NEWARK, N.J. -- Learning to lose is a huge part of winning.
“Well, that’s what you say when you lose,” Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said, chuckling.
The Hurricanes trail in the Eastern Conference Second Round following a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is in New York on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
“It’s part of the experience, so maybe that’s the better [explanation],” Brind’Amour said Monday after Carolina skated at the New Jersey Devils’ practice rink. “When you have been through it all, that certainly helps. You learn from everything.”
Never is that more evident than in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the games usually come every second night and having a short memory is crucial when it comes to parking bad performances.
The Hurricanes weren’t bad in Game 1, considering the Rangers were the best team in the League during the regular season and coming off a four-game sweep of the Washington Capitals in the first round.
But they know their special teams deserted them; they were on the penalty kill twice and they allowed a first-shift goal on each one. They had five power plays and did not score.
“Special teams; that’s where the game was last night,” Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “We’ve got a really good penalty kill, but we didn’t do it the right way last night. I mean, they’ve got a really good power play on the other side, too, so you have to respect that.
“At the same time, we have to do the job when we do take penalties, and we didn’t do that job last night. That’s the biggest difference in the game right there.”