Canes turn back Predators for 5-2 win

For the Carolina Hurricanes, the preseason exhibition games are over.

The Canes closed out their preseason schedule Saturday with a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Jussi Jokinen, Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, Scott Walker and Tim Conboy scored for the Hurricanes, who built a 3-1 lead in the second period, then turned back the Predators to finish 2-2 in the preseason. Michael Leighton started in goal for Carolina and went the distance, notching 21 saves.

The Canes scored just 1:13 into the game for a 1-0 lead when Jokinen knocked in a rebound.

The Preds tied it 1-1 later in the first on J.P. Dumont's shot from the doorstep, but the Canes pushed ahead 2-1 when Whitney scored with just 12.2 seconds left in the opening period.

Defenseman Joe Corvo got off a hard wrist shot that Whitney -- who had a goal and two assists in the 4-3 win Friday against Atlanta -- deflected past Preds goalie Pekka Rinne.

Staal upped the Canes' lead to 3-1 with an unusual power-play score at 5:12 of the second. Staal, who also had a goal and two assists Friday, fired a hard shot that smashed off the back glass, then ricocheted back over the goal and fell off Rinne's glove.

Patric Hornqvist made it 3-2 later in the second with a bad-angle shot from the side of the goal that bounced off Leighton. But after the Canes killed off a Staal penalty, Walker scored late in the game on a centering pass from Staal and Conboy had an empty-netter.

Corvo, Aaron Ward and Tim Gleason each had two assists.

Leighton and Ward each made two starts for the Canes in the preseason. Leighton started and was the loser Monday in Carolina's 4-2 defeat in Atlanta. Ward allowed three goals in a 4-2 loss to Nashville to start the preseason schedule and then three in the win Friday over the Thrashers.

The Canes' Erik Cole and Tom Kostopoulos did not make the trip to Nashville. Defenseman Jamie McBain did make the trip but did not dress.

The Canes open the regular season Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers at the RBC Center.

Canes coach Paul Maurice, asked if four preseason games were enough, said, "We'll have the answer to that in about a week."

"We hope so," he added. "We've run camp a little differently this year. We've tried to peak (for the season-opener)."

Maurice was the Canes were "pretty healthy" and noted that was a big part of playing just four preseason games.

As for the opener against the Flyers, Maurice said he was looking forward to "games that mean something."

"You work hard for a month. Now the excitement starts," he said.