The Carolina Hurricanes have jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over the Ottawa Senators thanks to a 2-1 Game 3 victory.
Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven each scored, while Frederik Andersen made 21 saves in the win.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Blake, Stankoven, Andersen, Taylor Hall and Jaccob Slavin spoke with the media in Ottawa. Here's what they had to say:
10 Observations: Hurricanes On Precipice Of Sweeping Senators Hurricanes' stifling defense and unstoppable second line push them to the brink of sweeping the Senators. Unwavering penalty kill seals another victory.
On if the penalty kill was the difference maker in the game: Well, both penalty kills. Theirs was good and ours was really good too, so it kind of cancels each other out. Obviously the 5v3 was a big turning point in the game, or could have been. Let's put it that way.On the second line: They've been really special, obviously. Doesn't take much to see that. They're contributing and putting goals up for us and playing very, very well. On the response goal: Everybody always talks about those shifts after goals and that type of thing. Every shift is important, but it did take... the momentum was going the other way and so then that settled it down a little bit. Obviously it also turned out to be the winner. [That line] was very good.On the faceoff: I guess we were better at it. I didn't check the numbers, but it was a point of contention there for a little bit and we had to better and I guess we were.On Logan Stankoven: That's how he's played all year. Just the puck wasn't going in the net for a long stretch, but it was chance after chance. Now, like I said, it's the law of averages maybe working in his favor here. It's the right time to be having that happen.On Frederik Andersen: Solid. That's what you need out of goaltending. Just solid. Obviously he made a couple of real big saves, but he's just a calming influence back there right now. It's the most important position, we know it. Their guy played great and our guy matched it shot for shot. Need it.On Jordan Staal and Jaccob Slavin playing a big part on the 5v3 kill: Those guys were huge tonight. The penalty kill was good, but those are two of the guys that are out there for most of it. They did a tremendous job.On getting to their game early: We started out well. Obviously scoring first helps. Then all the penalties for them and then us. Then the game kind of went out the window to be quite honest. Then we never could really get any kind of rhythm going, certainly in the second. Then kind of hung in there in the third a little bit, but it's nice to have a lead.On the major penalty review: That's how they should do those things. I've been an advocate for review with penalties for forever going back like eight years ago. Get it right. So they got the call right. It wasn't a five-minute major. It's not egregious, but clearly a penalty, so they got the call right.On silencing the home crowd: That's how you want to play on the road in the playoffs, for sure. At the end of the night, if you can say that, that's usually a good thing for the road team. Again, the start was important and then I thought we just played hard the rest of the night. Everyone contributed and that's how we have to get it done.
On if the quick response goal was key to killing any potential momentum for Ottawa: I think so. I mean, they scored one and the building erupted a little bit there and I don't know if they got a little momentum there, but to just get that quick answer right away was really big for us. As a group, we had so many kills tonight that were really big on our momentum side. But that goal was definitely one of them too.On his goal: It's all [K'Andre Miller] there, for sure. That's why he makes the big bucks, right? His vision and what he does out there. Everything he does is so big and not many defensemen, not many guys in the whole league can see that play. He's one of the guys that can.On the value of Taylor Hall's experience: He's one of the guys driving the bus right now. A huge piece for our group and for me and Stanks, to play with a guy like that who's been around for a while and has had so much success in this league, it's been great to have him there for advice. He's always talking, which is big. He's been great for us.On Frederik Andersen: He's been unbelievable. I don't know if there's a goalie in the world playing as good as he is right now. We're 3-0, but that could be a different story if Freddie's not back there playing the way he is. He's made some big saves and given us a lot of momentum and hope to go out there and play for him. He's been great.
On if he's tired of coming up to the podium every game: No. I think it's a good thingOn his goal: It's nice. I think it's just a good feeling to start the game and it kind of takes a little bit of pressure off of us. Obviously they were gonna be excited to come out and try and steal this one, so it was nice to just kind of settle things down there.On if the penalties disrupted the flow of the game: I think yes and no. I think we had our fair share of power plays as well, so we did get out there and obviously didn't do what we wanted to do, but I think we did get some puck touches, so at least you're in the game. If it's the other way around and it's just a bunch of kills, then it's tough to get into it.On Eric Robinson's effort on his goal: I think there's a lot of different things that happen throughout the game and just little details that allow guys to put the puck in the net. Obviously it's nice when you're able to contribute, but a lot of guys do the little things that create those goals and that's what we need moving forward here.
On the keys to the game: PK, Freddie, our centermen doing a great job on faceoffs. I think that was the key to frustrating them. Bit of a weird game with so many power plays and not a lot of momentum for either side, but those are games that are tight and you have to win if you want to take the series. We're feeling good about ourselves, but the hardest one to win is always that fourth win. They're going to give their best and we're gonna have to do the same.On Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake's growing maturity: They're great hockey players. They have a lot of offensive prowess and just knowing where to be. And they're really good at just seeing what's going to happen one, two, three plays ahead and that's why Blaker got open on that play. All night, we were playing in their end, supporting each other, returning over pucks. It's so fun to play like that with them.On winning matchups: Rod was giving us some tougher matchups as the season went, especially after the deadline and so I think he was kind of easing us into some of those matchups against first and second lines. Stutzle there, they were trying to play him against us a lot last game. So there's a job to do and you can kind of get maybe a little bit panicky when you see that because you're maybe not used to playing against guys like that, but we've done a good job of just playing our game and doing what we do best.On the 5v3 penalty kill: I mean, 1:28, that's not easy. The PK was incredible. The playoffs are interesting with power plays and penalty kills. Once you get a handle on what a team's doing, like they have a pretty good handle on what our power play is doing. So there's always that chess match and our PK is so experienced and has seen so many different things over the years, that we have a ton of confidence in them.On his play before the go-ahead goal: I whiffed on a pass and then I knew it was in my feet, so if someone was gonna come take it from me, they were gonna have to knock me over and I just tried to hold my ground. But Key made a good play just jumping in at the right time. He wasn't too early or way ahead of the play. There's times to make plays in the playoffs. You still have to score goals to win. That's one of those plays that you might look back on and really like.On Frederik Andersen: Unreal. Super calm. Everything was in front of him. Last year in the playoffs, he seemed to get to another level. I was shooting on him just before Game 1 and he just seemed way more locked in. I'm not saying he wasn't locked in for the regular season, but I think he has a level that he gets to in the playoffs, a focus and determination. He's our rock back there.On if low-event games are fun: They're less stressful. You have to be able to play every game as a hockey team. You can't just come into a game and only be able to win it one way. There's so many different ways you can win a hockey game. Maybe your goalie stands on his head or your PP scores two or three. Whatever it is, they don't matter in the end. So we'll do whatever we can, especially on the road. A low-event game is probably good for the road.
On taking a 3-0 series lead: You want to keep taking steps. That's all we can do. That was a really good grind today. Obviously both teams grinded out some long, hard kills. We responded right after they tied it up and had a big third.On the penalty kill: Guys out there work really hard and do a heck of a job. It's the time of year. Everyone's trying to battle for each other and it's been great so far.On how he feels about his game: Good. Like I talked about before, just in the moment. Trying to do what I can right now. Guys in front of me are playing well and blocking a lot of shots and helping me out. It's awesome to get the wins.On if this was as good of a road game as the team can play: I don't know. I think we'll take the win. We grinded out a lot and I think we did a good job on the PK. Sometimes you need that. It's good when there's uneventful periods like the third where we just kind of kept grinding them down and not give them too much. On the key to closing out the series: Continuing to play like we have been. Continue to take it one shift at a time where we put it all out there. That's really, no matter what happens, that's how we have to respond.On if there's more desperation in the room this year: I don't know. That's a tough question to answer. Lot of veteran players that have been through these things before. As a team, you build up that experience and they can help you in these situations. I think we're building toward this type of game and game plan all year, so I think we have a good mindset and know what we need to do to be successful. We know how we play when we're good and vice versa. I think that helps too in hectic moments and in intense buildings and that type of stuff.
On the series: Playoffs, especially the team we're playing, they play very similar to how we play so there's not a lot of room out there. There's not going to be a lot of breakdowns, so you just check for your chances and try to capitalize when they do come. It's a tight game all over. I mean, every game has been pretty much a one-goal game. So we just have to keep playing the right way and not looking for something that's not there.On the response goal: It was huge. Obviously anytime you score a goal, but especially right after they score and maybe get some momentum on their side. We just keep the stress game on them. That's what we're really good at and that's what we need to keep doing.On the penalty kill: I love the penalty kills. Don't love when we take penalties, but I think that was the difference maker in the game tonight. Obviously we had a lot of power plays, they had a lot of power plays, so kills on both sides did great. But if we give one up there, it's a different game. So just getting out there and doing the job we need to do when those penalties happen is huge momentum builders for us. We just keep rolling with that.On the 5v3 kill: Our execution was there, definitely. The ice wasn't great either so it makes it tough on a power play to make great plays. It was a little bouncy. I'll take it though.On if a no-shot allowed 5v3 kill is better than a goal: For me? Yeah, I'll take that.
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