Undefeated Hurricanes still chasing ‘perfect game' in Stanley Cup Playoffs

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes’ start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been near perfect.

The Hurricanes are 5-0 though their first five games, they have yet to trail and didn’t allow more than two goals in any of those games. As pleased as they are about that, though, there was a sentiment following their 3-0 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on Saturday that they have some areas they need to clean up heading into Game 2 of the best-of-7 series at Lenovo Center on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

“All these games that we've played could have gone the other way,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Sunday. “A bounce here or there and now all a sudden it looks different. We're always chasing the perfect game. I have yet to see it, so there’s a lot to get better.”

Brind’Amour said a review of the video of Game 1 was “pretty much accurate” to how the Hurricanes’ felt about their play in the immediate aftermath. Carolina jumped to a 2-0 lead in the opening 7:30 and was in control from there.

“It was a good start, and then kind of got through it in the third without too much damage,” Brind’Amour said. “It wasn't our best period, that's for sure.”

The positives were the same that carried the Hurricanes through their four-game sweep of the Ottawa Senators in the first round. The second line, with Logan Stankoven (two goals) centering Jackson Blake (one goal, one assist) and Taylor Hall (one assist), continued to drive the offense.

The penalty kill was 4-for-4, yielding only two shots on goal (each during a 6-on-4 late in the third period), to improve to a League-best 24-for-25 (96 percent) for the playoffs. The Hurricanes limited the Flyers to 19 total shots, 13 during 5-on-5 play, and goalie Frederik Andersen stopped them all to post his second shutout of the postseason.

“The PK was solid and 5-on-5 play, we didn’t give them too much,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “Freddie was great when he needed to be, and it's a good start to the series.”

So much is going right for Carolina that defenseman Mike Reilly played his first game of the postseason and had two assists in place of Alexander Nikishin, who wasn’t ready to return from a concussion he sustained in Game 4 against Ottawa, and remains questionable for Game 2.

Still, the Hurricanes felt they were sloppy in some areas, even on defense.

“You don't want to give up as many chances as we do,” forward Jordan Martinook said. “You look at all the plays that maybe it's getting a puck out here or a missed clear.”

The Hurricanes were able to get away with those misplays in Game 1, but they know that to go on a long run in the playoffs and, ultimately, win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006, they need to keep pushing themselves.

“You’re striving for greatness,” Martinook said. “And when you are giving up a chance, you want to look at it and figure out how you can eliminate that. So, I think we're no different than any other team. There's things that we can clean up every game, and we're going to do that and try and bring our best game every time we go on the ice.”

The most glaring facet of the Hurricanes’ game that needs to improve is their power play, which was 0-for-4 Saturday with five shots on goal, but also four short-handed shots against. Carolina is just 2-for-19 (10.5 percent) with the man-advantage in the playoffs.

“It’s got to score at some point,” Brind’Amour said. “But we did some good things.”

Brind’Amour has a similar view of the Hurricanes top line of Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, which has yet to produce a goal at 5-on-5 in the playoffs.

“I think there is another level that they’re going to need to get to, for sure, but I think they're doing other things that are helping us, too,” Brind’Amour said. “Obviously, your top guys have got to score at some point, get on the scoresheet, because they're playing so many minutes. But I do like the intent of which they're playing.”

Svechnikov picked up his first point of the postseason with an assist on Stankoven’s second goal Saturday. Jarvis also got his third assist (and point) of the playoffs on that goal. His other two assists came on Aho’s empty-net goals in Game 4 in Ottawa.

Aho’s only other goal was essentially was scored short-handed – one second after a Senators power play expired in 3-2 double overtime victory in Game 2. That line will probably need to start producing at some point, particularly if opponents begin to focus on shutting down Stankoven’s line.

Aho said their focus is solely on the results, though, and those have been very good so far.

“At this time of the year, you play for the win,” Aho said. “Don’t get me wrong; everyone wants to be on the scoresheet. I know we’ve got some better hockey in us and I’m confident in our line, but having said that, that’s stuff is so secondary. Not even secondary, it’s irrelevant, to be quite honest, who scores.

“You play to win a hockey game and that’s it.”