Hurricanes’ postseason comes to an end as Bruins take 2-1 win to clinch series
Years from now, someone likely will ask Rod Brind’Amour about playing and coaching in the NHL and pose the question, “What was it like in 2020?”
There will be much to pack into an answer. A global pandemic. A months-long pause in the season. A postseason played in a bubble, in a hub city. No fans in the stands.
There will also be another trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs to discuss. But unprecedented. Qualifying rounds. Personally challenging, with families left behind. Games played with a playoff intensity but almost in a vacuum.
For the Canes, the playoffs ended Wednesday. It ended with a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, in the best-of-seven series in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena decided in five games.
On Monday, after the Canes collapsed in the third period of Game 4 in losing 4-3, a somber Brind’Amour noted, “I want to make the people who support this organization proud of how we play.”
This time, the effort and the will was there. Not the goals, not enough bounces. But the effort, the want-to.
“We responded. We walk out of here with our heads high,” Brind’Amour said. “I’m really proud of this team.
“We want to win. We’re sad we’re not still playing. But there’s more to it. We want to be that organization that continually is talked about as having a chance to win, and for our community to be proud of their team and how they play and how they represent.”
The Bruins again did to the Canes what they did a year ago in sweeping them in the Eastern Conference finals: make them pay for their penalties. Boston scored twice in the second period Wednesday on power plays, David Krejci banging a rebound past Petr Mrazek and then Patrice Bergeron providing the dagger.
With the final seconds of the period ticking away, Bergeron grabbed the puck below the goal line extended, wheeled and and whipped a quick, tight angle shot toward the net. The puck glanced off Mrazek’s left skate. The clock showed 2.5 seconds.
It was Bergeron who won Game 1 with his goal off the rush in the second overtime. It would be his goal Wednesday that clinched the series as the Bruins, who led the NHL with 100 points in the regular season, moved on.
It then was clamp-down time again for the Bruins. In Game 4, Boston held the Canes without a shot for the first 18 minutes of the third period in their surging comeback win. On Wednesday, Carolina managed five shots in the third.
“A lot of things added up to this series loss,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said. “That’s a good team and they know how to win games.”
Haydn Fleury’s goal in the first period, on a shot from the right circle, gave the Canes a 1-0 lead after one. But that was the only one goalie Jaroslav Halak and the Bruins allowed as they killed off three penalties, blocked 17 shots and kept the Canes from jamming in a shot in some intense scums around the Boston net.
“It’s that process of knowing and learning how to win,” Brind’Amour said. “I think they were a little more patient with their game.”
As the game came to a close Wednesday, one had to wonder if Justin Williams has played his last NHL game, his last game with the Hurricanes. The winger has made the Canes relevant again, helped make them a playoff team, but at 38 must decide if the time, inevitably, has come to retire.
“He’s such a good person and ambassador for the game,” Brind’Amour said.
And about that question again — about 2020. The coronavirus has disrupted and claimed lives, making pro sports a nice diversion but only that, a diversion. The Canes will leave Toronto and the bubble for more months of reflection and uncertainty.
“The reality of it is we’re playing a game and we’re real fortunate doing it,” Brind’Amour said. “We’re still able to play and try to provide some joy for people. I don’t think we ever took it for granted, and that’s something we try to preach, but at times we maybe do. Going through all this, you just realize how fortunate we are to do this job.
“Then the broader spectrum of it all, we’re going home right now to see our families and we couldn’t be happier to do that. I think everybody in the world realizes that and appreciates your family a lot more, going through all this.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 6:45 PM.
