EDMONTON -- Despite playing just six minutes in Game 5, Edmonton's Todd Harvey played well enough to earn a return engagement in Saturday's do-or-die Game 6.
Harvey managed one shot, in the first period, two hits and a takeaway during his nine short shifts in Wednesday's elimination-game victory in Raleigh. Playing on the fourth line, in place of Georges Laraque, Harvey brought the high-energy, in-your-face game that MacTavish envisioned when inserting him into the mix.
More importantly, Edmonton got the win, meaning the Oilers have won seven straight playoff games in which Harvey has appeared and are 7-1 overall this postseason with Harvey in the lineup.
"I thought he played very well," MacTavish said Friday. "He played six minutes, but it was a real obvious six minutes. When he was out there it was a very noticeable six minutes. He had two chances, two good chances to score. I thought he played very well."
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Schedule / Links:
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| Gm. 1: CAR 5, EDM 4 | Photos |
| Gm. 2: CAR 5, EDM 0 | Photos |
| Gm. 3: EDM 2, CAR 1 | Photos |
| Gm. 4: CAR 2, EDM 1 | Photos |
| Gm. 5: EDM 4, CAR 3 OT | Photos |
Gm. 6: June 17, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Edmonton (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
*Gm. 7: June 19, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Carolina (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
| *if necessary |
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Staying Positive -- Craig MacTavish saw the importance of black aces, those extra players carried on the playoff roster who are healthy scratches game after game. The class and humility with which the Ranger scratches handled the 1994 Cup run in New York was a big part of that championship.
MacTavish says the Oilers have a similar group to that this year.
Kyle Brodziak, J-F Jacques and veteran Igor Ulanov have yet to play in these playoffs. Toby Petersen has played just two games. Brad Winchester has played 10 games, but none in the Final. Georges Laraque played 15 games, including three in the Final. Marc-Andre Bergeron has played 18 playoff games, including the first two of the Final, before being replaced. Harvey has played in nine games, but was idle in the Final until his insertion in Game 5.
"Those guys, as we all know, and anybody that has been on a lengthy playoff run knows, those guys are a very integral part of your team -- certainly the attitude that you have in your locker room," MacTavish said. "They have conducted themselves in a very professional manner. Sometimes some players in those situations can have a way of sucking energy where you are happy, you are upbeat and you come in and the individual's personal disappointment is written all over his face.
"But our guys haven't done that. The guy you have to give that leadership role to a guy that has been around the longest which is Igor, and he's persevered through the most. He didn't play a lot at the end of the year either, but he's been an integral part of our support system and continues to work hard."
Staying Loose -- If Friday's spirited practice and Saturday's game-day skate are barometers -- and really they are the only barometers we have to judge Carolina's mental state before the puck dropped in Game 6 -- are any indication, the Carolina Hurricanes have completely put Wednesday's heart-breaking overtime loss behind them as they prepared for the second of three chances to claim the Stanley Cup.
"I think the best thing is just to separate it game by game," coach Peter Laviolette said. "That game (Game 5) is over with. We won't talk about it again. We won't think about it again."
Instead, Laviolette preyed on his team's competitive nature and pride during Friday's practice to get the team moving forward. After running some drills with the reconfigured forward lines -- shuffled to address the absence of the injured Doug Weight -- Laviolette split his team in half and had a penalty-shot contest between the two side. Laviolette and his assistants also took part.
"We moved them up and down the ice for 20 minutes and then purposely had a little fun out there at the end," he said. "The guys enjoyed it. Now, we are ready to play some hockey."
Friday's shoot-out contest certainly seemed to do the trick as the empty Rexall Place echoed with catcalls or cheers as each player missed or scored. A combination of both boomed out when Laviolette scored against starting goalie Cam Ward about halfway through the contest. Players on the other team suggested Ward was playing the role of teacher's pet by allowing the head coach to score.
"I made sure I went up to him and told him that there's a lot of cameras in here and not to embarrass the head coach," Laviolette said with a laugh.
Ward, at his diplomatic best, said he did no such favors for his coach.
"I though we were friends," Ward said, smiling. "You know what, he has a good shot. Guys were giving it to him, but he showed he still has it as a player."
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The always entertaining Mike Commodore was thrilled to score in the shoot-out drill, and not get stuck with the lunch tab.
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The drill continued until only four players and an assistant coach were left. The players were Cory Stillman, Jason Williams, Mike Commodore and Niclas Wallin. Each time Williams missed a chance to score, he was ridden mercilessly by teammates. "C'mon 'Willy," one yelled, "you scored 30 goals this year."
Wallin was the first of the remaining five to score, followed by Commodore and Williams. That left just Stillman, Carolina's most-clutch scorer this postseason, and the assistant coach to duke it out. Stillman ended up with the dubious honor of being the last man standing, apparently on the hook for paying for lunch that day, according to teammate Kevyn Adams, who scored just before the final five were left.
"All I know is I don't have to buy lunch," Adams boasted. "I think they were setting me up for a while. When there was only one coach left and the rest of us, I was getting a little worried."
Mission accomplished by Laviolette as it is clearly better for his players to be worried about a lunch tab rather than the negative ramifications from Game 5.
Happy to be Here -- Searching for an off-day story, members of the media floated the idea that the hockey season runs too long with the Stanley Cup Playoffs running into the third week of June already.
But Carolina coach Peter Laviolette wasn't rising to that bait. With a chance to win the Stanley Cup, a championship he has harbored dreams of since his childhood in Massachusetts, Laviolette insisted Friday that he would play for another month if that was what was required to win the title.
"You know what, there is no place in the world I would rather be right now," the coach said. "There's a lot of people, I think, that wish they were here. So is it long? It's the middle of June, getting on to the 4th of July -- my favorite Holiday of the year -- and there's no place I would rather be.
"I think you can check with the players here as well. I think you can check with the players that are not here, too. We have an opportunity for greatness and we have to make the most of that."
Edmonton's Ryan Smyth also has no complaints. He has played more than 100 games this year, not even including the Olympic Tournament in Italy. With the physical demands he puts on his body, a long haul like this is certainly no picnic. But, Smyth says he wouldn't trade being here in late June for anything else in the world.
"It's a long season, no question about it," he said. "I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Olympics and play a few games over there. And then, being in the Stanley Cup Final, you are running on whatever it is. It's the adrenaline and the excitement of your teammates, we all boost each other.
"When the going gets tough, you have to find a way out of it. We have really thrived off each other that way. "
