Canes Look To Win Third Straight Game Two

If the Carolina Hurricanes know anything from the first two rounds of the playoffs it’s how to come back after a disappointing game one loss. The Penguins are looking to stop that trend.

In the first round the New Jersey Devils walked over the Canes 4-1 in game one. It was the same story in the second round when Boston skated to a 4-1 win. In each series the Canes were able to put the losses behind them, winning game two 2-1(OT) and 3-0 respectively and eventually both series in seven games.

“This is a small sample that we’re talking about,” said Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice in a conference call. “We didn’t play well in our first game in New Jersey.

“I think that what we have done well over our first two series is we’ve learned as we went. We took from the first game and learned from it and made enough I wouldn’t even say adjustments. Just found smarter and better ways to play the game based on what we had learned in game one.”

Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma is well aware of the Hurricanes ability to bounce back after a loss. He feels that they’re a team that doesn’t get sucked into playing another team’s style. It’s that capability that makes it easier for them to rebound

“They play their game and they’re very disciplined in how they play their game,” said Bylsma. “So that’s how they’ve become resilient, and that’s how they’ve come back in series. That’s something we’re aware of.”

The only difference from the first two series is that the Canes were never really in either game that they lost. Which makes it easier to block from their heads going into game two. In Pittsburgh on Monday, the Canes were very much in the game. They were inches away from forcing overtime.

A close loss is a much harder loss to overcome than a blowout. And, it doesn’t hurt Pittsburgh having a couple guys named Malkin and Crosby on their side.

Crosby knows that they’re going to come out hard again in game two. He doesn’t think that the Canes will want to change much for tonight’s game though.

“You look at the game, it was pretty evenly matched,” Crosby said in a conference call. “You know, we carried momentum for some of it. So did they. I’m sure they’ll make a little bit of adjustments just like we have to. Nothing major though.

“I mean, you get to this point, and you don’t change had everything after just one game. There’s little adjustments to be made. And for sure they have a great work ethic and depth, and they come at you every shift. So we like to pride ourself in the same mentality. You know, that’s the reason for both teams getting to this point.”

If the Hurricanes intend on making it three-straight game two wins they’re going to need more from Eric Staal. They’re also going to have to do an even better job at containing Crosby who managed to add an assist in the game.

Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. in Pittsburgh and can been seen on Versus, CBC and RDS.

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