Hurricanes’ mindset ahead of Game 6 against Islanders: ‘New day, a new opportunity’
The Carolina Hurricanes put in a spirited 45-minute practice Thursday at PNC Arena, with a lot of chatter and chirping on the ice, before heading to RDU.
Another flight to Long Island and another playoff game against the New York Islanders is not being taken as a negative. It’s the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nothing comes easily.
“It’s a new day, a new opportunity,” Canes goalie Antti Raanta said Thursday. “I think everybody’s excited to get back there. Having the day off yesterday, you can see everybody is more energetic today.”
Had the Canes won Game 5 on Tuesday, the first-round series would be over. They didn’t and it’s not. Game 6 is Friday at the Islanders’ UBS Arena and a Game 7, if necessary, would be played Sunday in Raleigh.
“It’s hard to close it out,” Canes forward Seth Jarvis said Thursday. “Everyone is desperate. Everyone wants to keep playing.”
The Islanders came to Raleigh facing a 3-1 deficit in the series after the Canes’ 5-2 win Sunday at UBS Arena. Jarvis had two goals and the Canes, who never trailed in the game, got another strong start from Raanta.
But the Islanders did everything they needed to stay alive in Game 5. They scored first. They converted two Canes turnovers into goals and took advantage of a bizarre play — the Canes’ Sebastian Aho getting hit in the face with a shot and the Isles’ Brock Nelson then scoring — to take a 3-2 victory.
The Canes outshot the Islanders 36-22 in Game 5 and had a 29-20 edge in even-strength shots.
“It’s tough, because you feel like you played good enough to win, but the bounces didn’t quite go our way,” Jarvis said. “But we played the way we wanted to play. We said after the game that was probably one of our best games of the series, just in terms of 5-on-5 finding our stride and figuring out how we wanted to play and how we wanted to attack the game.
“So in that way, it felt good. But you never want to be OK with losing.”
Judging from Thursday’s practice — and the Canes will not hold a morning skate Friday — it appears the line combinations and defensive pairs will remain the same.
Forward Jack Drury, injured in Game 4, was back on the ice Thursday in a yellow no-contact jersey but will not make the trip, coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Vasily Ponomarev, one of the callups from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, will be the extra forward.
Adding some intrigue to Game 6 is the Canes’ goaltending situation, and what Brind’Amour had to say about it. Raanta has started every game, but Brind’Amour conceded Thursday there was a “chance” that Frederik Andersen could play Game 6 and make his first playoff appearance with the Hurricanes.
Raanta said he felt good and had no issue in starting five straight playoff games — and a sixth or seventh, if need be.
“When you get into a rhythm and it’s game, day off, game, day off, you don’t have time to think about it, really,” Raanta said Thursday. “You just go and do it again. You don’t really get tired or anything. You just go out there, do your best and try to get the win.”
Raanta got the win in Game 4 at UBS Arena despite a “blowout” in the back of his goalie pants, The pants were repaired and Raanta wore them again in Game 5, joking Thursday, “They were a little tight, so we’ll blame the loss on that.”
Many prognosticators gave the Islanders an edge in net entering the best-of-seven series. Ilya Sorokin’s regular season was stellar — 31 wins, 2.34 goals-against average — and the 27-year-old goalie was so dependable.
“He’s world class, we know that,” Brind’Amour said Thursday. “There are certain goalies you can tell when they’re in that groove ... they’re ahead of it. He was in that groove the other night.”
Sorokin had three pucks get past him in Game 5, although the first, on a Canes power play, did not count when it was ruled Carolina was offside entering the zone before the goal.
The Canes’ Paul Stastny scored on a redirection and Aho returned after getting stitched up to score his 21st career playoff goal, a franchise best.
Brind’Amour said the Game 5 loss was a tough one given the Canes’ overall play.
“But it’s a new day and a new challenge,” he said. “When that times comes tomorrow night, our guys are going to seize that moment and give it their best, like they have really every game this year.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
