Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres: Preseason Preview, Rosters, How to Listen

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres
October 5, 2016 - 7:00 p.m.
Essar Centre - Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Radio only - WRAL SportsFan web and app
SB Nation rival blog: Die By The Blade

Game Notes

• Tonight is likely the last hurrah for a good number of players who are likely to be returned to their junior club or sent to the professional minor leagues on Thursday. Bill Peters said that he intended to keep a good number of players, more than typical this late into training camp, on the roster to keep game fatigue to a minimum over the three-game road trip.
• With the team returning home tomorrow, this is likely the last you’ll see of Jake Bean, Lucas Wallmark, Warren Foegele, Sergey Tolchinsky (more on him later), and at least one of Haydn Fleury, Roland McKeown and Trevor Carrick.
• Last night was a celebration of hockey in Marquette. Tonight, the Canes head to the other end of the Upper Peninsula (and jump across the border) to their general manager’s hometown. Ron Francis was born in Sault Ste. Marie in 1963, played junior hockey in his hometown for the Soo Greyhounds and, with apologies to the Esposito brothers, is arguably the best player the Sault has ever produced.
• Tonight, the city of Sault Ste. Marie honors its hometown boy made good by renaming a stretch of road in front of the Essar Centre to “Ron Francis Way” prior to the game. The Sault Star has a lengthy feature this morning on the role the Sault has played in Francis’ Hall of Fame career.
• It’s also a homecoming for Sergey Tolchinsky, the undrafted former Soo Greyhound who came over in 2012 from Russia and played three years with the Greyhounds, piling up 237 points in his three OHL seasons and earning a professional contract before joining the Charlotte Checkers last season.
• The majority of the roster cuts will come tomorrow, but five players who require waivers to leave the Canes were placed on waivers today with the intention of assigning them to Charlotte tomorrow. Barring a claim being made (which has yet to happen this preseason by any team), Brendan Woods, Brody Sutter, Keegan Lowe, Matt Tennyson and Michael Leighton will clear waivers at noon tomorrow and can then be assigned to Charlotte, along with other players who will not need to clear waivers for an assignment to the Checkers.
• Hope you didn’t get comfortable watching last night’s game on television, because we’re back to radio only tonight. Chuck Kaiton and company will be on WRALSportsFan.com and the app tonight beginning at 6:30.

Roster

• Eddie Lack is likely to get the start and go the distance in goal, as Cam Ward did last night.