Brandon Sutter Leads Way to Victory: Hurricanes 2, Thrashers 1, OT (preseason)

by Bob Wage on Oct 1, 2010 5:17 PM EDT

In his first game after being named as alternate captain, Brandon Sutter scored two goals and led the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 overtime win in an exhibition contest over the Atlanta Thrashers on Friday afternoon at the RBC. The team had to catch a flight to Russia as soon as they got packed up afterward, as this will be the last game in Raleigh for them until October 27 when they face the Washington Capitals.

After a scoreless first period, Sutter tipped in a shot from the point by Joe Corvo to start things off. The goal was a powerplay tally making them 1 out of 4 for the game.

Atlanta picked up the pressure to kick off the third, but the Canes fought back and had a few more chances of their own. The Thrashers finally were able to tie the game with just 1:03 to play when they pulled their goalie to give themselves an advantage. Bryan Little fed Nick Antropov and the Russian picked a perfect spot on Cam Ward, ruining the goalie's bid for two straight shutouts.

The Carolina netminder was spectacular at times but saved his best save for the extra period as he robbed Bryan Little with an acrobatic save. Little was set up for an open attempt at the doorstep by former Cane Andrew Ladd.

Shortly after that play, Jamie McBain created an odd man rush for the home team as he passed to Erik Cole, who found an open Sutter streaking toward the net. Sutter tipped the perfect pass in, sending a partisan crowd of 15,787 home with pleasant memories.

Quick stats:

The Canes had 14 hits led by Tim Gleason with 4. Gleason lined up one Thrasher beautifully and took him out along the boards with a thunderous hip check, which was the hit of the game.
Chad LaRose had a team high 2 blocked shots.
The Hurricanes finished with 30 shots on goal. Jamie McBain was number one with 5 shots.
Cam Ward made 30 saves on 31 Atlanta shots and looked very strong throughout
For the first time this preseason, the Canes broke the 60% mark on faceoffs. These were the results: Staal 54%, Sutter 55%, Dalpe 83%, Jokinen 56%.

The rookies each made a case for themselves to stay with the big club. Drayson Bowman played another physical game and showed a lot of speed, at one time out-hustling two Thrashers to a loose puck.

Zac Dalpe had an excellent night in the face off circle, winning 5-6. He also showed some speed, broke away for a nice opportunity, and filled in nicely on the penalty kill when called upon.

Jeff Skinner showed the most promise though, as he repeatedly hustled to keep the puck in the zone and was buzzing around the net all night. At one point, he took the puck away from a Thrasher at the blueline, powered his way to the net, and drew a penalty which led to the first Hurricanes goal.

After the game, Paul Maurice had nothing but positive to say about his team. Check out interviews of him, Jamie McBain, and Brandon Sutter next.

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Comments

I had scored some awesome seats. Other than Cam I thought Bowman stood out, and its easy to see why he stayed with the big club. He won a couple of battles with a lot of effort and seem to be out hustling a lot of folks.

by hotchipsnsalsa on Oct 1, 2010 5:51 PM EDT reply actions

Bowman definitely stood out. The boy is fast.

by neaux on Oct 1, 2010 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions

The guys i thought

made a case for themselves was Bowman.McBain & Dalpe. But then again seeing i wasn’t part of the 15,787 there…but i was part of 350 septillion Canes fans all over the Universe…i don’t feel bad at all !!! hehehe..

Everytime you write off the Hurricanes,
They make You Look Bad!!

by CaniacSteve on Oct 1, 2010 6:20 PM EDT reply actions

Couple of game photos

The Carolina netminder was spectacular at times but saved his best save for the extra period as he robbed Bryan Little with an acrobatic save.

That you can see here:

Sutter tipped the perfect pass in, sending a partisan crowd of 15,787 home with pleasant memories.

My view from the other side of the arena:

Tons more photos but all I’ll have time for this evening. I have a foreign country to attend to.

Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
SISU

by Jamie Kellner on Oct 1, 2010 6:28 PM EDT reply actions

Absolutely gorgeous shots LTD.

"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."

by caniacgirl on Oct 1, 2010 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice!

I’ve got some (not as good) pics up here.

[My Hockey Photoshops] [My Music] [Beat a Dead Horse]

by Raccoon Fink on Oct 1, 2010 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Yo people! We need to be tracking the flight!

Flight Tracker – BOS921

Halifax first then on to St. Pete.

Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
SISU

by Jamie Kellner on Oct 1, 2010 6:40 PM EDT reply actions

canes are in halifax now

by ECUCanesFan on Oct 1, 2010 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions

And now having refueled they’ve started the big leg of their journey.

Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
SISU

by Jamie Kellner on Oct 1, 2010 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m not sure that I could have scripted a better outcome if I had tried. Selfishly speaking of course. :D

"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."

by caniacgirl on Oct 1, 2010 6:41 PM EDT reply actions

Hate that I missed it, I was out baking in the Georgia sun mowing grass, but I had Carolina on my mind the whole time. Awesome win and great turn out to the game! Good job everyone.

by jb_online on Oct 1, 2010 7:21 PM EDT reply actions

Very good game by Brandon Sutter! Cam also had one hell of a day.

I thought Dalpe was really impressive. I would like to see him with some more talented linemates and see what he can do. Skinner was also very good. He is going to be a special player once he gets a little more comfortable with the NHL game. Bowman also did a good job. He reminds me a little of Erik Cole in his prime. McBain is just good. I don’t like his number, but I can get over that.

I did think Sanguinetti was a little off. He got talent, but some of his passes were not where they should be going. I also thought O’Sullivan was somewhat invisible. I noticed him some, but this was not his best game IMO. But, he did not look to bad defensively.

It appears JR has gone out and added a POS for Staal's LW!

by PackPride17 on Oct 1, 2010 7:43 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

There was an old guy next to me, could not see to well, his comment was…“What the expletive is Aaron Ward doing back…thought he retired”…dude even argued a tad with me when I told him it was Mcbain…

by max creek on Oct 1, 2010 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t like his number, but I can get over that.

Just go to the common denominator that inspired both McBain and A.Ward to pick that number: Bobby Orr

It was a stretch for A.Ward, but looks good on McBain.

Here we are now...entertain us.

by Elsker on Oct 2, 2010 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Dalpe

Even if Dalpe wasn’t an offensive dynamo, I think it is clear at this point that he is probably our best faceoff guy behind Sutter (maybe even better, time will tell). He may NEED to stay.

by JussiJuice on Oct 1, 2010 10:14 PM EDT reply actions

Unless this is simply a product of him always going against the other team’s 4th line Center… Probably a combination of both, Any thoughts?

by JussiJuice on Oct 1, 2010 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Dalpe and Face Offs

Dalpe has great hands and great eye hand coordination; so with his size and his ever-increasing strength, he is a natural at face-offs. I didn’t see this game, so I can’t comment on this particular game. Dalpe does need to stay for a number of reasons, if it is feasible to do so. It may be next year before Jim Rutherford is able to get some roster spots open. We haven’t scratched the surface of Dalpe’s ability. As good as he has looked thus far, once he gets a little more game experience he’ll be dramatically better. The way Dalpe and Bowman are playing, they are really staking a claim for long-term roster spots. We need Bowman’s hitting as well as his scoring skills. Dalpe could provide some ancillary scoring and probably will wind up on the third line with the other lines being switched around.

by abramsdoug on Oct 1, 2010 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions

If you would have saw today’s game, it would have only strengthened those exact opinions. Bowman looked great, even on the 2nd line against better opponents. There is no question he deserves a roster spot at this point.

Dalpe should have had a goal today, Joni made an amazing drop pass to him and he would have had a wide open shot right in the middle of the slot but he messed up the pass. On a side note, Joni made another great drop pass later in the 3rd… I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Pitkanen hit 40+ assists again.

by JussiJuice on Oct 1, 2010 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Your Carolina Hurricanes are in Russia.

Arrival in St. Petersburg

Phoblographer and Finn Aficionado
SISU

by Jamie Kellner on Oct 2, 2010 7:42 AM EDT reply actions

I was at the game and talked to Cory on the phone to give him my two cents on a few of the kids. Here is what I noticed:

Zac Dalpe – I’m not saying he will become this player, but he reminds me of Travis Zajac. Very smart player, strong on the puck, good skater, good positionally. He just gets the game and knows where to be it seems like. Think eventually he could be a solid 2nd line player.

Jeff Skinner – when he/team has the puck, he just knows where to go to find an open spot. He has a way of weaving/bobbing into the slot and getting an open and you can see he has a nose for the net. With all that being said, he needs to work on his positioning when the Canes don’t have the puck. He seemed a bit lost on the forecheck and in neutral zone, but he is just a kid and will learn that stuff.

Drayson Bowman – I really liked what I saw. Aggressive, fast to the puck, and was playing physical. If he can continue with that syle of his game and get his scoring going, he could be a very dynamic player.

Patrick O’Sullivan – kid can skate and is a great stickhandler. However, he is not very strong on the puck and not good along the boards. He may be able to fill into what Whitney’s role was though, he has that kind of skill.

Bobby Sanguinetti – great skating and good vision. He has a good sense of when to pinch and when not. He didn’t do anything great but I don’t recall any major mistakes. Paired with the right person, he should be a good player.

Erik Cole – Cole was one of my favorites and I love his reckless style of play and speed to the outside. With all that being said, I’m just not sure he still has what it takes to be playing on first line. I hope and want him to prove me wrong. Of course he was in a bad collision in the game and that could have affected his play. These are just my opinions, not saying I’m right/wrong, just what I observed.

Chad Larose – all I can say is wish Rosey had a good set of hands. He worked hard and did draw a penalty but he also had the chance to make a few plays and his hands just would not work for him.

Cam Ward – looked like Cam Ward from the Stanley Cup year. Great side to side and puck control. Hope it was a preview of things to come.

Brandon Sutter – he and Ward were the two best players on the ice, in my opinion. Another solid game. As good as he was, he doesn’t do it in a flashy way and after the game, he is the kind of player you may not notice played great and then look at the boxscore and realize oh he had two goals!

Just my thoughts, not that they mean anything but wanted to share some of what I observed. Can’t wait for the real thing.

by sticker on Oct 2, 2010 11:25 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks for the insights. It is going to be a huge battle for roster spots in 2010-2011; and in 2011-2012, it will even be crazier. With regard to 2011-2012, I suppose one major question is whether Cole will be re-signed. I will be very surprised if Samsonov is resigned. Somehow Jim Rutherford has to create some roster spots for the young prospects. I tend to agree with your assessment of LaRose; but I have come to appreciate the role that LaRose serves in terms of leadership on and office the ice. I envision LaRose as an excellent fourth line forward as the younger, more highly skilled players develop. It does seem that Boychuk, O’Sullivan, Dwyer, Nash, Dalpe, and Tlusty will be battling for roster spots. Even if one assumes Samsonov is not re-signed, there are still too few roster spots for all the talented forwards.

by abramsdoug on Oct 2, 2010 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions