The night before the Senators flew to Raleigh for Game 1 of the playoffs, Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson were watching old NHL playoffs highlights dating back as early as the year 2000 — before Stützle was even alive — to get them fired up for the games ahead.
“A lot of excitement, and just seeing the crowd, pretty awesome,” said Stützle of those clips, speaking to the media on Friday morning after practice. “We’ve been in the mood for a long time now. I feel like we’ve been playing playoff hockey since the 40-game mark.”
Travis Green led the Senators through a series of drills with more intensity than normal ahead of Saturday’s playoff opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. After the practice, the Sens set out for Raleigh, N.C, where they’ll meet the Hurricanes at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
“I thought today’s practice was fast, and there was a lot of purpose in our practice, the players were dialled in,” said Green.
“You probably see that around the league though; everyone knows that this is why you play the game. You grow up as a kid waiting to play playoff hockey. There’s no team that’s different in the league, they’re all excited to play right now.”
Green said that with the team knowing they’d be playing the Hurricanes since Tuesday, there were a couple of extra days of prep work leading up to a practice focused specifically on preparing for their first-round opponent.
“It’s going to take a lot, I mean, it’s the best team in the East,” said Thomas Chabot. “We know we’re in the underdog position; we know where we’re at, but I have a lot of belief in our group. This is going to be a hard-fought series, it’s going to be tight every night, I expect. And you know what, [Carolina is] a tough building to play in. That building brings a lot of energy even in the season. Until the first TV timeout, that’s a team that comes real hard.”
Defenceman Tyler Kleven skated with the group for the first time since taking a puck to the face on April 2. He donned a yellow non-contact jersey and was wearing a jaw protection shield along with his visor at the practice.
“He’s closer to playing, obviously he’s out with the group,” said Green, who didn’t rule him out from returning as soon as Game 1.
“It’d be huge, I mean, he’s been such a big piece to this team all year, he’s played so good,” said Thomas Chabot. “His presence, how physical he is, how strong he is, there’s not many guys like him out there. So obviously if we could get him, hopefully either next game or in the next couple games, it’ll be a big add for us for sure.”
If Kleven isn’t ready go for Game 1, one possibility for the bottom pairing is Dennis Gilbert, who skated alongside Nikolas Matinpalo on Friday. Gilbert has played 119 NHL games over the past eight seasons but has yet to make his postseason debut.
“Obviously it’s a high-intensity, high-pressure situation, but this is what everybody dreams of doing and what everybody wants to do,” said Gilbert. “That’s kind of been my mindset throughout the last bunch of years of my career, is be a good pro, be ready to rock and roll, and make sure you’re putting the work in so you’re ready to jump in whenever.”
Gilbert suffered an upper-body injury against Toronto on March 21 but was able to rehab and get back to game shape ahead of schedule. He appeared for the Sens against New Jersey on April 12 and Toronto on April 15.
“I wouldn’t say nerves, I think it’s just a really exciting opportunity for all of us,” said Gilbert when asked about the opportunity to make his playoff debut on the road in Carolina.
“Those electric buildings that you get a chance to play in, it feels like it’s 1-1 with eight minutes left to go in the third on the opening faceoff. That’s that high-leverage, high-pressure hockey that we train so hard to get ready for, and I think we’re up for the challenge.”
