Canes Remaining Focused While On The Cusp Of The Cup

RALEIGH, N.C. - Being one win away from winning the Stanley Cup is a wonderful thing.

The next time the Carolina Hurricanes touch the ice, each player has an opportunity to have their name chiseled into history, walking forever with their group of brothers.

However, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for many, also comes with added responsibilities.

Every member of the roster, coaching staff, training staff, equipment staff, etc., would tell you that they wouldn't be in this position without a support system that made countless sacrifices to get them where they are today. A lot of those people, rightfully, should be a part of the could-be celebration potentially coming on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. There are also those in secondary circles who think they should be a part of the celebration.

Figuring out those logistics of how to make it possible, and how to tell some no, is another beast. Booking last-second flights, setting up hotels, securing tickets, and all that's necessary can be overwhelming, to say the least.

Thankfully, after taking care of business in last night's Game 5 at Lenovo Center, the Canes have a pair of days between games to try and make it work, including a day off the ice on Friday.

"That's kind of part of it. It's one of those good problems to have," Rod Brind'Amour said as he met with the media on Zoom. "We're going to have to dial it in. I think that helps us, having a little bit of a two-day break, so they get some of this stuff out of the way today. Then, we're back to business here tomorrow."

Brind'Amour knows how this goes, first-hand.

The 2006 Hurricanes team had a 3-1 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers, providing an opportunity to close things out in Game 5 in Raleigh. That didn't happen.

They then had to go through the same process for Game 6 in Edmonton, where, again, it didn't happen.

Making their reservations one final time for Game 7, they were rewarded, but not before a few headaches.

"It's not ideal," the head coach added. "We've got to get that all figured out, and then get ready to play a game, because we know how hard it's going to be, and refocus."

Continuing on to say that he doesn't think it'll be too hard for the group to dial back in, the opportunity of the moment is not lost on the group. Preparing for Vegas' ultimate desperation, they're cognizant that if they don't take care of business, momentum swings in the opposition's favor, and it would be a long two more days before the biggest competition of their lives.

"It's the hardest one. We talk about this all the time," Brind'Amour supplemented. "You have a team that you're playing that knows how to win and has done it. We know they're not going away, and you've got a little more distractions now. You're not only playing a team that gets it, now you've added the distractions too. It's a little more difficult, and we've got to manage that, and still have to play your best game if you expect to have a chance to win. That's really the focus."

"It's like every other series, the fourth one is always the hardest. It's got to be executed well," Jordan Staal offered. "Their backs are against the wall. It's going to need everything we have, that's the bottom line. We're going to need everybody. It's going to be everything they have, and we have to find a way."

Find a way, just like they did on Thursday, as they claimed their 3-2 series advantage at home.

Felt in the locker room as their most complete performance of the battle thus far, the 4-2 victory didn't require a flurry of three goals in under six minutes, nor entail a sloppy second period.

"It's the closest to a full 60 that we've played in the last five games. Obviously, that's a positive," Nikolaj Ehlers reviewed. "But, we've also got to realize how we played, how we did those things, and how we need to play to give ourselves a chance, because we're playing against a really good team."

Perhaps an indication that the series is finally settling down and becoming tighter, a situation the group is comfortable in, there was plenty to like about the effort.

"I think we've gone through a lot of emotion, a lot of ups and downs. The guys have consistently stuck with what we do, and I thought (Game 5) was one of our better games for that," Staal continued. "It's starting to look more and more like Hurricane hockey and we've got to keep riding that."

But the upcoming trip, after all, is a business one.

"This series, we've been trailing a lot, and honestly, I think we need to keep that mindset. We need to be hungry," Brandon Bussi said when asked to look ahead. "We're going there for Game 6, and we're probably going to see the best version of them, right? We're going to probably see the best version of them for whatever happens. I think that only means we need to continue to step it up."

When the distractions are over and the work boots are on, it's where this organization has wanted to be since the first day of training camp, what it's been building toward since the start of the Brind'Amour era, and dreaming of since 2006.

"It's pretty crazy. But, it's one win away," Sean Walker said. "We'll just go into Vegas with the same mindset that we've had all playoffs, play our game, and hopefully get the result we want."

"Obviously, it's going to be really hard. It's going to be a really tough game, but we're excited for it," Ehlers added. "We're ready for it. This team has been working all year for moments like these, and especially this moment. So, we're excited."