What Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said after Game 1 NHL playoff win over Sens
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Carolina beat Ottawa 2-0 in Game 1 as Frederik Andersen recorded a 22-save shutout.
- The Canes went 0-for-5 on the power play and had six shots with a two-man advantage.
- Slavin played all but nine seconds of the final 4:17 of regulation.
Rod Brind’Amour’s day-after analysis of the Carolina Hurricanes’ performance in the opening game of the playoffs differed little from what the coach said just after it.
The Canes beat the Ottawa Senators, 2-0, Saturday in Game 1 of the first-round series at Lenovo Center as goalie Frederik Andersen had a 22-save shutout and the Logan Stankoven line provided the points — Stankoven and Taylor Hall each with a goal and assist, and winger Jackson Blake with a pair of assists.
Brind’Amour’s thoughts on Sunday:
– Andersen was terrific but so was Sens goalie Linus Ullmark.
– The Canes failed to score on two 5-on-3 power plays but had their chances.
– A four-minute-plus shift by defenseman Jaccob Slavin at the end of the game was impressive.
– In what was a very physically taxing game, with 96 combined hits, the Canes came out of it fine, physically.
– The Canes’ playoff experience showed in a tight game.
“It was a good game,” Brind’Amour said Sunday. “It was the way we have to play and it was just good enough. That’s what we’re dealing with here. We have a tremendous amount of respect for who we’re playing against and how they play.
“We’re doing everything we can to limit what we’re giving up because we’re not going to get a ton. I don’t think there was a lot, either way. Most of the chances came off the power play. So, it’s a tight one. … You’re fighting every shift to get that little edge.”
The Canes were 0-for-5 on the power play and the Senators 0-for-4. Carolina had eight power-play shots — six with a two-man advantage. Ottawa had seven power-play shots.
“We had a couple of really good chances,” Brind’Amour said of the power plays. “Both goalies played, I thought, really well. Most of our chances came on the 5-on-3. We had two or three really good looks … and you’d like to score on those, obviously, because those don’t come very often. But we got away with not scoring on ‘em.”
The Senators’ last power play came with 2:35 left in regulation, and they pulled Ullmark out of net for a sixth attacker. The Canes hunkered down around Andersen as Slavin played all but nine seconds of the final 4:17 of regulation.
Ottawa used its timeout with 45 seconds left for a brief respite, but Slavin did not leave the ice until play was stopped with nine seconds showing.
“It’s his time to shine, you know?” Brind’Amour said. “If he feels like he can stay out there, you’re going to give him that benefit, without a doubt.”
The Canes and Sens face off in Game 2 on Monday, with a 7:30 p.m. start at Lenovo Center. The best-of-seven series then moves to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4.
