The Hurricanes played several more NHLers than the Tampa Bay Lightning in their 3-1 preseason win over the Bolts Tuesday night, and their prospect pool is probably better than Tampa Bay’s right now. Both of those things showed, and it’s really as simple as that.
However, there were still a few observations to take from the game, and players who stood out. Here’s three takeaways from the exhibition opener.
Kotkaniemi makes early impact, top line controls period one
Given the dearth of NHL talent in Tampa Bay’s lineup on Tuesday night, one would expect a line of three players of Vincent Trocheck, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Teuvo Teravainen to look dominant.