Hurricanes have chance to recharge prior to Game 3 against Devils

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Sebastian Aho didn't see it coming.

The Carolina Hurricanes just finished practice April 15 and were ready to head out on a two-game road trip through Montreal and Ottawa to end the regular season.

That's when coach Rod Brind'Amour delivered the news.

"'Roddy' came to us after Tuesday's practice, and we already had our suits on and our bags packed," Aho said with a wry smile. "And he said we're not going on the trip."

The Hurricanes center was not alone. Linemates Seth Jarvis and Jackson Blake were also left behind. So were captain Jordan Staal and forward Jordan Martinook, the team's forechecking workhorses. Same for defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield.

The idea was simple: With no Stanley Cup Playoff implications on the line, there was nothing to gain by playing some of Carolina's top performers in back-to-back games against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

The decision has paid dividends with the Hurricanes leading the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round 2-0 against the New Jersey Devils ahead of Game 3 at Prudential Center on Friday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MAX, MSGSN, TBS, TVAS2, SN360).

"There's always that worry that you come out a little sluggish," Brind'Amour said. "It was a calculated risk, maybe, but at least after Game 1, that was the right decision."

Carolina won the opener 4-1 at Lenovo Center on April 20 and defeated New Jersey 3-1 in Game 2 on Tuesday. An extra day off affords the Hurricanes another chance to recharge like the two-game break (April 16-17) given to the seven players before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"You're not 'on-on' as much as you would be to get ready for a game." Staal said. "You can breathe a little more. Just turn the mind off and focus on what we have in front of us, which is a big ask, and you know it's going to get hard. You can take some time to just hang with the family and rest the body and mind."

The players who remained in Raleigh, North Carolina, were put through their paces, but with an eye toward lessening the unseen wear and tear of the late season.

"The mental grind of 82 games can be overlooked. Stress and workload are cumulative," Hurricanes head strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston said. "They were still in our practice facility, and some of our staff stayed back to make sure they were doing what they needed to do. They were in the gym. They were on the ice."

There are different ways to evaluate the choice to rest players. Skaters can't afford to lose their game timing and sitting out means missing a chance to get on the score sheet.

"I'm always a guy who wants to play," said Chatfield, who scored the opening goal 2:24 into Game 1. "I think staying in that groove is huge. I do like that, but when I had those games off, I wouldn't say I needed it, but it's something you take advantage of if you can get a few days rest."

Martinook, who scored a short-handed goal in Game 2 and added an assist, knows the value of conserving his energy after 720 regular-season games of relentless grinding in the corners.

"Obviously, 80 games is hard on the body," the 32-year-old said. "I'm not a young spring chicken anymore. You've got to rest the body when you can, and we had the luxury of doing that."

For Blake, the benefits were different. After playing 79 games combined in his two seasons at University of North Dakota, the 21-year-old rookie played Carolina's first 80 before sitting out the final two.

"This is a long season, the longest I've ever been a part of," Blake said, "so to get that extra two games off, it helped me have a little mental reset. Physically, that would have been a back to back again. Those wear you down for sure."

As for Aho, he wasn't quite sure how to feel about the decision. After leading the Hurricanes with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 79 games, he was ready to board the plane.

"I would definitely play if coach put me in the lineup," Aho said. "I don't know if there's a right or wrong answer for that."

Brind'Amour's calculated risk comes from first-hand experience. He played 20 seasons in the NHL and has guided the Hurricanes to the playoffs in each of his seven seasons as coach, earning a first-round victory every year.

"The mental grind that goes into playing is the hardest part," Brind'Amour said. "You can play every night if you had to. It's just, can you play hard enough every night? That's where your mental preparation comes in, your willingness to dig in all the time. It's not so much the physical part. It's about the way you have to do it."