Scrimmage Dials Up Competition in Camp

The puck drops in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers in exactly two weeks.

The Carolina Hurricanes will square off with the New York Rangers at noon on Aug. 1, the first match in a five-game Saturday slate that ushers in the return of hockey after a near five-month pause.

And the stakes are as high as ever, as the Canes prepare to begin their 19-win quest for the Stanley Cup.

"We all know what we're here for. We want to practice and battle as hard as we can. I feel like everybody is well motivated, Nino Niederreiter said after the team's training camp practice on Saturday. "I think everybody is just excited to go to Toronto and get the games going."

The Canes spent Friday in the room running through off-ice workouts and digesting video. It was back on the ice on Saturday for one of the most competitive days of camp thus far. The 29 players on the team's return to play roster skated as one group, warming up with a few drills and running through some set scenarios before diving into a loose Red-White scrimmage.

"The first day was really fast, and it's just picked up from there. We had a good scrimmage day today," Hadyn Fleury said. "The pace was high. It was as physical as it can be when you're playing against your buddies and teammates."

Camp has been a steady build for the Canes, and Video: "We all know what we're here for.". The first week has been Video: "We all know what we're here for.", with aspects of the team's game being incrementally added to the mix.

The intrasquad scrimmage dialed up the competitiveness and intensity, something Brind'Amour envisions drawing out for another few days before keying in on some specific aspects they can expect to see from their qualifying round opponents in two weeks.

"It's been real positive, overall. I really can't think of anything negative. That's good. Now, it's just trying to continue this momentum and getting better," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We did more of a competitive day today, and you can see there are a lot of areas we need to get better at, but overall, I like where it's going."

For the most part, the scrimmage was rather freewheeling, a chance for the players to apply what they've absorbed in the last week and an opportunity for the coaches to identify areas of improvement moving forward.

There were certain situational aspects built in, too, like special teams work for either side.

"Today, I wanted to stop myself from trying to get too technical. This is more about the guys. This is the first time we actually went at it against each other a little bit, just let them feel it out. It might be another day or two of that before we start blowing the whistle every time there's something that needs to be corrected," Brind'Amour said. "When you first get back from a long break, the timing of everything is rough, and you're worrying about that more than being in the right position. That's why there's still a build-up here to go through."

At one point during the scrimmage, Fleury weaved his way in on the right side and snapped a shot that went off the post and in for a red goal.

A little reminiscent of Erik Cole, Video: "We all know what we're here for." of the Raleigh News & Observer joked.

"I don't think I have speed like Erik Cole did back in the day," Fleury laughed. "That guy could fly. He's probably going to like the compliment I'm giving him here. I wouldn't give him that on the golf course."

The day's practice wrapped up with a neutral-zone game in which the first team to score three times in a row (1-on-0, 2-on-0 and 3-on-0) wins the game. Teuvo Teravainen led the way for red, scoring all three goals.

"Everybody's competitiveness is for sure at a high level," Brind'Amour said. "Having a break for as long as we did and then coming back, knowing the stakes are so high … this is the best [training camp] I've been around because of those reasons."

The Canes will be back on the ice Sunday, a week before departing for the Toronto bubble, or, more officially, the Phase 4 Secure Zone. There, the team will continue to train and face the Video: "We all know what we're here for." (Wednesday, July 29, 4 p.m.) prior to the beginning of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

With every passing day of camp, the competitiveness and intensity continue to build.

"We've just got to get game ready and do all the little things right," Niederreiter said. "We're definitely a very highly motivated team."