'We're A Resilient Bunch': Inside The Canes' Game 2 Victory

RALEIGH, N.C. - After dominating the first period of Game 1, the opening 20 minutes of Game 2 served as something of a wake-up call for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Alternate captain Jordan Martinook knew it, speaking to FanDuel Sports Network in the intermission. One of the team's premier vocal leaders, Martinook called on his comrades to elevate their game as they trailed for the first time this postseason.

"I don't think we were ready to go right from the beginning, like we needed to be," he said. "Obviously, you expect (the Devils) to push, but we needed to come out a little stronger. It felt like the last 10 minutes of that period, we got our game back, and it started looking more like us..."

Fortunately, those last 10 minutes were a harbinger of things to come. Forty minutes later, with Martinook at the forefront scoring once and setting up another, the Hurricanes had a 3-1 win and a 2-0 series lead.

“It was a big push from them, but we couldn’t get away from what has made us successful all year and what continues to make us successful. We just had to double down on that, and we did. We started getting pucks in, started establishing the forecheck a little bit better and we just stuck with it," said Jaccob Slavin, who climbed to third on the franchise's playoff games played leaders list with his 73rd postseason outing on Tuesday.

From Martinook's offensive fireworks, to Frederik Andersen's second sterling showing between the pipes in three nights, to another perfect performance from the team's penalty kill, what began as a tough first period quickly evolved into another classic Canes effort that saw the club take the first two games of a first-round playoff matchup for the fifth straight postseason.

“We didn’t have a great start, but we’re a resilient bunch," said Slavin. "You get Freddie slamming the door back there, he came up with so many big saves tonight. That’s the reason we won the game right there, along with some individual efforts from Martinook and Ghost as well. And special teams obviously will be a huge part of any series, so the kill got the job done tonight and we’ve just got to keep rolling.”

Marty's Here To Party...

Jordan Martinook is a man who can talk the talk and walk the walk, and on Tuesday, he did just that. Following his intermission interview, the 32-year-old was all over the ice in the final 40 minutes and picked up a pair of points, including a sizzling shorthanded snipe that served as the eventual game-winner.

"I can't think of enough good things to say about that game. It might have been his most impactful game as a Hurricane, and he's had a bunch, especially in big moments," said Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour of Martinook.

The goal was a beauty - after a key faceoff win in the defensive zone to start the penalty kill, Dmitry Orlov sprung Martinook down the left wing on a 2-on-1 with Jordan Staal. Martinook looked off his captain and unleashed a laser from the left circle, beating Jacob Markstrom with a perfect shot high to the glove side just minutes after Shayne Gostisbehere had leveled the score for Carolina.

But as big as that goal was, and it was massive, Martinook's game has always been about the details. Winning puck battles, blocking shots, and suffocating defensemen on the forecheck are where his star gets to shine, and in Game 2, he went supernova.

"The goal is huge and if you keep watching, there's tons of blocked shots. The play at the end of the game, that's a special play for the empty netter. He was all over this game for us," added Brind'Amour.

“Marty’s a heart and soul guy, everyone knows that," said Gostisbehere. "He does a lot on the ice, but you guys don’t see the behind-the-scenes stuff he does. He wears a letter for a reason, he’s a great leader for us and it showed.”

Just two years removed from an absurd 10-point run in Carolina's five-game series win over the Devils in 2023, No. 48 is back in his element, playing high-leverage hockey as he and his teammates chase the Stanley Cup.

"I love playoffs. I feel like it brings out the best in me. I love the emotion, the energy, the games. It's the funnest time of year for a reason," he said.

Steady Freddie...

"He's superb, there's no other word for it..."

Shayne Gostisbehere's postgame evaluation of his goaltender, Frederik Andersen, was as succinct as it was accurate. The Danish backstop was once again in fine form on Tuesday, following up a 23-save showing in Game 1 with a stout 25 stops in Game 2.

It was his first set of consecutive starts since the 2024 playoffs, but the added workload didn't seem to faze the veteran. Nor did it seem to bother his coach, who deployed his goaltenders in an every-other-game rotation during the regular season but bucked that trend to start Andersen in both contests to open postseason play.

“We brought (Andersen) in here to be that guy," said Rod Brind'Amour. "We know we’ve got confidence in Kooch too, he’s played really well in stretches too, so we know what he’s capable of. It’s early in the playoffs here, are we going to keep (playing Andersen)? We’ll see how he feels and gauge everything. We know we’ve got to watch it with him. He hasn’t had much of a workload but also that’s a bonus too, that he hasn’t played that much this year. He’s maybe the freshest guy out there.”

Per NaturalStatTrick, Andersen's expected goals against were 4.51 on Tuesday. But for the second straight game, he conceded just once, turning aside 6 of 7 "high-danger" opportunities and making a number of highlight-reel stops.

"You've got to give it to Freddie. He made some unbelievable saves, especially in the third period when they were pushing. I think there were three I can think of off the top of my head, that you just have to tip your cap to him because he was unbelievable tonight. If you don't have those saves, obviously it's a different game. I feel like we tightened up, but whenever we had a lull or a lapse, he was there to shut the door," said Martinook.

Andersen, meanwhile, is quick to credit his teammates for blocking shots and committing to winning battles in all areas of the ice.

"It's just fun to play. This team is just inspiring. I think the biggest description I can use is to really see how hard they play for each other, especially when we're on the penalty kill. Everyone's out there to get through the next play, whether it's blocking a shot or going down and scoring. It's fun to help each other out. When something goes wrong, the next guy's ready to step up," he said.

The past two years have been trying for Andersen, to say the least. From a blood-clotting issue in 2023-24 to a knee injury that required surgery this season, limiting him to just 22 games, No. 31 has battled on and off the ice to get back to where he is now. But through it all, he's still the same Freddie, providing steady play in the crease while serving as a pillar of the locker room.

“You see his demeanor. Whether he has a great game or a game that he’d like to have back, you would never know," said Brind'Amour. "He’s just very, very calm, and I think the way he plays in net is very calming too. So in these moments when it is very chaotic and stressful, it doesn’t really feel like it with him in the net.”

Winning The Special Teams Battle...

Coming into this series, one of the head-to-head points of focus was New Jersey's potent power play (28.2% - 3rd in NHL) against Carolina's stingy penalty kill (83.6% - 1st in NHL).

Through two games, the Canes are 5-for-5 while playing a man down and even scored shorthanded on Tuesday, taking a clear advantage in that arena thus far.

“(Special teams have) been the difference, right? That was a huge, I guess, turning point in the game," said Rod Brind'Amour. "I think it always seems to come down to that, one way or another. Certainly, if it’s really lopsided, then it’s (decisive) for sure, but tonight the game was so tight that that was the turning point. It’s something we preach all the time and we talk about it a lot - you’ve got to win that special teams battle because it is so important.”

The Hurricanes' identity is built on a foundation of detail-focused hockey. If those details slip, the game can quickly do so too, and there's no bigger microscope on the "little things" than the penalty kill.

But since 2018-19, no team has been more successful on the kill than the Canes under Brind'Amour and his staff. Led by Asst. Coach Tim Gleason, Carolina's shorthanded units have made a habit of leveling the playing field against, and often overwhelming, opposing power plays.

“It starts with our PK coach, Gleas. He cares about it as much as all of us, it feels like he’s in the fight with you. When your coach is like that, you want to play as hard as you can," said Jordan Martinook.

"I think we have partners out there - me and Jordo, Fishy and Jarvy - but you try and be a cohesive unit and just outwork the power play," he added. "I think a good penalty kill is always going to outwork a power play. When you know you’re going over the boards to outwork that team or the power play, usually good things happen."

"Usually, you have to sell out and do things that maybe aren’t comfortable, but you know you’re doing it for the team, and that’s the biggest part."

Taking It To Go...

After holding serve at home, Carolina's next challenge comes in hostile territory.

Squaring off in New Jersey for Games 3 and 4, the Canes know the task gets tougher away from the Loudest House in the NHL. While their 31 home wins during the regular season ranked tied for the most in the NHL, the Hurricanes' 16 road victories topped out in a tie for 22nd in the league.

But momentum is king in the playoffs, and the wind is at Carolina's back as they head north. With a chance to take a stranglehold on the series, they'll hit the ice in Prudential Center eager to play the villain role.

“It flips, right? It goes from the crowd favoring you, and there is a different feel to (playing on the road) too where you can silence a crowd," said Rod Brind'Amour. "You’re trying to do that, and if you can get your game going, all of a sudden the buzz is off. That’s what you’re trying to do, but you also know that if it goes the other way, then you’re in one.”

The Hurricanes have also been here before. Since 2000, no team has played on the road in New Jersey in the playoffs more than Carolina. During their last meeting in 2023, the teams shifted north in the same scenario, with the Canes ahead 2-0 on the strength of two home wins.

Between past playoff battles, four regular-season games in the past seven months and now a pair of playoff tilts in Raleigh, there's no shortage of familiarity between these combatants. The arena and environment will change, but between the boards, it's still the same two teams battling it out for every inch of ice.

"We're not going to sit back," said Shayne Gostisbehere. "They know what kind of team we are, we know what kind of team they are, and we're just going to get back to it."