Staal 'Doing It All' For Canes In Stanley Cup Final

LAS VEGAS - Ask around the hockey world who is the first person who comes to mind when you think of the Carolina Hurricanes, and a lot of people will point to the head coach, Rod Brind'Amour.

Ask Brind'Amour who they should be saying, and he'll tell you Jordan Staal.

For an organization known around the sports landscape as one with a strong culture inside its locker room — one carefully curated by the current bench boss — the individual responsible for carrying the messaging and ensuring the high standards are upheld is the 37-year-old who has thrust himself into the national spotlight as he's turned back the clock over the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final.

The first player since 1982 to score in the opening four games of a Cup Final, Carolina's captain chipped in with a pair of timely tallies, including the winner, last night. A welcome reward for a leader who has his fingerprints on every facet of the team's performance, the offensive outburst has been a necessary ingredient to keeping his group in the fight.

“He’s doing it all right now, and it’s a lot of fun to watch," Jackson Blake beamed after Tuesday's series-splitting win at T-Mobile Arena. "That’s what I think you want your captain to do. He’s done so many good things for us. He’s so good defensively, he’s scoring every night, winning face-offs, penalty killing, on the power play. You name it, he’s doing it."

"You name it, he's doing it," indeed.

For years, Staal has been known as a shut-down center. When it comes to the matchup game, he's always tasked with the opposition's heavy hitters and annually earns himself votes for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.

A key reason for the team only allowing an average of just 1.62 goals per game through the first three rounds of the postseason, thus far in the series, he's gone toe-to-toe with the Golden Knights' best and still controlled 59.8% of scoring chances when he's on the ice — leading Carolina's centers despite the toughest assignments.

Part of that success stems from Carolina's puck-possession, which begins at the faceoff dot, where Staal has won a whopping 67.9% of his draws.

Those numbers only add to what's been a remarkable run on the surface, but none of this is a surprise to anyone with the organization.

"[It's] not just this series. He does all the small things that people don't notice, and he brings it every single night," now-linemate Nikolaj Ehlers said of Staal's standout play.

"Everyone knew he was a really good defensive player, but he's got some real offensive abilities, too. For whatever reason, now the goals are going in, but he's always played like that," Brind'Amour added.

In addition to his monster work at five-on-five, Staal has played a role in three of Carolina's four power-play goals. Putting two of them home himself, both from the net-front position, the man in his 14th season as a Hurricane earned rare praise from Vegas Head Coach John Torterella, who bluntly said, "He's killing us." The oldest participant in the series also earned an assist on Andrei Svechnikov's late Game 3 equalizer.

On the other half of special teams, No. 11 has been a key in helping Carolina go 11-for-12 while shorthanded to this point.

No matter what the situation calls for, Staal is offering it.

"He's a dog," Blake continued with some youthful spice. "He does everything. I just think it's how bad he wants to win. We all want to win so bad, but he's playing like it's his last games right now, that's how good he's playing."

Chasing the mountain top for a second time in his career, 17 years after his pinnacle with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a third-year NHLer, Staal's group is returning to Raleigh only two wins away.

He'll keep doing whatever is necessary to achieve them.

"It's a good time to get hot. I just want to contribute any way I can," Staal modestly laid out following the latest victory. "The puck's going in for me, and I'll take it."

The captain may not boast his own accomplishments, but, much like his feelings on who should be regarded as the face of the franchise, his head coach will.

"When you watch him all the time, you get spoiled. I coach him all the time, and I know I'm spoiled with that player," Brind'Amour emotionally added. "It's great that you guys get to see it, because that's what he is, night in, and night out."

"It's just nice that he's doing this on this stage. There's no more deserving player to be getting this attention."