Samsonov to go home, again

Many of the Canes will be making their first trip to Russia when Carolina plays its final preseason exhibition game in St. Petersburg in early October. For Sergei Samsonov, it's just going home. Samsonov, a Moscow native, said he returned to Russia this summer for a visit. He last played a game in Russia duing the 2004-2005 NHL lockout season when he got in a few games for Dynamo Moscow. The preseason game against SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, played a few days before the Canes open the regular season in Helsinki, Finland, should be a "big test," Samsonov said. "It's going to be tough," he said. "As far as the atmosphere, it's going to be pretty nice. Pretty close to the NHL, maybe even crazier. "It will be a challenge for us. They have a lot of NHL guys who played recently and it's one of best teams in Russia right now. They should have a little of an upper hand because I think they will have about 10 regular-season games before that g...