RALEIGH, N.C. -- Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward isn't thinking about the Conn Smythe Trophy, lost opportunities, great saves in losing games or any peripheral matters. The only thing that concerns the Hurricanes' brilliant rookie goalie is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers Monday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS, NHL Radio) at the RBC Center.
This is the opportunity that Ward, 22, has dreamed of since he was a little kid playing street hockey on Regency Drive in the Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park.
"I was probably Cujo at that time,' Ward said, referring to Curtis Joseph, the Oilers' goalie from 1995-98, now with the Phoenix Coyotes. "I was just talking about that, playing street hockey back in Sherwood Park and dreaming of playing in the Stanley Cup Final in Game 7 and now that it's here, it's extremely exciting."
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The Hurricanes had an opportunity to close out the series at home last Wednesday night but lost, 4-3, on Fernando Pisani's shorthanded, overtime goal off a costly turnover. Ward had no chance on the shot that screamed over his glove into the upper left-hand corner of the net.
His teammates seemed to have no chance in Game 6 in Edmonton, losing 4-0 in a game in which the Oilers took 20 of the first 23 shots.
"It would have been nice to finish it earlier, but we feel fortunate to have another opportunity, another crack at it," Ward said. "This is something that you dream about, to make a difference in a hockey game. With that being said, we don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We just want to be able to go out there and play the game and leave it all on the ice."
One of the biggest reasons the Hurricanes were able to take a 3-1 lead in the Final is that they suffocated the Oilers' power play and Ward made the key saves. Edmonton was 1-for-25 and then 2-for-32 on the power play, but broke out for three man-advantage scores in nine opportunities in Game 6. One of the best ways to avoid getting burned on the power play is to not take penalties, thus, no power plays.
"It's going to be important that we stay disciplined and not give them the opportunity to get on the power play," Ward said.
The Hurricanes have played 82 regular-season games and 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The season started in October and it's gone past the midway point in June. It's been a long haul for both teams. He was asked if the grind is getting to the Hurricanes.
"There's no real excuse," Ward said. "Fatigue shouldn't be a factor at this time of the season. We have an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup and it comes down to one game. I don't think anybody is going to use fatigue as an excuse."
The Hurricanes' defensemen and backchecking forwards did a good job earlier keeping Oilers' forwards from getting in on Ward, picking up rebounds and screening the goalie. The Oilers have had more success in the past two games. Ward said he didn't see a difference in strategy from the opponent, but there is a reason why he is getting more pressure from in front of his net.
"I think what you saw in Game 6 was that they wanted it more," Ward said. "Everybody is talking about the desperation of the Oilers is showing. Well, we have to be able to do the same and even more for Game 7. That's exactly what it might come down to: Whoever wants it more. We'll see tomorrow night.
"You have to give them credit. They've made strides in their game and you can see that they're playing extremely well. You can see the desperation from their team. For whatever reason, we didn't bring that in Game 6. Come tomorrow night, they'll be no excuse for it. As long as we put it all on the ice and play the way we're capable of doing, we believe good things will happen."
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"That's exactly what it might come down to: Whoever wants it more. We'll see tomorrow night." -- Cam Ward
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Ward made an incredible save on Radek Dvorak's shot off a 3-on-1 Edmonton rush early in the third period when the score was still 2-0. It kept his team in the game, despite their being outplayed. Ward stretched his left hand to snag the puck in his glove. The play was reviewed to see if he caught the puck inside the net. He didn't and the score remained 2-0. Ward was asked if the save was one of his best-ever>
"It's just a matter of never giving up on a shot," Ward said. "You could see it coming, that it was a 3-on-1. I anticipated that it could go over there. It was one of those things. I was extremely fortunate.
"It would have been the best if we were on the winning side. It doesn't really matter but it was probably out there."
Family and community are two of the most important things in life. Sunday was Father's Day and the Hurricanes are back home for the final game of the year. Ward was thinking about both things.
"Home ice gives us a huge boost," Ward said. "You work all season long to get the home-ice advantage and we do want to use that to our advantage. We feel that we've played well at home and been able to feed off the tremendous atmosphere that the fans have provided.
"We've been able to play extremely well at home and hopefully that will be the case tomorrow night.
"My parents, Ken and Laurel, flew in today and will have the opportunity to witness the game tomorrow," Ward said. "I don't think there would be any better gift than a win tomorrow night."
