These lineups are unofficial and have not been released by the team yet. But "word on the street" has the Canes scratching Babchuk and Melichar on defense. Here are the expected lines-
- Staal, Eaves, Whitney
- Brind'Amour, Samsonov, Ruutu
- Cullen, Bayda, LaRose
- Sutter, Brookbank, LaCouture
- Gleason, Pitkanen
- Corvo, Kaberle
- Wallin, Seidenberg
- Ward
Of course, Zach Boychuk will also be sidelined.
According to the Miami Herald, Florida will probably ice the following, but this is also unofficial-
- Stillman, Horton, Olesz
- Zednik, Weiss, Booth
- Belak, Creps, Peltonen
- Campbell, McClean, Dvorak
- Allen, Bouwmeester
- McCabe, Murphy
- Ballard, Boynton
- Vokoun
Cory Stillman is making a return and of course will want to make his presence known to his old 'mates. Tomas Vokoun is usually a brick wall in goal. This team will want to start out their season on a high note as badly as the Canes do. They will not be pushovers.
Who wants it more? We will see tonight.
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I had a brief chat with rookie Brandon Sutter this morning right before a team meeting. This is the center's NHL debut which is a dream, even if your last name is Sutter. More about that on the THN blog which can be seen here.
Just a few short hours until game time. Will the Canes start out the season on a good note? Home openers have not always gone well for this team. If you are still undecided about attending, there are still tickets available.
I'll have a note here before the game, followed by some updates for those who can't make it to the rink.
Ciao!