Caniacs are heading back to the PNC Arena to start a new hockey season. The Carolina Hurricanes' opening game is Friday night in Raleigh against the Detroit Red Wings.
The 'Canes are coming off a disappointing season last year in which they led their division early, but suffered injuries and ended up losing 19 of their final 23 games. Coach Kirk Muller says his team is ready to start over, and he expects the Red Wings to live up to their reputation as a powerhouse club.
"Their identity is that they're a really good skating club and they don't give you any time. They don't beat themselves. They're going to come in and play that type of game with high tempo puck possession, so it's important that our guys go out and do the same," Muller says.
"I think the key is that we just go out and play. I think we had enough time to cover everything. It's going to be a work-in-progress to keep working on things, but we had some healthy guys come back and that's been good."
Muller says he hopes to capitalize more on power plays. The Hurricanes scored less than 15 percent of the time when they had an advantage on the ice last year. The opening weekend also includes a home game on Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
