also part of playing in the NHL. We've got some work to do."

Sebastian Aho on the team’s performance…

"Brutal third period, but at least we got the lesson on how not to play hockey in the third period. Obviously, this time of year, it doesn’t really matter, but the good thing is we can get some clips and some talking points out of the third period. We had plenty of chances to put the game away…"

Rod Brind’Amour on the outcome…

"It sucks to play a game like that and lose. But there’s a reason we lost, too. We could’ve walked out of that game and won 5-2, and still didn’t have a very good segment in there. Now, it’s obvious, so we can hammer home the point a little more. It’s great that that game doesn’t count."

Rod Brind'Amour appreciating the sell-out crowd and the Canes Community Game initiatives...

"I think it's really important... The fan base and the Hurricanes, we have a great relationship. Anything we can do to show our appreciation is special, so I'm glad that we do it."

What's Next?

• The Canes are set to resume practicing in two groups on Thursday. They'll then take a group of players to Benchmark International Arena for a Friday night meeting with the Lightning.
• Next Game: Friday, Sept. 26 at Tampa Bay | 7:00 p.m. ET | Watch Live on Hurricanes.com
• Next Home Game: Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Nashville | 7:00 p.m. ET | Tickets | Parking