Canes Aim To 'Be Better' As Series Shifts To Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. - On one hand, there's plenty for the Carolina Hurricanes to be happy about through two games of their second-round series against the Washington Capitals.

They took Game 1 on the road, stripping away the Caps' home ice advantage in the best-of-seven battle with a balanced, resilient effort. Then, despite a bounce-back performance by the Metropolitan Division Champs, the Canes hung tough and were within a goal of tying the tilt for about 50 minutes of Game 2.

But, as Canes Coach Rod Brind'Amour said during the first-round series against the New Jersey Devils, "there are no moral victories this time of year."

That's where the other hand comes in. Consistent with their "never satisfied" attitude, the Canes believe they could be returning to Lenovo Center up 2-0.

“It’s great to come in here and get a win, but I think at the end of the day, we feel like we could have put a better effort forward tonight and gave ourselves a better chance of winning the game," said Sean Walker following Game 2.

“We knew it was going to be hard. We didn’t expect it to be anything (other) than this," offered Brind'Amour on Thursday night. "Can we be better? Yeah, that’s the good news. We know we have to be better if we want to win. They said the same thing the other night. This is not surprising. It’s tight, tight, tight, and we just have to regroup.”

With the benefit of a night's rest and a chance to review Thursday's defeat, the Canes and their coach spoke on Friday about the fine margins of playoff hockey. Every decision and every mistake come under the microscope at this time of year, and on Thursday, it was just a tough bounce and a slick power-play goal that gave Washington the necessary scoring to level the series.

And while many variables are out of a team's control, the clubs that win in the playoffs are the ones that make sure nothing is given to an opponent that it did not earn.

“They’re going to force you to make mistakes; that’s hockey. The game is about mistakes," said Brind'Amour. "But it’s the ones where you’re really not forced, where you just turn over a puck where there’s no reason to, or whatever, that’s just putting the stress on you now. If we can eliminate those shifts, I think we’re going to be better off. You want to get more action around the net and the interior, that’s the goal, so we can maybe do that a little better. Otherwise, I’ve liked our game.”

“I think a lot of what they’ve gotten is what we’ve given them," echoed Shayne Gostisbehere. "Last night, I think we could’ve been a little better. Credit to them, they played a better game, for sure. I think for us, it’s just getting back to it. We know what type of game we play. Everyone does, and we’re just going to keep doing it.”

In the public sphere, much was made of Carolina's "shoot first" style during the first two games of Round 2. The Canes heavily outshot and out-attempted the Capitals, but scored just twice in regulation, with many attempts missing the net or finding a Washington shin pad.

Some will wonder if they'd switch things up in an effort to find a few more goals, but the Canes aren't interested in deviating from what's gotten them this far - especially after seeing how effective their game could be in Game 1.

“That’s our style, that’s what we do and we’ve been doing it all year," said Gostisbehere. "You’re going to see more blocked shots in playoffs, it’s just more desperation out there. We’ve hit probably six posts, so I’d say the luck isn’t there, but we’re not going to change a thing. If it ain’t broke, we’re not going to fix it. That’s our game, we put pucks on the net, we crash the net and get traffic and the bounces will come.”

As the Canes aim to convert a few more of their own chances, they know they've got a reliable safety net between the pipes for when the pendulum swings the other way.

It hasn't been a particularly busy two outings for Frederik Andersen, but the 35-year-old has stood tall when called upon. Through six games, he leads the NHL with a 1.55 GAA and ranks second with a sterling .930 SV% after turning aside a total of 31 of 34 shots in Washington.

“Freddie’s making some big saves for us. He’s a big part of what we do," said Gostisbehere. "When these games are so low-scoring, it’s pretty tight out there, so I think for us, our defensive game’s good, we’ve just got to limit what we give them.”

With lessons learned in D.C., the Canes head home eager to take control of the series at the Loudest House, where they co-led the NHL in wins during the regular season (31) and are 3-0 to start the playoffs.

“We won Game 1 but lost Game 2, and you want to win every game this time of year. They’re a good team. It’s not easy. You have to play a really good game to be able to beat them," said Sebastian Aho, who leads the team with nine points in the postseason.

"But now, we’re in front of our own fans, our home crowd, and it’s going to be exciting.”

The fabled atmosphere of a Hurricanes home playoff game has worked wonders for this team in its postseason history. Even just over a week ago, the Canes erased a three-goal hole in stunning fashion en route to a rousing double-overtime victory to finish off the Devils in Round 1.

“Obviously, the building helps," said Gostisbehere. "The fans, it’s loud in there. Everyone knows that, they know that too. For us, when we get going in there it’s just a different atmosphere. You feed off of that, and it really does make a difference.”

And while what you see on the ice doesn't change much when a series swaps venues, what players feel on the ice absolutely does.

"We’re certainly not doing anything differently, so maybe it’s that energy that gets you those few extra shifts in the zone because you have a little more juice, creates a play here or there, that’s the difference in the games," added Brind'Amour.

“You’re just used to it now, that it’s there, but there’s definite energy that [the crowd] provides, especially if your team is going and you’re playing good," continued the Canes' coach. "That can be a hard thing for a visiting team, maybe sometimes too, when the momentum gets going. So that’s what you hope to establish and that’s what we’re going to be looking to do.”

Now in their seventh straight trip to the postseason, the Canes have gotten used to the grind of playoff hockey. Whether home or away, up or down in the series, there's only one win up for grabs during a given game, and the road to 16 is a long one.

So, as the page turns to Game 3, the focus remains the same: get 1% better, every day.

“Every aspect of the game, every area, we try to improve, we try to be better than the last game," said Aho. "That’s business as usual, I’m sure they’re doing the same thing to try and improve, but I think (these have) been tight games.

"Hopefully, we’ll get our best game so far tomorrow."