They Said It...
Rod Brind'Amour offering his overall thoughts on the Canes' win in Game 4...
“The start obviously was good. That’s the key to the game, if you get ahead of it, it’s a lot easier to play your game. I thought we were good all game. They had their little push when they got that second goal there, but overall, I thought we were just solid. The key is getting that 2-0 lead and then actually making it three. It’s hard to come back from [that] in this league."
Andrei Svechnikov when asked about his big night and how much he enjoys the game within the game with Jacob Markstrom...
“It was a hard season for me, but right now, the playoff time is my time. I love this time of year. I love playing a physical game. I’m just trying to do everything that’s going to help my team win these games. Obviously, you mentioned Markstrom, I love those moments. I love every second of that. I love those little dirty moments and playing physical."
Rod Brind'Amour on Andrei Svechnikov's Game 4 performance...
“We’ve talked about this for a long time - your best players have to be your best players. They have to be, at this time of year, noticeable, but they also have to actually be on the scoresheet. Obviously, he’s on the scoresheet, so that’s huge, but I think he had five or six shots. He was around it, and if we want to be successful, we’ve got to get those contributions.”
Jaccob Slavin touching on the importance of a big game like that from #37...
"It's awesome. He's a huge part of our team. He can control the game out there with his skill, his presence, his physicality, his overall game and so on. It just makes us that much better of a team. It's huge for him and hopefully he just keeps doing that."
Jordan Staal on the team keeping its cool after the incident between Frederik Andersen and Timo Meier...
“Didn’t love the call, obviously. Losing your starting goalie is never a good feeling. But we’ve been caught up in refs in the past and it got the better of us. It’s a fast game, there are calls to be made, but you’ve got to keep playing, though. I thought our guys kind of kept moving forward and stuck with the game plan, and we found a way to grind one out.”
Pyotr Kochetkov on bouncing back after Meier's goal cut Carolina's lead to one...
“It was a tough moment for me. When he scored, I said ‘that’s my goal’ and I tried just to focus on the next shot. I had not much conditioning (warmup) - I don’t know how many games I didn’t play in, maybe 10 days, but I just need a little bit to feel the puck and after I had a couple of shots, the game came to me.”
Jordan Staal on the team's confidence in Pyotr Kochetkov...
“Kooch is a capable goalie. He’s been really good for us, and [this was] a big win for him and, I’m sure, his confidence. I think he played the most out of our goalies this year, and he’s been really good. He kept us moving forward [earlier in the season], and tonight was no different. The boys will be comfortable with either goalie; we’d love to have Freddie back as soon as we can, but Kooch did a good job stepping in.”
Jordan Staal on how it feels to be going home with a chance to advance on Tuesday...
“It’s a good feeling, obviously. You want to be in our position. You want to be going home and take it to them in front of our fans. It’s always a fun building to play in, and I know the fans will be ready. We’re happy with where we’re at now, but the last one’s always the hardest. Always, no matter what. We know we’ve got a huge, huge game ahead of us and we’ve got to give it all we have to end it.”
