In today’s Number To Know, we leap two days into the future — and then years in the past — and learn more about past opening nights.

Number To Know

4 — Goals scored by the Hurricanes in each of their two previous Oct. 10 season openers, both home games. Carolina opens the 2014-15 campaign at home on Friday, Oct. 10. Here's a look at how the previous two games went on that date.

• On Oct. 10, 1998, current GM Ron Francis had a goal and an assist in his first game back with the franchise, as did defenseman Steve Chiasson, and Jeff O’Neill added two assists in a 4-4 tie — yes, tie! remember those! — against the Lightning. Trevor Kidd stopped 21 of 25 shots.
• On Oct. 10, 2008, the Hurricanes rolled to a 6-4 win with six different goals scorers against the Florida Panthers. Tim Gleason assisted on three of the goals, and Dan LaCouture— who had won a contract after a training camp PTO — had the game-winner, one of two he scored with Carolina before defecting for the KHL. Cam Ward got the win with 29 saves on 33 shots.

The coach of the Hurricanes said, once again, that training camp performances would determine the opening night roster. Lo and behold, this time, this coach actually followed through.

We'd heard it all before when we heard Bill Peters say it at media day in early September.

The Carolina Hurricanes' opening night roster would be a meritocracy, he said. The players who play the best in camp would be on the ice on October 10, he said.

You can be forgiven if you snickered upon hearing this, given that it sounded like the same bill of goods that's been sold to this fanbase since Peter Laviolette went to work with the defending Stanley Cup champions in 2006. But here we are on October 8, with Victor Rask, Chris Terry and Patrick Brown all penciled into the lineup Friday night, Cam Ward likely having played himself for now into the starter's job everyone figured would belong to Anton Khudobin, and Zach Boychuk and Chad LaRose nowhere to be found.

Rask in particular, despite a bit of a lull in the middle of camp, has more than proven that he deserves a spot, and probably would have earned one anyway even if Jordan Staal hadn't gone down with a broken leg. Terry and especially Brown can chalk up their spots to a bit of fortuitous timing, with Staal's and Jeff Skinner's injuries opening up spaces that otherwise wouldn't have been available.

But here's the point: none of us would have been at all surprised if the Canes, upon seeing two of their top six go down to injury, made a phone call to a Chuck Kobasew or a Dustin Penner, signed one of those guys (or someone similar) to a one-year deal for a million dollars or so, saved a spot for LaRose, and sent Rask and Terry carpooling with Boychuk back to Charlotte.

Rather, for the first time in God knows how long, the team has a plan that isn't "scramble something together with duct tape and bungee cords," and is sticking with the plan despite the circumstances being less than ideal.

In goal, unlike the dog-and-pony shows of previous training camps where Ward won the starter's job by virtue of showing up and lacing his skates, Ward and Khudobin actually had an honest-to-goodness competition, and Ward won out. He will likely start Friday night because he gives the Canes a better chance to win, and not because of the number of zeroes in his salary.

It's yet another example of how awry this franchise had gone under Paul Maurice and Kirk Muller, which becomes more and more clear with every passing day. Peters and Ron Francis are actually exacting change in a way that should have been done a long time ago.

If these are the new Hurricanes, this is a solid start - and yet another indication that business as usual has a different meaning.

As Eric Staal's contract expires in 2016, it's time for the Captain to showcase his leadership and what he can do on the ice.

As the Carolina Hurricanes enter the 2014-2015 season, they once again find themselves in an familiar situation.Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner will be out of the lineup opening night due to injuries sustained in the preseason.Bill Peters will begin his first season behind the bench as head coach and Ron Francis will be looking on in his first term as General Manager.

Though, what has remained constant is the "C" on Eric Staal’s sweater – well, that and the Hurricanes post-season progress.Carolina’s playoff drought has resulted in rumors of possible re-location to Sin City while owner Peter Karmanos looks for new investors in the team.

Staal assumed the captaincy role in January of the 2010-2011 season from the man who hoisted the one and only Stanley Cup in franchise history, Rod Brind’Amour.The decision paid off soon thereafter as Staal recorded his first hat trick of the season in his first game as captain.

Facing facts, however, the Canes have yet to make the post-season with Staal as captain.There could be various reasons leading to that result, but if the leader isn’t on his game it’s definitely a factor that plays in.

From Carolina’s Stanley Cup campaign up until the 2011-2012 season, Staal tallied at least 70 points each season.Even in the shortened season he produced point-per-game numbers.His cap hit ranks in the top 10 and has the 11^th-highest salary in the NHL per CapGeek making him one of the top paid players in the league. Unfortunately, his numbers haven’t showcased his ability to be an elite player recently, as last year was one of the worst in his career.

Criticism has increasingly been lobbed in Staal’s direction as a player who doesn’t show enough effort."Whether people think that or not, I’m out there competing as hard as I can," Staal told the News and Observer.

After being passed over for the 2014 Canadian Olympic team Staal told the News and Observer, "Does it feel good to get left off the team? No. Am I good enough to be on the team? Yes. I feel I’ve proven that. Do I think they made a mistake in not taking me? I hope to prove that."Staal went on to record just seven goals after the Olympic break.

It’s no secret that the Hurricanes perform better when Staal is at the top of his game.In 2006, Staal recorded 100 points, placing 7th in the category in the NHL.Rod Brind’Amour had the all-around best season of his career in 2006 and helped project the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup.It wasn’t his best year number-wise, but his effort and leadership helped take the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final. So does Staal have to have a career season in order for the Hurricanes to make the playoffs?Not necessarily.

However, it would be beneficial if he can approach his role as captain even more seriously than in the past.It’s been brought up by some fans that he doesn't seem to be the most vocal leader and his effort on the ice doesn’t always show as he seems slow at times when knocked down or during line changes.He also doesn't seem to be the most emotional person, (unless he’s yelling at the referee).

Last season he recorded 36 penalties with 12 of them as tripping infractions.Staal averaged .44 penalties per game. Penalties are going to come no matter what, it’s a part of the game.Mind you, tripping is categorized as one of the most frowned upon minor infractions of the game if they continue to pile up.It sometimes can be a sign of a lackadaisical attitude.

Staal is aware of what he has to do.As a captain he has to meet certain expectations and although they can be overwhelming to meet, he’s put in this position for a reason and he’s had enough time to adapt to his role.

There’s no doubt that the Canes need their captain most right now.It’s also more or less a make or break season for Eric Staal because his contract expires in 2016 and he’s been subject to trade rumors in the past. Carolina's postseason record doesn’t help his situation – he needs to be a Brind’Amour-esque captain, with fire, enthusiasm, and passion.

Sekera will be full time alternate captain while Harrison and Hainsey will share alternate duties

Let the goalie controversy begin.

After the Carolina Hurricanes practice on Thursday, coach Bill Peters named Cam Ward as his starting goalie for the team's first game of the season on Friday night.

Last year Ward was also the starter, although he was eventually supplanted by Anton Khudobin, who ended up setting a franchise record with a .926 save percentage.  Khudobin finished with a 19-14-1 record.

Ward battled some injuries and ended up with a .898 save percentage and a 10-12-6 record.  It was reported that the team tried to trade him multiple times over the offseason but were unable to.

Both goalies had some ups and downs this preseason but Peters must feel that Ward had the edge.

"He had a good summer and came in and played real well.  He's confident, he's talking.  He's had a good preseason." said the coach.  "Anton is right there with him, too.  We could go either way but had to make a decision and we are pleased with the guy we have starting tomorrow."

It will be interesting to see how this competition for playing time continues throughout the season.  The head coach said previously that he was looking for a "stud", someone to play the majority of games.

Ward will have the first chance to prove himself.

The coach also announced that Andrej Sekera was named as full time alternate captain.  Jay Harrison and Ron Hainsey would share duties, until Jordan Staal returns.

It's a bit of a surprise that Justin Faulk wasn't named in some capacity.  He had served a few games previously and the team has a young contingent that he could represent.

Sekera seems to be a quiet personality but plays big minutes on the ice and led the defense in points scored last season.

We will have a season preview of sorts later tonight and of course Jamie's first game day post will be tomorrow morning.

Listen to Coach Peters' post practice interview with the press here:

Peters - 10-9-14

Tampa Bay Lightning forward depth pillaged again? Not quite.

The motivation was a little different.

In February 2012, the Tampa Bay Lightning were a mess on the blue line. After Victor Hedman and Eric Brewer, the Lightning dressed a mismatched group of has-beens and never-weres on defense, including Brian Lee, Mike Commodore, Brett Clark, Bruno Gervais, Brendan Mikkelson, and Marc-Andre Bergeron.

So the desire to acquire more organizational depth on the blue line made sense; the Lightning had a nice stable of young, talented forward prospects, but not much of value on D in the pipeline. They decided to trade former 1st round pick (29th overall) Carter Ashton to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Keith Aulie.

The Lightning aren't in a similar situation today; with quality NHL veterans on the blue line (Matt Carle, Anton Stralman, Jason Garrison) to play behind #1 defenseman Victor Hedman, and the aforementioned young forwards bursting into the NHL, there was no mandate to move anyone. Richard Panik was just a victim of a numbers game. There are 23 roster spots. He was the 24th best player in camp.

That brings us back to Carter Ashton -- who, at the time, was a fine prospect. But he was also expendable. The Lightning had seen him for a full year with their then-AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. He scored 35 points in 56 games. They had scouted him in the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes well before that. Of all the forwards in the system, Ashton was the one the Lightning were comfortable moving.

Just like Richard Panik.

The bottom line is, with so many forwards on one-way contracts and so many ahead of him on the depth chart, Panik became expendable. There are promising AHL forwards behind him to toil away in the minors and earn their eventual shot in the NHL. There are guys his age already in the NHL and well ahead of schedule. "Inconsistent" play has dogged him his entire career, and it's the final nail in his Tampa Bay Lightning coffin.

It's only fitting, then, that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the claiming team. Again, they'll get a fine young player that became expendable for the Lightning. Again, he might live up to a very high offensive ceiling; but he probably won't. And again, the Leafs, under Dave Nonis and Randy Carlyle, will probably try to jam a top-9 peg into a 4th line hole.

Richard Panik is not a grinder; his swan song in Tampa Bay was wasting away on the Lightning's fourth line with Ryan Malone and Nate Thompson -- two more names you won't see in Lightning sweaters this season. Like them, Panik became expendable. But trying to force him into a role he's not suited for will only lead to more bad results. Yes, he's big; no, he's not a grinder. Attempting to add some "sandpaper" to his game has only resulted in more serious problems -- namely, a suspension early last year for boarding Karl Alzner.

Fast forward two years from the Carter Ashton-Keith Aulie swap, and Ashton has played in 47 games with the Leafs and has three assists. He got no help from head coach Randy Carlyle, who often played him with Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren on the Leafs joke of a 4th line. While the Leafs have since demoted their enforcers to the AHL, there's little to suggest that Panik won't be similarly mishandled. He's a top-9 player who will struggle a bit at times. He needs to be used offensively in order to succeed, and he needs to be given a bit of leeway.

If Carter Ashton is any indication, those are things that simply won't happen in Toronto.

Today’s Number To Know looks at Carolina season openers between the pipes.

Number To Know

9 — Straight season openers Cam Ward will have started for Carolina when he heads between the pipes Friday at PNC Arena. Ward was named the game’s starter Thursday by new coach Bill Peters.

He hasn't had great success, however, boasting a 2-3-3 record in those games. Ward last won a season-opening game in 2010 when Carolina topped Minnesota 4-3 in the first of two NHL Premiere games in Finland. Here is a look at the results of the first game of the year for the last eight campaigns with Ward in net:

• 2013 — 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit
• 2012 — 5-1 loss to Florida
• 2011 — 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay
• 2010 — 4-3 win over Minnesota
• 2009 — 2-0 loss to Philadelphia
• 2008 — 6-4 win over Florida
• 2007 — 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal
• 2006 — 3-2 shootout loss to Buffalo

Ward also played in the opener of his rookie season in 2005, coming in for an injured Martin Gerber to start the third period in a 5-2 loss over the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Ward allowed just one goal in the no decision and got the start in the home opener vs. Pittsburgh two nights later. Ward stopped Mario Lemieux, Zigmund Palffy and fellow rookie Sidney Crosby in the shootout to earn his first NHL win.

New front office. New coaching staff. New faces. New challenges. New slate. Welcome to Opening Night #Canes101014.

Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders
October 10, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
PNC Arena - Raleigh, NC
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Lighthouse Hockey

Fancy Stats*

*Stats posted are for 2013-14 season; after tonight's game will pull in current season.

Game Notes

• The Ron Francis/Don Waddell/Bill Peters era begins today and with it brings new hope and new challenges. On the hope side, there appears to be a very thoughtful, clear, deliberate long-term plan for the organization with a player development and coaching strategy wise enough to execute it. This is not insignificant and is a valid reason for optimism. But that hope is not without some real challenges: a relatively unchanged roster that underwhelmed last season, major injuries before the first puck drops, predictions from the hockey media that the team will be a bottom feeder in the standings, and frustration among a fanbase that hasn't sniffed a home playoff game in five years. Can this roster perform up to the level of confidence they have been given by their management? The hand has been dealt and now it's up to the guys who skate onto the ice tonight to play it.
• Making their Hurricanes debuts are Brad Malone (COL) and Jay McClement (TOR) who were acquired in free agency. Tim Gleason makes his return after being traded to the Maple Leafs mid-way through last season. With their families watching in the stands, Patrick Brown (free agency, Boston College) and Victor Rask (2011 draft, Checkers) will make their NHL debuts.
• The Islanders were aggressive in the off-season and are expected to be much improved over last year's last-place finish in the Metro Division, starting with the acquisition of goaltender Jaroslav Halak's rights at the 2014 draft (subsequently signed to a four-year deal). They pounced on forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolay Kulemin and goaltender Chad Johnson early in free agency, and pulled off blockbuster trades at the end of training camp for defensemen Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk. Captain John Tavares is eight months removed from a season ending knee injury and should be ready to resume his role near the top of the NHL forward ranks.
• The Canes have fared for the better in the recent match-ups against their Metro Division rival, boasting a 3-1-0 record last season, having won six of the last seven regular season games, and most recently defeating the Islanders 4-2 in a preseason game on September 24th.
• What the heck, it wouldn't be Hurricanes Hockey if there weren't a ton of back-to-back games on the schedule, might as well get one out of the way early. These two teams will turn around and face each other again tomorrow night on Long Island.

Projected Line-ups

Hurricanes (depth chart)

Injuries and Scratches: Jordan Staal (IR, broken fibula), Jeff Skinner (concussion), Brett Bellemore, Ryan Murphy

Islanders (team website)

Injuries and Scratches: Matt Carkner (IR), Calvin de Haan (IR), Michadl Grabner (IR, sports hernia), Lubomir Visnovsky (IR), Colin McDonald, Eric Boulton, Matt Donovan

Off The Post

• A lot has changed since the last time the Hurricanes were in the playoffs [N&O] and it's time to generate some good news on the ice [N&O].
• Tim Gleason is happy to be back with the Canes [WRALSportsFan].
• The Canes are 'pumped up' for the season opener [CH.com].
• The Hurricanes have an uphill battle to make the playoffs [WRALSportsFan].
• Bill Peters goes over his plans for Opening Night in yesterday's post-practice audio [CH.com].
• Food, fun, and a Q&A with the Canes at the Season Ticket Holder BBQ [RaleighCo].
• This week's Cheaters Never Win podcast features Opening Night insight from Lighthouse Hockey [Section328].
• If you're going to tonight's game, and you opted for electronic ticketing, the Canes have posted some FAQs on the e-ticket process. There's a South Plaza party before the doors open, and all fans attending can pick up a free Hurricanes scarf at the door [Ch.com].
• We'll have the game thread ready to go by 6:30 pm. See you there.

The lines, the pairings, the juggling of all these centers.

The New York Islanders open 2014-15 after 28 other teams' seasons have already begun. The Islanders are in Raleigh tonight for the first half of a back-to-back home-and-home with the Carolina Hurricanes, who also open their season.

The return leg is Saturday night's home opener at Nassau [gloriously usponsored] Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

If you're just catching up in time for the season and missed training camp news, here are the expected lines for the opener:

Cory Conacher - John Tavares - Kyle Okposo
Mikhail Grabovski - Brock Nelson - Ryan Strome
Josh Bailey - Frans Nielsen - Nikolay Kulemin
Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Colin McDonald and Eric Boulton are the expected forward scratches. Nelson was good enough that they didn't want to move him from the pivot; he will start on a line with two other centers who can play wing. Meanwhile, Nielsen combines with Bailey and Kulemin for what should be an overly coscientious defensive line.

Speedy penalty killing winger MIchael Grabner is on IR after hernia surgery. Anders Lee, who finished last season with the big club, was the last cut of training camp and will start at AHL Bridgeport.

On defense, expect these pairings based on practice and comments this week:

Thomas Hickey - Travis Hamonic
Nick Leddy - Johnny Boychuk
Brian Strait - Griffin Reinhart

Matt Donovan is the expected scratch on defense. That means Reinhart, the fourth overall pick two years ago, will make his NHL debut.

Lubomir Visnovsky, Calvin de Haan and Matt Carkner are all on IR with various short-term injuries.

In goal, Jaroslav Halakwill start Friday night in Raleigh; hopefully prudence rules and Chad Johnson gets the other half of the back-to-back.

The Hurricanes

On the other side, Cam Ward survived a summer of trade rumors and gets the opening night start in a bid to restore his place with the only NHL team he's ever known.

A weakened team is already missing Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner to start the season. Canes Country has some of their newcomers:

Making their Hurricanes debuts are Brad Malone (COL) and Jay McClement (TOR) who were acquired in free agency. Tim Gleason makes his return after being traded to the Maple Leafs mid-way through last season. With their families watching in the stands, Patrick Brown (free agency, Boston College) and Victor Rask (2011 draft, Checkers) will make their NHL debuts.

Check the Canes Country gameday preview and links for much more on what's happening down yonder.

It's the start of the 2014-15 NHL season, so today’s Number To Know looks at something about Carolina’s opponent.

Number To Know

3 — Defensemen making their Islanders debut tonight. It looks like newcomers Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk— both acquired via trade on Oct. 6 from Chicago and Boston, respectively — will be paired up together in their first game action with New York, and the 2012 draft's fourth overall pick, Griffin Reinhart, will make his NHL debut.

Five other Islanders will be wearing the blue and orange for the first time tonight as well: forwards Cory Conacher, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolay Kulemin, and goalies Jaroslav Halak (expected to start) and Chad Johnson.

Two Hurricanes will make their NHL debuts for Carolina tonight — Victor Rask and Patrick Brown— and free agent signings Jay McClement and Brad Malone will also play in their first game with the Hurricanes.

Our immediate post-game reaction, in various forms.

The New York Islanders looked a little rough early, mostly impressed throughout, and leaked a couple of goals late in a convincing season-opening 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.

Newcomer Johnny Boychuk opened scoring, Mikhail Grabovski also got on the board, and rising youngster Brock Nelson had a four-point night. Jaroslav Halak kept things even early in the first and made things comfortable as they built the lead.

It's one game. An injury-weakened opponent (but so are the Isles...). Nonetheless, this one game did nothing to undermine increased expectations for the club. Here is your thread for quick post-game reactions.

Game Data: Box | Game Sum | Event Sum | Fancy: Natural Stat Trick - HockeyStats.ca |

Exhalations

• Great to see Johnny Boychuk's powerplay bombs from the point...
• ... I sure hope he doesn't kill Brock Nelson though.
• Fun to see the Thomas Hickey - Travis Hamonic pairing. Given the age of Lubomir Visnovsky and the healthy history of him and Calvin de Haan, that pairing might as well get to know each other.
  
• After blaming the goaltending as Deficit #1 all last year, it would be easy for me to cite Jaroslav Halak after the first win. Still: Let's talk about the goaltending. He was fortunate on a few that he truly wouldn't have "had a chance on," but he also made several big stops that were simply superlative. He was finally beaten on a crazy deflection early in the third.
• That goal came on a power play, after a penalty by John Tavares at the end of the second period.
• Tavares, continuing to show a new, tougher leaf, explained to Shannon Hogan No Relation: "[Gleason]'s been running around, and he took a late shot at Conacher there. So, just letting 'em know we're not going anywhere."

Plus/Minus

+ Seriously though, it's great to have composed, flexible goaltending.

- Feels nice to be greedy, or upset, about letting in two goals, much less three.

+ Power play. Good plays. Johnny Boychuk.

- Penalty kill conceded twice.

+ Brock Nelson, called the best player in camp, busting out four points in the first game.

- Otherwise sloppy first period. But Halak held the fort, and the PP broke free.

+ Griffin Reinhart, nothing flash. Steady debut.

Battle Level Chart

• Hahd: Johnny Boychuk's shot, Brock Nelson's knee, Johnny T. on Gleason.
  
• Smaht: Johnny T's sick pass to Nelson. Halak's positioning in goalmouth scrambles.
• Passengers: We had all 20 guys goin'. Even Chad.
  
• Warriors: Look at Josh Bailey (5) throwin hits like Matt Martin (7) and Cal Clutterbuck (4).
  
• Overall Battle Level: Scoreboard, boys. Let's get to the plane and do it again tomorra.
  

Tonight is the first game of the rest of your life.

The New York Islanders have a golden chance to start the season off on a high note by twice facing a Carolina Hurricanes squad missing two of its most important forwards. They got the first half of the job done, ultimately cruising to a 5-3 victory.

[Box | Game Sum | Event Sum | LHH +/- | Fancy: Natural Stat Trick - HockeyStats.caRecaps:Isles | ]

This game, like most games, could've gone either way until things settled down into the narrative that the odds and lineups favored.

The Islanders were a little sloppy, or perhaps just incohesive, early on, conceding six of the first eight shots. The Hurricanes were sharper, and in particular drove harder to the net. The Islanders conceded multiple cross-ice chances in the first and scrambled for the rebounds. If Jaroslav Halak faced one crease crasher tonight he faced a hundred.

But the Islanders survived an early penalty kill -- a needless slash by Ryan Strome that broke his own stick -- and started to tilt things the other way when they earned a pair of late power plays. John Tavares wisely gave the puck away during the first one on a delayed penalty to create a longer 5-on-3. He then worked a combo with Kyle Okposo, who faked a shot before feeding Johnny Boychuk...boom.

That first goal came late in the first period, and Brock Nelson added to it just after the full power play expired. A brilliant pass through legs by John Tavares set up Nelson, who roofed it past Cam Ward from in tight.

Nelson made it 3-0 early in the second, the combat pay for standing in front of the net while Boychuk fired bombs from the point (this one off of Nelson's knee). The outcome never felt in doubt after that.

Game Highlights

Simple. Hard: It ended up being a three-point night for Boychuk, who was asked what Jack Capuano told him for his first game just six days after being acquired: "Not too much. Just keep it simple. Work hard." The classic.

Another display of skill:Brock Nelson's backhand (but poised) pass at the blueline to Travis Hamonic, who took it on his off hand and brought it back into shooting position, niftily finding space inside the far post.

"Momentum" rebound: So John Tavares takes a "captain's penalty" by taking a swing at Tim Gleason after he ran Cory Conacher and the end of the second period. The Hurricanes make the Isles pay with a powerplay goal early in the third, fomenting those familiar Islanders fan third-period doubts. No matter, Mikhail Grabovski to the rescue, potting a nice goal in the upper corner after Ryan Strome won a battle with Jay Harrison in the corner to feed the pass out front.

Not So Fast: Lest Nelson or Boychuk enjoy their early points leads...Tavares had three assists himself. (Also: Ryan Strome had a pair.)

Jamie McLennan on Grabovski: "The analytics guys love Grabovski, say he's a great possession guy. He also has deceptive skill. Yes, Strome does the work on this goal, but this is a difficult shot Grabovski makes to beat Cam Ward."

Let's Talk about the Goaltending, Not the Penalty Kill: I'll continue to fault most of the goals against issues from last season on the weak goaltending. But ultimately, Halak too gave up the "standard three" we were used to last season, and two power play goals conceded made the PK look bad. (One of them, Halak should've stopped on the low-angle by Eric Staal. The other, he "never had a chance" as the puck hit Nathan Gerbe's skate in front and looped over Halak.)

The more frightening goal against was Chris Terry's one-timer created by a wide-open lane for a cross-ice pass. That was against a tired Isles top line.

Pile Ons: If we're counting little snapshots, Brian Strait and Griffin Reinhart had the lowest Corsi for the night among the defensive pairs. Up front, so did the Tavares line and the Frans Nielsen line.

Firsts and Debuts and Such

Again, Boychuk, Grabovski, Halak all impressed. Boychuk, who led the Isles with over 23 minutes, made some noise:

Johnny Boychuk is 2nd defenseman in @NYIslanders history with at least 3 points in his team debut (Doug Crossman, 1-2--3 on Oct. 5, 1989).

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 11, 2014

And Nelson tied some...rather benign company:

Per @EliasSports: @Bnelson (2-2--4) matched @NYIslanders record for points in a season opening game, tying Mike Comrie (2-2--4 on 10/05/07).

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 11, 2014

The other new guys: And I didn't even mention Nick Leddy yet. But he was good, with multiple forays in deep, none of which burned him. Suspect Nikolai Kulemin had a very Kulemin game too: Quiet, but smart, the kind that will create scoring chances now and then but will be chiefly marked by responsible play.

The Captain Speaks

Tavares: "It's one game. We don't want to fall in love with it too much." #Isles

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) October 11, 2014

Too late! Fans are already there.

Next Up

See you all tomorrow night for the rematch. Home opener. I hear there's a LHHer-style tailgate among the pre-partying.

The Canes' opening night jinx continued Friday, as the New York Islanders skated out of PNC Arena with a 5-3 win.

A new coaching staff, a new front office and plenty of new players couldn't break the home-opener curse of the Carolina Hurricanes.

For the sixth straight season, the Canes fell on opening night at home, this time a 5-3 decision to the New York Islanders on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at PNC Arena. The Isles were powered by two goals from Brock Nelson and three-point nights from John Tavares and Johnny Boychuk, while the Canes countered with goals scored by Nathan Gerbe, Chris Terry and Eric Staal.

Coach Bill Peters, in his first game behind the bench as an NHL head coach, said despite the outcome, there were things the team can build on as they head to Long Island for the second half of the back-to-back season opening series.

"I thought we executed fairly well, especially in the first half of the first period," he said. "Our execution went away a little bit [in the second period]."

The Canes had every chance to get off on the right foot, with Victor Rask and John-Michael Liles both missing tap-ins during an early first-period power play. Peters said that if either of those chances had gone in, it would have been a different game. "Anytime you can get a lead, obviously it makes it easier. I think if we could have gotten one, it could have changed things for sure."

A late first-period 5-on-3 for the Islanders cashed in on both ends, with Boychuk scoring while the Isles were two men up and Nelson hitting paydirt just as the second penalty expired. Despite the possibility of a "here we go again" moment, Staal said that institutional memory didn't play any part in how the Canes competed the rest of the night.

"You can't have that mindset. That's terrible," the Canes captain said. "This is a new season. We're not worried about that. We'll get better and be ready for tomorrow night."

The Canes' three goals came as part of a wild third period that saw five goals on 19 shots between the two teams. Gerbe put the home team on the board at 1:23, deflecting a point shot from Justin Faulk on the power play. Terry followed with a one-timer at 14:20 and Staal made things interesting by scoring a power play goal at 18:26, matching his total number of power play goals from last season on opening night.

Despite pulling Cam Ward for the extra attacker and looking a bit threatening in the final minute, Isles goalie Jaroslav Halak stood tall, making 21 saves to help the Isles to their second straight win over Carolina following a streak of six straight losses that was broken last March.

Peters mixed up the lines late in the game, inserting Alexander Semin with Rask and Gerbe and promoting Lindholm to the line with Staal and Jiri Tlusty. It paid off, with all three players on the line chipping in on Staal's late goal. "It's easy to play with a guy like Eric," said Lindholm. "Just give him the puck and try to get open."

For the Canes, a back-to-back is the perfect antidote to get the sour taste of opening night out of their mouths. Peters strongly hinted that healthy scratches Ryan Murphy and Brett Bellemore will be in the lineup tomorrow night at Nassau Coliseum, and Anton Khudobin is expected to start in goal as the Canes look to win in an arena where their last loss was in February of 2012.

Game Notes:

• John Tavares' three assists continue his mastery of the Canes. Tavares now has 25 points in 19 career games against Carolina.
• Rask and Patrick Brown both made their debuts in the game, the first time two players have debuted for the Canes in one game since Jeff Skinner and Zac Dalpe did so in Helsinki against Minnesota on opening night of the 2010-11 season.
• Nelson had two assists to go with his two goals, doubling his previous career high for points in a single game set in January against the Rangers.

In which we get to do it all over again but expect a different outcome this time. Anton Khudobin will make his 2014-15 debut in net.

Carolina Hurricanes at New York Islanders
October 11, 2014 - 7:00 pm ET
Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
TV - Fox Sports Carolinas
Radio - 99.9 FM The Fan
SB Nation Rival Blog - Lighthouse Hockey

Fancy Stats

*** Goaltender stats for Khudobin and Johnson are from 2013-14

Game Notes

• The Hurricanes get their first of fourteen scheduled back-to-back games out of the way early. The Canes played 20 sets of back-to-back games last year and were 9-9-2 on the front half and 7-10-3 on the back half.
• Anton Khudobin and Chad Johnson have a shared history. Both previously played behind an outstanding Boston Bruins defense and the great Tuukka Rask, Dobby in 2012-13 and Johnson the following season. They'll face each other in net tonight.
• Bill Peters switched up the top two forward lines in the third period last night (and it clicked for Eric Staal's power play goal late in the third), but the Canes practiced this morning as they started last night: Staal/Tlusty/Semin and Rask/Gerbe/Lindholm.
• Ryan Murphy will be back in the line-up for tonight's game. Ron Hainsey and Brett Bellemore will be the healthy extras.
• Brock Nelson's four-point night was a career high and vaulted him to the top of the NHL's points leaders, John Tavares had a not-too-shabby three-point night himself, as did Isles newcomer Johnny Boychuk.
• The Islanders held a very limited skate this morning and there were no reported or expected changes to the Islanders line-up for tonight other than the goaltending change.

Projected Line-ups

Hurricanes

Injuries and Scratches: Jordan Staal (IR, broken fibula), Jeff Skinner (concussion), Brett Bellemore, Ron Hainsey

Islanders (unconfirmed)

Injuries and Scratches: Matt Carkner (IR), Calvin de Haan (IR), Michadl Grabner (IR, sports hernia), Lubomir Visnovsky (IR), Colin McDonald, Eric Boulton, Matt Donovan

We'll have the open game thread ready to roll at 6:30 pm.  See you there.

"Hi, I'm Chad Johnson."

The final New York Islanders home opener in the history of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum commences on a Saturday night, against a battered opponent that can play the proper foil if the Islanders don't let the hype and excitement get to them.

It was a bit of a messy season opener in Raleigh the night before, but some good early goaltending, some nice power play work in the first half of the game, and positive debuts by the newcomers eased some of the transition.

For tonight's rematch, an event made for tailgating and starting the Coliseum's final season party off right, the Islanders will use the same lineup. Only change is Chad Johnson in goal for the second half of the back-to-back.

Islanders (1-0-0) vs. Hurricanes (0-1-0)
Nassau [gloriously unsponsored] Veterans Memorial Coliseum
7 p.m. EDT | MSG+ | WRHU
Visitors: Canes Country

So nice start last night, but nothing much accomplished yet, right? Point Blank had a great quote from Kyle Okposo on that topic after the morning skate:

"We’re out there to get two points. We know the history and we can talk about the history and recap all the history when the season is over. And when we’re hopefully bringing home some hardware."

The official site had thoughts from Josh Bailey on driving to the game on a day like today:

"It’s always exciting, it’s a special night," Bailey said of the home opener. You drive to the parking lot and see fans tailgating, having a good time, getting rowdy and it’s always a great atmosphere."

It's an atmosphere elders have told their kids about. An atmosphere many of us remember fondly from the classic years, as well as every unfortunately sporadic year that came closest in the years since. An atmosphere everyone tasted in the spring of 2013. It goes without saying, it's one all fans are hoping the team can build and sustain throughout this 42nd and final season at the Coliseum.

For analysis, excitement and angst, these are the fun early moments of the season: No trends exist, all samples are small, every episode and role could be a blip on how the rest of the season and the roster shakes out. All 30 teams are in action today, in fact.

For tonight in Uniondale, it's just about enjoying a hockey game, in a building that's hosted a library full of great ones.

LHH Tailgate

A bunch of LHH regulars are planning to shake user names and lift a glass of recs, tailgate details here.

FIG Picks

Log your First Islanders Goal picks over here.

Expected Lines and Pairings

Cory Conacher - John Tavares - Kyle Okposo
Mikhail Grabovski - Brock Nelson - Ryan Strome
Josh Bailey - Frans Nielsen - Nikolay Kulemin
Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Thomas Hickey - Travis Hamonic
Nick Leddy - Johnny Boychuk
Brian Strait - Griffin Reinhart

Our post-game reactions, in various forms.

These aren't your one year older brother's Islanders.

It's been 120 hockey minutes and the New York Islanders have yet to trail in a game.  And when Jiri Tlusty finished off his hat trick and cut the third period lead to one, this group of Isles didn't break.

The same guys who lead the charge in Carolina did the same in front of a rocking Nassau Coliseum crowd.  John Tavares showed why he's still number 1 on our Top 25 Under 25 with a goal and an assist.  Brock Nelson capped his weekend with a goal and assist of his own, while newcomer Johnny Boychuk added two more assists.

Box | Game Sum | Event Sum | Fancy: Natural Stat Trick - HockeyStats.ca | Recap:Isles |

Observations:

The biggest observation has to be the special teams.

The power play train keeps chugging along, scoring another 2 goals on 5 attempts.  It's only been two games against the same opponent, but the Isles power play has started the season connecting on 4 of 8 attempts (50%).

On the flip side, the penalty kill is awful.  While the PK did have a final decent kill in the third period, they still gave up another 2 goals on 4 attempted kills.  That's only 5 kills so far in 9 attempts.  I'm not sure if this kill really misses Michael Grabner or needs a new game plan, but 56% is not going to cut it.

The Isles goalies Even Strength Save % so far is .953 (29/31).  On the PP, the Save % is only .765 (13/17).  The penalty kill really needs some work, fast.

Plus/Minus

+ The relationship between Johnny Boychuk's slapshot and Brock Nelson's knees. Two games. Two goals.

+ The fourth line (if you can call them that, Butchie). They were engaged all game.  Matt Martin had some scoring chances. Casey Cizikas was stick handling around Canes players. And most importantly they drew the penalty that lead to the first power play, which ended with a Tavares blast and a 1-0 lead.

- Brian Strait. Get well soon Calvin de Haan.

+ Cory Conacher.  It must be weird knowing every time you step on the ice that opposing players will be looking to line you up each shift.  Conacher takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin', and added his first goal as an Islander for good measure.

+ Chad Johnson.  Like it was mentioned by Dom last night, it is so nice to see a confident goalie in between the pipes for the Islanders.

Battle Level Chart

• Hahd: Johnny Boychuk's shot, Brock Nelson's knee, Johnny T. on Gleason. Part 2.
• Smaht: Nikolay Kulemin.  Chased Sekera and then started the eventual game winner.
• Passengers:  Strait. On the ice for 4 of 6 Canes goals this weekend. In the box for another.
  
• Warriors: The Nassau Coliseum crowd. Showed up early enough to wake up Boychuk, stayed late enough to victory beep us off to dreamland.
  
• Overall Battle Level: The Cappy Zone. We won, and that's most important. But gotta be bettah for the Rangers.

Thank you Anthony Tartamella for this awesome pre-game shot of the Coliseum:

Jiri Tlusty nets a hat-trick in losing cause

The Carolina Hurricanes kept this game closer than opening night but ended up dropping their second game in a row to the New York Islanders, this time by a 4-3 score.

Jiri Tlusty scored a hat-trick, including two powerplay goals, in the loss.

While the Canes powerplay is doing very well this young season, the penalty kill has struggled big time.

The Islanders jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 3:50 into the game on a powerplay goal by John Tavares.

Tlusty tied the score with a powerplay goal later in the period, but the Islanders would take the lead again just 31 seconds later when Cory Conacher scored.

Once again, Tlusty tied the score with the man advantage with just 17 seconds left in the opening period.

The second period was not a good one for Carolina as the Islanders scored twice, their last goal with just 4 seconds left.  The Canes could only muster five shots on goal for the period.

In the third period, Tlusty would make things interesting with another goal, but that would be it for the Canes.

This was a physical game as Jay Harrison got called for an instigator for fighting Matt Martin midway through the second period.

The injury bug keeps biting the team as Eric Staal had to leave the game early due to an upper body concern.  Patrick Dwyer also left with a lower body concern.  There was no update on either's status.

The Canes will take tomorrow off and will next face the Buffalo Sabres in a nationally televised game on Tuesday night.

Game Notes:

• The team was outshot 31-24.  Tlusty had a team high five shots on goal.
• Brad Malone had a team high six hits.  Nathan Gerbe was next with four.
• Andrej Sekera had a team best 26:57 of ice time.  He also led Carolina with three blocked shots.
• Staal picked up his 400th career assist on a pretty pass to Tlusty for his second goal.
• Coach Peters post game interview: Peters 10 11 14
• Event Summary

(Three game thread comments of note:)

1.  Dulcet tones of John Forslund on now!

The Carolina Hurricanes opened their season with two losses, dropping 5-3 and 5-4 losses to the Islanders on consecutive nights.

Despite starting the 2014-15 season without injured stars Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner, the Carolina Hurricanes were hoping to kick off the campaign with a new mentality — and hopefully some points in the standings.

While the Hurricanes showcased their new system under coach Bill Peters, they still came up empty handed in the win column, dropping 5-3 and 4-3 decisions to the New York Islanders in a season opening home-and-home.

Three Observations

1. Carolina’s power play — an Achilles’ heel in recent seasons — was 4 of 9 in its first two games of the season. Jiri Tlusty has three of his team-high four points with the man advantage, and both Alexander Semin and Eric Staal have two power play points.

2. The penalty kill, on the other hand, was the root cause for Carolina’s two losses. The Islanders went 4 of 8 in the home and home, and a fifth goal was scored in the season opener right after a Hurricanes penalty expired. Jay Harrison (in 3:39 shorthanded time) and Tim Gleason (4:35) were on the ice for three Islanders extra-man goals in the first two games.

3. Both Eric Staal and Patrick Dwyer left Saturday’s game on Long Island with injuries. The last thing Carolina needs is more players on the shelf, espeically its captain. One would assume Dwyer's lower body concern is the same ailment that hindered him during training camp, but Staal’s could be related to a couple different hits he took — including one to the head. The team has not yet updated the status of either player for Tuesday’s home game vs. Buffalo.

Number To Know

8 — NHL teams that have allowed an average of at least four goals against in their first two games. Carolina resides at the bottom of the list with 4.5 goals allowed per game (tied with Toronto and Edmonton), but are in no way alone in giving up lots of goals to start the season. Sixteen of the NHL’s 30 teams are giving up at least three goals a night in the early going, and the Hurricanes 3.00 goals for average places them tied for 11th.

Plus

Jiri Tlusty — Everyone knows Tlusty is capable of scoring in bunches. In the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Tlusty was tied for fifth in the NHL with 23 goals in 48 games and he had nine multi-goal games, which accounted for all but four of his goals. But after a rough 2013-14 season in which Tlusty scored only 16 times in 68 games, it was good to see No. 19 back scoring in multiples. Tlusty’s hat trick Saturday wasn't enough to propel the Hurricanes to victory, but Peters & Co. are surely crossing their fingers that the top line gets a big contribution from the 26-year-old Czech.

Minus

Ron Hainsey— In a bit of a surprising move, Peters sent Hainsey to the press box as a healthy scratch in favor of speedy Ryan Murphy for the second game. It wasn't a surprise that Peters looked to Murphy to ignite the team’s offense, but sitting Hainsey was a bit of a shock. Peters must have liked the physicality Harrison and Gleason (who had eight hits in the first two games) brought in the opener — the Hurricanes were clearly more aggressive and "tough" — and that left Hainsey and his new three-year, $8.5M contract the odd-man out.

As the Canes' early season injury woes mount, a familiar face earns a recall from Charlotte.

The Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday made their second call to Charlotte of the young season, recalling Zach Boychuk from the Checkers. Boychuk returns to the Hurricanes less than a week after he was the final cut from the Canes' training camp, and in his short time with the Checkers he already has seen the scoresheet, scoring a goal in the Checkers' 6-3 season-opening loss to the Chicago Wolves.

Boychuk takes the roster spot of Jeff Skinner, who was placed on injured reserve retroactive to October 5, the date on which he suffered a concussion in the Canes' final preseason game on a check from Matt Niskanen of the Washington Capitals. The team has not released any word on the status of Eric Staal or Patrick Dwyer, both of whom left Saturday's game against the Islanders with injuries.

The press release made no mention of Boychuk's recall being an emergency one, and if that is indeed the case he will need to clear waivers again to be reassigned to Charlotte. However, Patrick Brown is exempt from waivers, and it could be that the Canes plan to assign Brown to the Checkers when one of the injured players returns, keeping Boychuk on the roster for now.

The release from the team is below.

‘CANES RECALL BOYCHUK FROM CHARLOTTE
Jeff Skinner placed on injured reserve

RALEIGH, NC – Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has recalled forward Zach Boychuk from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). In addition, the Hurricanes placed forward Jeff Skinner on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 5.

Boychuk, 25, has scored one goal in two games for the Checkers this season. The Airdrie, Alb., native appeared in 11 games with the Hurricanes in 2013-14, totaling four points (1g, 3a) and earning a plus-1 rating. Boychuk (5’10", 185 lbs.) won the AHL’s Willie Marshall Award as that league’s top goal-scorer with 36 goals last season.

The Hurricanes’ first pick, 14th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Boychuk has tallied 24 points (9g, 15a) in 96 career NHL games with Carolina, Pittsburgh and Nashville.

Yay for the power play, boo for the penalty kill, and three cheers for the league leaders

The New York Islanders got the job done last weekend with a regulation sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes. It's one of those "Yes, but" scenarios, as you can only take so much credit for beating a team that is expected to be weak even before losing Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner and (by late in the second game) Eric Staal.

Here are some random numbers to put the weekend in various contexts.

7 - The amount by which Johnny Boychuk already leads all Islanders in minutes played, with 47:06 total. The next closes is Thomas Hickey, who has logged 40:23. Boychuk was second in total power play time (to Kyle Okposo) and third in total shorthanded time (to Casey Cizikas and Brian Strait).

2 - Goalies used, each earning a win.

3 - Goals against in both games, which is uncomfortably familiar.

4 - The number of points ahead of the Isles where Carolina finished last season.

52.9 - Team Fenwick through a whopping two games.

55.6 - The success rate for the penalty kill, which has killed only five of nine situations. Regression will save you!

50.0 - The success rate of the power play, also unsustainable, but a pleasant and ultimately essential part of the weekend sweep.

57.7 - Frans Nielsen's faceoff percentage after 26 draws. Casey Cizikas (52.9%) led the team with 32 draws. Kyle Okposo has the highest success rate (58.3%) but took only 12 draws. Young Jedi Brock Nelson is at 40% after 22 draws.

1 - Brock Nelson's rank among the league's scoring leaders, with 6 points (tied with some other guy). Add to that, three Islanders tied for the lead in assists:

Today's New York Rangers notes.

Tuesday is another day, on in this particular one, the Rangers will host the 2-0 Islanders as the team tries to rebound from a shaky home-opener. There's no asterisks next to those Islander wins, albeit they came against the Hurricanes, but Tuesday should prove a stiffer test for the Islanders, while neither team needs much motivation when they meet on the schedule. And now, your morning notes.

What exactly are the Rangers options for the next 4-6 weeks without the services of defenseman and power play quarterback Dan Boyle? We broke them down for you. [Blueshirt Banter]

Anthony Duclair is incredibly talented, and the 19-year-old has shown that as his rookie year has begun. Yet, there was a time when there were those who questioned the Montreal native, and Duclair slid into the third round of the 2013 Draft. Bob McKenzie took a look at Duclair's journey. [TSN]

We're only three games into the season, but the Rangers aren't without their issues, writes Larry Brooks. [NY Post]