Playoff Notebook: Looking Back & Moving On

ELMONT, NY. -The Carolina Hurricanes did not take to the ice on Saturday, electing to use their time to review video and hold meetings following
Friday's Game 3 defeat to the New York Islanders
.
There were many layers to last night's defeat, good and bad, and Rod Brind'Amour, Jordan Staal, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi met with the media to discuss them.

#

Breaking Down The Power Play

Although last night was a 1-1 game with five minutes left in regulation, Brind'Amour said it was "a miracle" that his team still found themselves in that position. Citing his team being in the box as much as they were in the second half of the game as his reasoning for that, the head coach also shared that he felt his team wasn't able to get to the flow of their game, despite having a strong start.
Combine that with not being able to find success on their own man advantages, it was not a fruitful recipe for the group.
"(The power play) wasn't good. We rushed things. We got in and we got set, and guys were just seeing if we could score, not letting the plays happen," Brind'Amour offered. "We were just a little out of sync and didn't even really have a good look. We had a couple of shots here and there, but nothing threatening. We didn't let it happen and we have to trust ourselves a little more."
Struggling during the regular season and a key reason in the group's downfall during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the positive side of special teams will continue to be a topic of discussion for the remainder of this series, at minimum.
"We're taking the first chance we can to get it to the net, but we're trying to run a set. That's why it looks like that," Brind'Amour continued when asked if he felt that his team spends too much time on the perimeter during their power plays. "All the intentions are good, everyone's trying to do the right things. I think we try a little too hard sometimes in that area because we know how important it is. That's our chance to win the game."
The head coach finished on the subject by saying that the special teams units could look a little different again on Sunday for Game 4.

Elsewhere In Game 3

Carolina's lone goal on the evening came during a shorthanded two-on-one connection between Staal and Jesper Fast.
Obviously, not a sustainable way to find production, it was the latest venture for the offense as they try to find scoring without Andrei Svechnikov, Max Pacioretty, Ondrej Kase, and now Teuvo Teravainen - a quartet that combined for 85 goals during the 2021-22 regular season and were expected to be marquee players for the group this time of year.
"Clearly we're a different team without those guys," Brind'Amour said of the injuries and their absence. "All that's really happened is that our margin has really been cut down. We don't have time to take the extra penalty, because we're not going to have time to make up for it. We have to be at our best in every little part of the game in order to win and we weren't last night."
As for the man that did find twine, just 48 hours after playing the hero in Game 2, the Captain had nothing but praise for his linemate.
"Quickie's heating up at the right time... I think this year he's been frustrated a bit and it's nice to see the puck going in for him," Staal remarked. "He's so much fun to play with. You know what you're getting every night. He's going to work harder than anyone else on the ice and find ways to help the team win. He does the little things and it's nice to see him get rewarded."

Onward To Tomorrow

As much as there were frustrations with last night's outcome, the crew was just as eager to look ahead to Sunday's Game 4.
"We know how the playoffs go. You've got to have a short-term memory and move on," Brind'Amour provided. "It's more about us just turning the page and getting excited for the opportunity that you're going to have tomorrow."
Set for a 1 p.m. start tomorrow, the team remains in search of its first road playoff win in nearly two calendar years.
The only major lineup question going into the affair is if the group will stick with Antti Raanta in net for a fourth consecutive game.
Don't let Friday's final score fool you, the veteran netminder was stellar in defeat, making a series-high 32 saves.
Why it's even something to keep an eye on is because a start on Sunday would be the fourth in seven days for the 33-year-old, a workload which he has not experienced all season. Raanta started four games in eight days in December as a part of a stretch where he started five contests in a row, but his very next start after that he suffered an injury that held him out of the lineup for nearly three weeks.
Brind'Amour said ahead of the series that the team could continue their rotation between Raanta and Frederik Andersen, but in addition to Raanta taking the reigns with a pair of victories, Andersen missed Game 2 due to an illness. Andersen did not play in last night's Game 3 either, as Pyotr Kochetkov backed up Raanta, but Brind'Amour said pre-game that Andersen could have dressed if they needed him.
"We've had a couple of tough stretches in games and he kept us in it," Kotkaniemi said of his fellow countryman, Raanta. "It's huge to have a great goalie in the playoffs (and he's been that)."
Worth A Click:
Teravainen Undergoes Surgery On Left Hand
Canes Recall Six From Chicago
Canes Recall MacEachern From Chicago
Burns' Impact & Experience In His First Season As A Hurricane
Burns Named Chiasson Award Winner
Canes and Islanders Round One Schedule
Learn More About Season Ticket Memberships For The 2023-24 Season