Playoff Notebook: A Chance To Wrap Things Up

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes will have a chance to put away the New York Islanders on Tuesday, after
taking a decisive 5-2 victory on Sunday at UBS Arena
.
Rod Brind'Amour's group did not skate on Monday, but the head coach, along with Mackenzie MacEachern and Stefan Noesen, met with the media.

Health Updates on Andersen, Drury

By now injuries are nothing new to the Canes, as they've reached this point already down Ondrej Kase, Max Pacioretty, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Teravainen.
That list grew by two on Sunday, as pre-game Brind'Amour somewhat surprisingly shared that goaltender Frederik Andersen was unavailable after tweaking something during warmups earlier in the series. Then, during the first period, Jack Drury was boarded from behind by Ryan Pulock, causing him to miss 55+ minutes of the game.
Fortunately, though, it doesn't sound like either will miss significant time.
In fact, both could be in the lineup tomorrow.
The Canes' head coach shared that the rookie Drury was feeling better today after his scary incident on Long Island and Andersen could be an option in net for the club.
Already short-staffed at forward, if the 23-year-old Harvard product is able to go, it would be a welcomed boost for the group. If not, Derek Stepan was the team's healthy odd man out on Sunday.
On the other hand, Andersen would fully reinstate the club having three options in the crease. The job appears to be Antti Raanta's to lose after his performance thus far through four games, but perhaps the two-game cushion changes the mentality of the coaching staff when it comes to Game 5. Could we see one of either Andersen or Pyotr Kochetkov? Or do they stick with the netminder that's gotten them this far?

MacEachern's Big Day

Unsurprisingly, the 29-year-old forward was asked to answer questions again the day after his two-point performance in his Canes debut.
As humble as could be, MacEachern said he had a plethora of calls and texts following yesterday's game.
"It's pretty surreal to just hop into a playoff game," he reflected. "I played in a couple (NHL playoff games) but none with fans, so to see that atmosphere was just insane. I just was just trying not to overthink it and play like it's another game."
Although the moment came in a way that the now seventh-year pro could have never imagined, putting himself in this position was something he'd been envisioning since he inked with the team in July.
"I had a couple of different offers, but I just thought that this style, this organization fit my game the most. Whether it's at the NHL or AHL level, I know that they both have resumes of winning," MacEachern continued of his free agency last summer and what ultimately led him to the Canes. "I just wanted to be in a winning organization that played the right way. That's what attracted me to Carolina."
Yesterday's undeniably special story was just the latest in what's now become a hectic stretch of eight days for the 6-foot-2 forward.
Last Sunday, he played in the final game of the season with the AHL's Chicago Wolves. Monday, he had an exit meeting with Head Coach Brock Sheahan and was informed that he'd be traveling to Carolina to be a part of the "black aces" group on Thursday. When Thursday rolled around, after his 8 a.m. flight from Chicago to Raleigh, he was told that Teuvo Teravainen's injury meant he'd have to hop on a second flight that day, jetting from Raleigh to New York with the team for Games 3 & 4. After taking warmups on Friday and the team's eventual defeat, he was then told by the Canes coaching staff on Saturday to come ready to play on Sunday. And as he said today, culminating his description of the events, "The rest is history."

Noesen's Power Play Prowess Continues

Sunday's affair was the second time this series that Carolina has struck twice on the man advantage. Now with five goals in four games, Stefan Noesen has factored in on four of the tallies, producing two goals and two assists.
"I think last night you saw five guys all on the same page," the Plano, TX-born forward began. "On the power play, you need five guys clicking all at the same time... It's something that we've talked about for a while."
Noesen's four points on the man advantage pace the group during postseason play and his stellar no-look assist to Martin Necas yesterday caught the attention of many.
"I made a pass earlier in the series where I was hoping he was there and he wasn't. So, that one kind of stunk," he said with a laugh. "But it was a play that we've talked about and we thought we could capitalize on, given the opportunity. I don't know what happened on their end, but he was wide open and it was nice."

Up Next

Tomorrow's Game 5 puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at PNC Arena.
If you can't make it to the game (
view available ticket inventory here
), it will be broadcast on both Bally Sports South and ESPN.
Carolina Ale House
is also the official watch party location for all Canes postseason contests.
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