Prospects Showcase: Canes Come Up Short Versus Preds

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - A goal in the final minute of regulation pushed the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Following some physical play from both sides to start the contest, the Canes got the scoring started late in the first period with a power play goal from Dominik Badinka. The lone tally of the opening 20 minutes, it would be the first of two on the man advantage this afternoon for Carolina.

Adding their second late in the middle frame after Nashville had finally beaten Ruslan Khazheyev, for the second time in as many days, Bradly Nadeau found twine.

Taking a 2-1 advantage to the third, unfortunately, the up-and-comers ran out of gas there. The Predators struck twice in the final frame, earning the result.

Carolina moves to 0-1-1 at the tournament.

Additional Day 2 Thoughts...

• 2025 seventh-round draft pick Filip Ekberg (precautionary) did not play today for Carolina.
• With Ekberg out of the lineup, the Canes were forced to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. With five of the seven being right-handed, Aleksi Heimosalmi worked on his off-side for a second consecutive day, and today he was joined in the responsibility by Joel Nystrom. Both did a nice job, especially given the fact that at times they worked as a pair with invitees who are not overly familiar with the organization's systems. Nystrom also operated as the quarterback for the first power play unit, while Heimosalmi and Dominik Badinka anchored the second group.
• For a tournament that is all about displaying growth to management, goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev has certainly done that over the past 48 hours. Listed at 6-foot-4, 201 lbs. already, the 20-year-old has NHL size already. Now it's just about honing his raw talent. Last year was his first year in North America, and after playing 20 games with Chicago (AHL), his jump is extremely noticeable. All have their own unique road ahead of them, but between Khazheyev, Semyon Frolov, and Egor Velmakin, the Canes' pipeline in net has some promise.

What's Next?

The Canes' prospects will take part in a team building event on Sunday.

They'll return to game action for their third and final match-up of the tournament on Monday at 3 p.m. when they play the hosting Tampa Bay Lightning. You can watch for free on Hurricanes.com.