Bradly Nadeau kept making his case Tuesday night, and Carolina kept finding answers when it needed them most.
Nadeau scored in regulation and then buried the decisive shootout attempt as the Hurricanes edged Florida 3-2 in their only preseason game at Lenovo Center. Brandon Bussi and Cayden Primeau both handled heavy work in net against a Panthers lineup featuring regulars, and Carolina walked away with a split preseason record.
Florida came out fast and made its experience count early. The Panthers controlled much of the opening stretch and grabbed a 1-0 lead four minutes in when Brady Tkachuk finished a chance. Carolina answered quickly, though, as Nadeau snapped one past Jacob Markstrom a little more than two minutes later for his second straight start.
The momentum barely had time to settle before Florida struck again. On the very next shift after Carolina’s goal, Aleksander Barkov found space and beat Bussi just 18 seconds later to restore the Panthers’ lead at 2-1. Florida pushed on a power play after that, but Carolina’s penalty kill held up, and the period finished with the Canes on a 5-on-3.
The second period tilted Carolina’s way. The Hurricanes couldn’t cash in on that 5-on-3, but they did outshoot Florida 11-7 and pulled even on a sharp snap shot from the dot by Justin Robidas. The rest of the period stayed tight, with Florida briefly waking up after the tying goal, and the Panthers carried a power play into the intermission.
Carolina then spent much of the third period defending. Primeau took over for Bussi with a little under 10 minutes left in the second, and he held Florida off the board despite the Panthers controlling play for long stretches.
Florida finished the third with a 10-8 shot edge, and in overtime the Panthers again set the pace while Carolina’s power play was forced to spend more time in its own end. Schmid replaced Markstrom with a little under 10 minutes left in the second and faced less traffic than Primeau, but he did what he had to do.
Shootout time belonged to Carolina’s mix of experience and youth. Rod Brind’Amour sent out one regular and two young players, and the only Hurricanes skater to miss was Mark Jankowski. Nadeau and Felix Unger Sorum both beat Schmid to seal the win.
The next time Carolina plays at Lenovo Center, it will be against the same Panthers, with the Cup banner set to be raised to open the 2026-27 regular season. Before that, the Hurricanes head to Greensboro on Thursday, where more regulars are expected to see action, and then wrap up the preseason Sunday in Nashville.
In Other News...
Brind'Amour Just Hit On A Hurricanes Reality Fans Can Feel
Rod Brind'Amours take on the NHL preseason is one plenty of players would recognize on sight: get to the real thing sooner. The Hurricanes coach said he supports eliminating preseason games altogether, pointing out that the current version is already trimmed under the new collective bargaining agreement, with teams now playing four instead of the old six-to-eight game slate. He also noted that roster battles do not tend to drag on the way they once did, which has changed the feel of camp around the league.
Even so, Carolina still has a reason to keep one eye on the margins. The Hurricanes have a roster spot open, and the situation around restricted free-agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin has added another layer to the early-season picture. For a team trying to sort out its group before the games start counting, that kind of unfinished business makes Brind'Amours broader point feel especially timely. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins May Be Near A Tough Call On Matthew Poitras
With preseason roster decisions starting to tighten around the league, a few young players are suddenly on uneasy ground, and Matthew Poitras is one of the names drawing attention. The broader discussion has centered on prospects and fringe NHL forwards who could be exposed to waivers as teams sort out their openings, with the idea being that a change of scenery might give someone else a cleaner path to NHL minutes.
For Carolina, the intrigue is less about Poitras himself than the ripple effect of how other clubs handle their numbers. Justin Robidas is among the players being viewed as a possible waiver candidate, and any such move would be worth watching from a Hurricanes perspective because it can create a market for young depth help at just the moment teams are trying to finalize their fall depth charts. In a league where one roster squeeze can quickly become another teams opportunity, these are the kinds of names that can matter more than they first appear. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Letting Nikishin Standoff Turn Into A Real Roster Problem
Alexander Nikishins situation has gone from summer noise to an actual roster issue for Carolina. The defenseman asked for a change of scenery after last season, and his agent has now made it clear that other NHL teams are interested, with at least one sign-and-trade offer reportedly sitting there. Even with that outside interest, the Hurricanes do not appear inclined to open the door, preferring to hold onto a player they still value rather than entertain a move.
For now, Nikishin is not with the team and is training on his own while Charles-Alexis Legault fills his roster spot. That leaves Carolina in an awkward middle ground, with a frustrated player on one side and a front office that seems comfortable letting the standoff continue on the other. How long the Hurricanes are willing to ride it out could become the real story if this keeps stretching toward the season. [Read more 🡒]