“We just want to do our thing and obviously just keep our foot on the gas.”įor the Devils, the frustration was apparent Friday night with captain Nico Hischier saying he was bothered by being “outbattled again.” Meanwhile coach Lindy Ruff said: “Right now, 5 on 5, they’re the better team.” “At the end of the day, (playing on the road) doesn’t really change our mindset or our preparation,” star forward Sebastian Aho said Saturday. The Hurricanes allowed just one shot in a suffocating opening period of Game 1, then erupted for four second-period goals in Game 2. The Devils know things must change.Ĭarolina won the first two games on home ice by a combined score of 11-2, with nine players scoring at least once and nine of those goals coming at even strength. The Hurricanes have spent two games dominating 5-on-5 play. HURRICANES at DEVILS, Carolina leads 2-0 (3:30 p.m. “This five-game stretch is as intense - and in part because the physicality of that Boston series - a block of hockey I’ve ever seen,” Maurice said.

“These two days are huge for us to get some rest back into our team,” Maurice said.Īt the breakfast table before leaving Toronto on Friday morning, Maurice talked with Panthers staffers – some of whom have been part of Stanley Cup wins – asking if they could remember any five-game stretch that was more daunting.

Put simply, they needed two days off to recharge. The Panthers have already set a franchise record by winning five consecutive playoff games, all coming in a nine-day span, four of them in a pair of hockey’s toughest road environments – Boston and Toronto – and three while facing elimination. So even with the win, we don’t walk away from the rink (Thursday) night and say, ‘Man, we really handed it to those guys.’” “The teams that we’re playing are way too powerful. “At no point in our last nine games have we felt that we’ve dominated the game, where if we just play our game we should win,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. The Panthers haven’t had a 3-0 playoff series lead since.Ĭoming off their stunning win over Boston, the Panthers are halfway to another stunner.

(6:30 p.m., TBS)īack in 1996, in their first-ever playoff round, the Florida Panthers took a 3-0 series lead on the Boston Bruins. MAPLE LEAFS at PANTHERS, Florida leads 2-0.

Stanley holes