Since the Hurricanes have essentially approached each game in 2019 as a must-win game, the team's attitude wasn't much different heading into Game 3, knowing they wanted to avoid falling in a 3-0 hole.
"We understand it's one game, but it's nice to play the way we played," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said after the game.
GAME 4 PROJECTED LINEUP
Now with the opportunity to hold serve at home and even the series at two before it shifts back to Washington for Game 5, the Canes have discovered the blueprint for playoff success.
"It's never a must-win game until it is, but it is for us. We want to make sure we give our best effort. That's it. That's really all we talk about. If it's not good enough, then it's not good enough," Brind'Amour said after practice on Wednesday. "We know we need to play a certain way to have a chance against these guys. If the bounces don't go your way or something doesn't happen, we have another game, and that's nice to know, but we're definitely approaching it like we have to win."
Filling Holes
The Hurricanes' Game 4 lineup will be missing two critical pieces. Andrei Svechnikov, who scored two goals in the third period of Game 1, was injured in a first-period fight with countryman Alexander Ovechkin in Game 3. The Canes' 19-year-old rookie was helped off the ice, taken the hospital for further evaluation and subsequently released. He is currently in the concussion protocol and won't return to game action until medically cleared.
"We're going to be real careful. We're always careful," Brind'Amour said on Tuesday. "We're certainly not going to rush him back."
Micheal Ferland reaggravated an upper-body injury in the first period of Game 3 and did not return. He didn't practice with the team on Wednesday and remains "a ways away," according to Brind'Amour.
