RALEIGH, NC – Rod Brind’Amour rolled his eyes.
Carolina Hurricanes coach has been asked this question over and over again about whether his team can win on the road, about what they need to do to win on the road. He had no more answers than he had against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Eastern Conference or earlier in the second round of the Eastern Conference against the New York Rangers.
He is gone now that his team is facing a chance to close the Rangers in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (20:00 ET: ESPN, TVAS, SN), leading the best of 7 series 3-2.
In 12 playoff games for the Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes managed to win seven games and have a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference finals without winning a single game outside the PNC Arena.
[Complete Hurricanes vs. Rangers series coverage]
“This is not a problem,” Brind’Amour said on Friday. “It simply came to our notice then. And it’s as if we didn’t play badly on the road. Our game was good. There were a few things that went squirrel, penalties and then 5 on 3. All of a sudden these games are thrown away. If that happened at home, it would be the same.
“Every game has its own life. There’s a way we want to play, there’s a way they try to play. We play in good teams. Here’s how.”
But answer it or not, Game 6 is a chance for the Hurricanes to prove themselves, to prove their worth, to show the rest of the NHL that they are real contenders for the Stanley Cup.
So can they win on the road?
“Of course we can,” said striker Andrei Svechnikov.
The Hurricanes had a chance to win their first round series in Game 6 at TD Garden. Instead, the Bruins defeated the Hurricanes in the third period to avoid elimination and push Carolina into the decisive match 7 of the PNC Arena.
Which the hurricanes won.
“To get back in the game against New York, we have to win on the road,” said striker Seth Jarvis. “It’s going to be the biggest thing we need to find a way to grind it out there.”
There were signs of life from areas that were previously dormant for the Hurricanes in their 3-1 victory in Game 5 on Thursday. They scored in the game after scoring 0-for-9 with the man’s advantage in the first four games of the second round. They scored in the third period by Svechnikov, his first point in the series. They dominated the third period and gave the Rangers, who had 17 shots on goal, little room to work throughout the game.
“The way we played was definitely something we want to do again tomorrow,” Jarvis said. “It just gives us a good foundation, a good framework for tomorrow.”
Video: NYR @ CAR, Gm5: Teravainen puts on a smooth Jarvis show at home
At times, the Hurricanes seemed to be two different teams, one stifling, dominating at home, where they were able to make the most of their Jordan Staal line-up skills against the opponent’s best strikers and overtake them.
And another one on the road where they struggle to come up with the same level of play.
This is a difficult way to win and a difficult way to continue in the post-season, even if the Hurricanes will be guaranteed home ice in the Eastern Conference final.
So how do they change that? How do they play game 5 in game 6? How to avoid the pitfalls of [recent] past?
“You’re just doing it,” said striker Vincent Trocek. “There is no formula for this. It feels like defeating a dead horse. Not winning on the road is not really different. It’s the same game, the same team. It’s just a matter of being prepared when we start the MSG game next game. “
The hurricanes are obviously tired of the issues, tired of the plot. They don’t want to give answers because they don’t seem to have any.
The problem is the only thing that will stop the questions – and worries – is winning a game on the road. They get another chance on Saturday.
“We will do our best,” said Brind’Amour. “We will try to win. As we do every night. So nothing changes. We don’t want to go back and have another game, but we will do our best to win tomorrow night.”
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