Recap: Canes Win Preseason Opener

TAMPA - A young but hungry Carolina Hurricanes squad topped the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-1, in their preseason opener.
Andrei Svechnikov and Lucas Wallmark each tallied two points nights (1g, 1a), helping the Canes best a more veteran Lightning group.
Here are five takeaways from tonight's preseason opener.

One
Sure, it's just preseason. But a win's a win, and the Hurricanes played a hard-working, aggressive game, very similar to what we've seen so far in training camp.
"We were talking before the game, saying if we really work hard and do what we've been talking about in the last couple of days, we're going to have a good game," Wallmark said. "We did that from the start. We were skating a lot, and everyone worked really hard. I thought we were all over them. It was really fun to play."
"We had a good game and we won. That's the important thing," Svechnikov said.
"The guys played really hard. That was the key. Competitive from start to finish. It felt like we really didn't have a lull," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I thought everyone contributed, which was great, too."
And, hey, it's just preseason, but Brind'Amour is 1-0 behind the bench as head coach.
"It didn't really feel any different," he said. "It was fun. I get what this game really means in the big picture of things, but I'd rather it go that way than another way. We played hard, and that's what I was looking for."

Two
Svechnikov has a bright future ahead of him, and in tonight's preseason opener, he tallied the first of what will surely be many goals with the Hurricanes. On the power play in the third period, Wallmark worked the puck from the near wall to Phil Di Giuseppe in the slot. Di Giuseppe spun and hit Svechnikov in stride for the easy goal to give the Canes a 4-1 advantage.
"It was a great pass," Svechnikov said. "It feels good to score my first goal. It doesn't matter because it's an exhibition game, but it feels really good."
Svechnikov was a threat on the ice at numerous points tonight. In one specific five-second blip in the third period, he stripped a defender of the puck at the blue line, drew a penalty and nearly set up the Canes' fifth goal of the game.
"I thought he got better as the game went along," Brind'Amour said. "I started noticing him making plays, and he looked really good right at the end. He just looked like he was getting more confidence as the game went along. That's a good sign."
"Bigger guys and a more physical game, but that's my style of game. I like it," Svechnikov said. "Guys know where you're going, and I know where guys are going. In Traverse City, everyone is just running trying to hit you. Here, it's a smarter game."
Three
On the Canes' first power play of the preseason, Wallmark beat a leaning Andrei Vasilevskiy with a quick wrist shot to make it a 2-0 game in the first period. He added the secondary assist on Svechnikov's third period goal to finish the night with two points.
"The whole team was really good today," Wallmark said. "We created a lot."
Wallmark figured to be in the mix to play center for the Hurricanes this season. Now, with Victor Rask on the shelf indefinitely, perhaps the door is open a bit wider for the young Swede.
"We've got spots. We don't know. We need guys to step up and play. There are opportunities for players," Brind'Amour said. "I thought [Wallmark] was good tonight. He's got to keep that up. That's the key."
"I want to make the team," Wallmark said. "I have to show that and work hard out there every day. I felt I did that tonight. It was a step in the right direction for me."
Four
Another player competing for a spot with the big club is Valentin Zykov, who impressed in an abbreviated stint in Raleigh at the end of the 2017-18 season. With just under a minute left in the second period, Patrick Brown let go of a clapper from the point. Zykov had net-front presence and got a stick on the shot to make it a 3-0 game.
Then there's Michal Cajokovsky. He's with the Hurricanes in training camp on a professional tryout offer, but he made his presence known in the early going of the preseason opener. After having his initial shot blocked, defenseman Cajokovsky tossed a puck at the net through traffic that squibbed through Vasilevskiy to get the Canes on the board.
"This is what happens sometimes in preseason, right? You've got veteran guys who don't really want to play. They know they have 82 games that count. They've made the team. They're just getting through it," Brind'Amour said. "Then we've got how many guys who might not make the team, and they're trying to survive and prove that they deserve another day. That happens. … I just like the effort we had."
Five
Petr Mrazek made nine saves on nine shots in just over 30 minutes of work before surrendering the net to Alex Nedeljkovic, who made seven saves on eight shots in the second half of the game.
"It wasn't the saves he made, for me; it was the other stuff. He just looked real confident in playing the puck. He did a nice job in a lot of the breakouts we had," Brind'Amour said of Mrazek. "For me, that's so huge. That's something we definitely need."
Look for Scott Darling to play 30-40 minutes on Wednesday, as well.
Up Next
The Hurricanes will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night. Expect to see the Canes ice a more veteran lineup.
"It looked like some of the things we've been trying to do in the first four days of camp were actually, guys were getting it," Brind'Amour said. "There were times when it was a disaster, but that's what you expect. We'll just keep trying to get better."