Svechnikov rediscovers scoring touch for Hurricanes in playoffs

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Andrei Svechnikov was in a relaxed mood on Thursday, enjoying a second straight day off before the Carolina Hurricanes start preparing for their Eastern Conference Second Round series against the Washington Capitals.

“I don’t feel any pressure right now, you know?” the Hurricanes forward said with a smile. “We will see when the series starts.”

Two days earlier, the 25-year-old wrapped up a dominant performance in a five-game first-round series win against the New Jersey Devils. Svechnikov had six points (five goals, one assist), including the tying goal in Game 5 that helped bring Carolina back from a 3-0 deficit in the second period of a 5-4 win in the second overtime. In Game 4, he put his stamp on the series with a hat trick in a 5-2 victory.

The scoring outburst couldn’t have come at a better time after Svechnikov’s regular season didn’t meet his expectations. He finished with 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) in 72 games but had six points (two goals, four assists) in the final 16 games.

“If you look at my last 20 games, it was hard for me,” he said. “I was trying to find my game. It’s not that easy. I always can do better, always. Especially this season, I could have done it better. I was trying everything, it just didn’t go my way. But, move on and just try to focus on the playoffs.”

Hurricanes coach Rob Brind’Amour began his tenure with the 2018-19 season, months after Carolina selected Svechnikov with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The forward made his debut that season and has been a fixture in the lineup since, scoring between 15-30 goals in each of his seven seasons.

“We love the kid. Everybody does,” Brind’Amour said after the series-ending win on Tuesday. “I think he had, for him, a year that was maybe not great. But this is the time of year that really counts. If he can continue to do this, No. 1, it’s going to be great for us, but for him (too) because he cares. He cares about winning, he cares about contributing. And he’s clearly doing that.”

Forward Taylor Hall, who came to the Hurricanes from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team trade also involving the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 24, played frequently on a line with Svechnikov in the final 31 games of the regular season. Hall, the 2018 Hart Trophy winner voted as the NHL’s most valuable player while with the Devils, believes Svechnikov (6-foot-3, 199 pounds) has yet to play his best.

“He’s a very gifted athlete,” Hall said. “He’s one of those guys you don’t see very often in an NHL locker room. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s got fast-twitch muscles. He can shoot it and he’s got vision. He can be as good as he wants to be.

“I don’t mean for this to be negative, but I still think there’s room for him to grow and get better. To think that he’s still in his mid-20s, I think there’s a lot for him. He wants to be the best. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, maybe a little bit too much like we all do at times.”

Svechnikov's recent success gives him hope that the struggles of the regular season are over. He knows he is a vital piece of Carolina’s playoff puzzle. As Brind’Amour said, “This comes down to, everybody’s got to contribute something. If you’re expected to score, you do have to score.”

Svechnikov knows he is well suited to be such a player. In Game 4, he scored on a snap shot from above the right circle 52 seconds into the game, then tipped in a Seth Jarvis shot on the power play in the second period. He finished the hat trick with an empty-net goal in the third.

“I know I’ve got it in me,” he said. “I’ve got everything in me to be one of the best players out there on the ice. I know that. You’ve got to show up and show it.”

That confidence is exactly what his coach wants to hear.

“I’m glad he feels that way,” Brind’Amour said. “This is the time of year. You need everybody, but obviously [there are] certain players that have that unique game that has to shine. They have to be on the score sheet, have to be impactful in the game, in the series. Clearly, 'Svech' was, and we need him to continue to do that."