Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 20)

It might be just the preseason, but the Carolina Hurricanes have looked strong against the Tampa Bay Lightning so far, beating them on back-to-back nights with split squads.  Wednesday night's win was of the 6-1 variety and some new names will hit the list here, with Janne Kuokkonen scoring a goal and adding a pair of assists to lead the way, while captain Justin Williams had a trio of assists as well.  Prospect forward Spencer Smallman chipped in with a couple of assists as well, possibly earning him a longer look in this preseason.

Kuokkonen is on my list to make the Hurricanes out of camp, but I hadn't really considered him much for his projections, but another appearance on the blog and I might have to think differently about him, possibly as a sleeper.

The Philadelphia Flyers are also having a strong preseason, so far, now going 3-1-0 after a 6-4 win over the Rangers on Wednesday night.  Oskar Lindblom, Corban Knight and Scott Laughton all had 3 points for the Flyers, in descending order of goals, Lindblom scoring a pair in the contest.  Grinding forward Dale Weise also came up with a goal and an assist in the win, rounding out a pretty solid night from the Flyers lineup.

Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan Spooner were notable for the Rangers in the loss, each picking up a goal and an assist.  Spooner left the game early in this one, suffering a lower-body injury and hitting the showers early.  There was no immediate word on his status, but he's one to watch this season, so the Rangers hope he isn't hurt too badly.

The Detroit Red Wings opened up their preseason schedule with a home date against the Pittsburgh Penguins and they gave their fans something to cheer about with a 3-2 overtime win.  Defenseman Dennis Cholowski had a couple of assists in the victory to lead all players in the game for points and this rookie could have a shot at one of the last three defenseman spots on the Red Wings roster, which look somewhat open with bubble players currently holding those projected spots.

It was a "spirited affair" between the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, as there was some bad blood spilled between the two sides and a constant march to the penalty box late on, but in the end, the Panthers were the better of the two sides, winning 5-2.  Evgenii Dadonov and Jared McCann each potted a pair of goals to lead the way, while Nick Bjugstad added a goal and an assist to join the notable group.

The Habs did have a notable player of their own, as newcomer Matthew Peca had a goal and an assist in the loss.  Peca is expected to be on the opening night roster and a couple of points might raise an eyebrow or two, ahead of a hockey pool draft for those in need of sleepers.

In injury news, Aaron Ekblad left the game with an upper-body injury after taking a sucker punch from Max Domi, not to come back.  Ekblad was bloodied and Domi was kicked out of the game for the punch, so we'll see what pans out for either player.

On the plus side for the Canadiens, forward Paul Byron suited up for the team, coming back from his knee surgery in the off-season, just in time for some preseason action. He is considered to be a hockey pool worthy forward, especially in a deeper draft like we're expecting to have in less than two weeks.

Tyler Ennis and Patrick Marleau each had 2 points in a 4-1 win for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Ottawa Senators, making it wins over the same opponent on back-to-back nights.  Ennis signed a league minimum contract to join the Leafs this season and he's making a case to sneak onto the roster after a solid showing through camp and in his first preseason game.  With William Nylander still unsigned, the Maple Leafs have a bubble spot open and it's ripe for the picking for the NHL veteran.

The St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild took their show on the road, stopping in Des Moines, Iowa for their game and it was a late showing by Tyler Bozak, scoring a pair of goals in 27 seconds in the 3rd period, to tie the game and score the go-ahead and eventual winning goal.  Ville Husso got the nod for the Blues and he stood in tall, making 23 saves in a 3-2 victory over their division rivals.

Bozak has his spot all but locked in, while Husso will likely open the season as the team's third goalie and AHL starter to start the season, unless Jake Allen is still not fit to play.

The Calgary Flames took the night's finale game against the Vancouver Canucks, 4-1, on the road and they got a very good performance from prospect defenseman Juuso Valimaki, their 1st round pick from a year ago.  The 19-year old had a goal and an assist in this one, as he aims for one of the bubble spots on the Flames' blueline.  Another strong performance like that and he'll be make decisions enough harder for the coaching and management staff.