It’s a thought that has served Carolina well during Brind’Amour’s seven seasons as their coach. The Hurricanes have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all seven of those seasons and won at least one series in each. So, they weren’t about to abandon that approach, though it took them some time to get results Tuesday.
The Hurricanes controlled play for most of game, outshooting the Capitals 33-14 and building a whopping 94-34 advantage in shot attemps. But they trailed 1-0 until Logan Stankoven’s tying goal 9:42 into the third period. That came after the Hurricanes pressured Aliaksei Protas, whose goal 3:53 into the second period gave the Capitals the lead, into an errant pass that hit teammate Alexander Alexeyev’s skate in the left circle.
Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi picked up the loose puck and fed Stankoven in front for a quick shot in past Thompson’s catching glove.
“We had a lot of chances there, just knocking our head at their goalie,” Kotkaniemi said. “And they were blocking a lot of shots. We just stuck with it and got one through.”
The Hurricanes’ relentless forecheck pressure gave the Capitals fits throughout the game. It led to 13 Washington giveaways and generated the kind of sustained offensive zone pressure Carolina feeds off.
The Hurricanes had similar success with it in defeating the New Jersey Devils in five games in the first round, when they led the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 45.1 percent of offensive-zone time, according to NHL EDGE Advanced Stats. Through the first two periods Tuesday, they had a 12:29-5:57 advantage in offensive-zone time, according to ESPN’s telecast.
Carolina also led 20-11 in shots on goal and 70-28 in shot attempts through two periods and held Washington without a shot on goal for span of 15:50, from 7:52 remaining in second until 7:58 of the third, but still trailed 1-0.
Undeterred, the Hurricanes just kept shooting.
“It’s just trust in the game plan,” Stankoven said. “That’s what our game is all about: Get in [the goalie’s] eyes and lots of shot volume. That’s what Rod preaches. Sometimes not everything is going to go in, so you’ve got to be patient."
Although goalie Frederik Andersen wasn’t tested much in his return from an undisclosed injury that kept him out of the Hurricanes’ series-clinching 5-4 double-overtime victory in Game 5 against the Devils on April 29, he did his part to keep his team close. That included back-to-back saves on Alex Ovechkin’s deflection at 12:01 of the second period and Anthony Beauvillier’s shot from in front at 12:08 to keep Carolina within 1-0.
“I think [if] they get that second one, the game is a whole different story maybe,” Stankoven said.
It would have been understandable, though, if the Hurricanes had gotten frustrated. Thompson made several impressive saves with his glove, including one on Stankoven from the left circle during the second period.
Washington blocked 32 Carolina shot attempts. Other shots that got past the Capitals shot blockers and Thompson went off the post or crossbar. Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere each had shots go off the post in the first period. Andrei Svechnikov hit the crossbar twice, once in each of the first two periods.
“They had a lot of blocks tonight,” Brind’Amour said. “Now, that's why they're a good team. They're one of the best because they're willing to do that. You have to know that going in. And you have to also not be deterred by that and keep putting it there. They're not giving you much of anything else.
“And it worked out well for us tonight.”
