Following the Carolina Hurricanes’ 4-0 shutout victory in Game 3 to secure the 2-1 series lead, head coach Rod Brind’Amour and players met with the media postgame. What did Brind’Amour and the players say to The Hockey Writers (THW) after their win over the Washington Capitals back home in the friendly confines of a sold-out Caniac crowd at the Lenovo Center, aka Loudest House in the NHL?
Andrei Svechnikov
Before Game 3 on Saturday, May 10, during the morning press conference, Andrei Svechnikov was asked by THW about winning on the road and scoring on the power play: Does that set them up better for Game 3 at home? In summary, he stated, “Hopefully, a couple power-play goals get us going tonight,” and safe to say that certainly happened with the team scoring exactly two power-play goals. During the postgame, I brought that moment up during the pregame conference with Svechnikov about the success of the power play. He stated, “I feel like if you score one or two goals on the power play, I feel like you win the game. Just like that.”
Pretty simple and straightforward when it comes to what went right for the Hurricanes in Game 3. The Hurricanes’ power play is 9-for-27 in the postseason, sitting at 33.3%, the best of the remaining teams. Could it stay at this pace? Possibly. However, even if they only score one every other game, that still sets them up to win games, and hopefully end the series sooner so they can get proper rest. The Hurricanes were one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL. If their top-ranked power play and penalty kill keep doing what they’ve done over the eight games in the postseason, it’ll be hard to slow down this team, which is getting hot at the right time.
Eric Robinson
Eric Robinson had himself a night, scoring his first playoff goal with the Hurricanes en route to the 4-0 shutout win. Robinson had a career season across the board and is someone who’s been impactful on and off the scoresheet since day one. The Hurricanes’ depth is what’s been helpful as the season progressed and has set them up to be one of the deepest amongst the remaining teams. To have depth scoring become impactful like it was in Game 3 goes a long way. When asked about how much of an impact his goal was for the Hurricanes, he stated, “It’s obviously big. You always want to contribute in the playoffs when moments are bigger, so it was nice to get one to go in.”
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Robinson and Jack Roslovic‘s goals were huge moments to help the Hurricanes secure the victory. If not for those goals, the complexion of the game could have easily changed. Getting depth scoring in the playoffs helps good teams be great teams because they aren’t relying on only one or two players, maybe a line, to carry the team in the postseason. It takes a full team pulling in one direction to help secure wins and lengthen a playoff run. Regarding the Hurricanes, if their depth scoring can come up big when they need it most, opponents will be hard-pressed to stop this team.
Jack Roslovic
Roslovic, like Robinson, scored his first playoff goal for the Hurricanes in Game 3. He had one of the best scoring seasons of his career tallying 22 goals in 81 games. Roslovic tied his career-best that he set back during the 2021-22 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was healthy scratched for a couple of games to end Round 1, and to come back for the last couple of games and be impactful shows how bought in he is to the system. Being able to sit out, re-enter the lineup, and produce shows why certain guys truly fit in with the Hurricanes’ way. As stated earlier, the Hurricanes’ depth is a huge bonus for the team, and it’s not missed by the players. When asked about the team’s depth, Roslovic stated, “From the day that I got here, I realized the buy-in, and it sounds cliche, but the camaraderie and the way we’re coached and the way we all buy into one system. It’s something that we’ve found to be our crutch.”
It’s the buy-in that goes a long way for a great team to have a deep and successful playoff run. 16 of the 19 skaters the Hurricanes have dressed have at least one point. Even those three who haven’t tallied a point (Jordan Staal, William Carrier, Sean Walker) have contributed off the scoresheet. Brind’Amour always preaches that as long as you’re doing your job and don’t score, at least you’re helping the team win. Production off the scoresheet is just as important as being on it. The fact that the Hurricanes have 16 guys with at least a point goes a long way to keep their season alive and not worry about next season.
Frederik Andersen
Frederik Andersen, “The Great Dane” is on another run now as he had a 21-save shutout in the Game 3 win. For the postseason, he’s 5-2 with a 1.32 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage in seven starts. The way he has been playing is otherworldly, and it speaks to the level of how calm he is in huge moments. To shut out the Capitals in Round 2 of the playoffs showed why the Hurricanes extended him to a one-year deal for the 2025-26 season. When asked about coming home and shutting them out in the win in front of the Caniacs, he stated, “We just wanted to come back and try to protect home ice. The next play is always the most important. We obviously knew we didn’t like our game in Game 2 and that we needed to respond. Got back to it. Obviously took a while, but took the lead and kept it going and protected it.”
Related: Hurricanes Shut Out Capitals 4-0 to Take a 2-1 Series Lead
It shows how important every shift is, and to be able to get out of the first period tied at zero was huge for the Hurricanes. If the Capitals scored there, or even early in the second period, that would be a tough hill to climb. However, the way the Hurricanes held them off and got their first lead in the series after Svechnikov scored opened the floodgates to the eventual win. Taking what they did in Game 2, recognizing what they did wrong, fixing it, executing the changes, and coming out with a 2-1 series lead shows the preparation this team goes through to get back in the win column. There is something different with this Hurricanes team when they play a full 60 minutes of Canes hockey. Even if it takes a bit to get going, once it’s going, watch out.
Rod Brind’Amour
There were a ton of questions for the Hurricanes’ head coach from the media following the team’s win. Everything from line shuffling, to creating offense, etc., was asked of Brind’Amour as his team is now up 2-1 in their Round 2 matchup. Thankfully, THW was able to ask a couple of questions to the team’s legendary player and now head coach.
When asked about the underrated play of Walker and the clutch blocks from Jordan Martinook, Brind’Amour stated, “I’m glad you mentioned Walks. I think he’s been under the radar, really, all year. Whatever we ask him to do, he kind of fills in or takes charge every night. He took the lead back there. He was really solid. Martinook plays the same whether it’s a preseason game or… maybe not preseason, but you know what I mean. That’s kind of the group we have. Love both those guys.”
This goes back to everyone buying in; guys like Martinook will sell out their bodies to help secure wins. Regarding guys like Walker, even if they aren’t on the scoresheet, they will make an impact on the game. He has been one of those guys who has done what Brind’Amour and assistant coach Tim Gleason ask him, he just does it. While it is important to talk about the guys who are always scoring, it is important as well to talk about the guys who make massive impacts off the scoresheet.
Finally, when asked about the Hurricanes’ depth, “Health is huge at this time of the year. You look at the last series, a team that was nicked up and missing three top players. It’s hard to win if you’re not healthy at this time of year. You can get by in a game or two, but over a seven-game series, it’s going to show up. We’ve dealt with that over the last six years in the playoffs. Missing key guys, that’s the difference. Literally a play here or there almost every night that decides it. So when you can have your full group, that gives you your best chance.”
As mentioned earlier, having the healthiest team in the Brind’Amour era gives the Hurricanes the best chance to have a deep playoff run. It’s okay for a game or two, but a seven-game series really shows whose depth outlasts the others. Regarding the Hurricanes, they are one of the healthiest and deepest teams in the playoffs. As long as everyone is available, they are playing with house money to use that as a strategy as the postseason rolls on.
Possible Series Stranglehold in Game 4
Now that Game 3 is done and dusted, the series shifts to Game 4 on Monday, May 12. The Hurricanes look to take a 3-1 series stranglehold after a 21-save performance by Andersen. They are still undefeated at home in the playoffs, going 4-0. Game 4 is set to start with puck drop at 7 p.m. Eastern. It’ll be aired on TNT, truTV, and MAX, while the audio side of the game will be on 99.9 The Fan for Hurricanes fans.
