Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and Rod Brind'Amour on Game 3 Loss: 'I don't know what we have to do, but we have to do something special here'

The Carolina Hurricanes' season is now on the line following a third straight loss at the hands of the New York Rangers, as the Canes fell 3-2 in overtime Thursday night at PNC Arena.

The Canes scored the first goal of the game off a Jake Guentzel deflection and then they scored the final one in regulation as Andrei Svechnikov forced OT, but that was all the goals they would manage on their 47-shot performance.

Pyotr Kochetkov, who played in place of Frederik Andersen, stopped 22 of 25 in the loss.

After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and Svechnikov spoke with the media. Here's what they had to say:

Rod Brind'Amour

On the power play's struggles: We're not executing very well. You have to give them credit, they're doing a great job on the kill. I thought the first two and a half power plays were actually quite good. We had a lot of good looks and then gave up that shorty and then I thought we got away from what we were originally trying to do. Obviously that's three games in a row with the same story. I hate it for the guys because I think we're playing really well. Take that part of it out of it, they've done everything we've asked the guys to do.

On the message to the team: It hurts and you have to be realistic. They're probably as down as they're ever going to be and you have to feel that. That's the keeping it real part. You have to pick yourself up and come back tomorrow. We're still playing. But I do think it's actually important to feel it.

On Igor Shesterkin: He's played great. There was a save there, I want to say maybe in the second period, on [Staal] where he gets across. I know it hits his knob, but that's still part of the goalie equipment. To even get over there that quickly. And we've hit two or three like that. He's world class. Our goalie played great too tonight. But when they do have their breakdowns and we get to him, he's been sharp.

On the play tailing off in the second period: They got power plays. We got in the box two or three times in a row and then our power play... so special teams kind of took over and took the life right out of it for us. That's what kind of changed the game.

On the impact of the shorthanded goal: It's just natural. You're trying to put the game in your favor at that point and then it goes the other way. That's obviously tough to handle, but I thought we got back on it, it did just take the life out of the group.

On Pytor Kochetkov: To come in... The big question you guys were asking me was if I was worried about how he's going to play and rust, but no. He's a young kid, but that guy wants to be out there and I had no concerns about him being new to it. He understands it.

On Brent Burns struggling in the series: I don't know if I agree with you. I think he actually made some good rushes and had some good opportunities around the net there floating some in. I would disagree a little bit with you there.

On the team's fight and every game being close: Everyone's focusing on how bad we're playing, but we're really playing pretty damn good. I look at that. I'm separating it. There's two games going on here and if you want to write the right story, that's what's going on. And we're losing the one badly, but we're doing pretty damn good on the other one. It's just about figuring out how to make this story a little better. That's the difference.

On if there's anything to take from the Florida series last year: No because I actually liked how we played in that one too. We have to find a way. Our special players have to be special at the right times during the power play. That's what's missing right now.

On how the team can have success at 6v5 but not on 5v4: Well it's a totally different thing. I mean, the same concepts and you're right in the sense that you have to get pucks to the net and you have an extra guy and that's how it should start, but it's a different animal.

Jordan Staal

On the team's inability to win: It's a little bit of a broken record, but special teams has to be better. The power play has to sneak in a couple goals or just a goal or two just to get us in a better position to end games. 5v5 game has been good. It's been great. Have we completely buried teams? No, they're good teams too, but I think there's a few things on the special teams side that we can get better at. We'll start with getting at it tomorrow and we'll find a way to win a game.

On being down 0-3: It's hockey. They win games different ways than we do and we still have to find a way to keep the puck out of our net and score more goals than they do. They've done a good job of scoring on their opportunities. They have some special players that we have to stop and they have a goaltender that we have to find a way to beat. That's their game plan, it's working for them obviously and our game plan has to change a little bit and get better if we want to at least get a game.

On the breakdowns after the first period: The shorthanded goal wasn't great. Obviously you don't want to give that up. That hurts. Power play... I'm not on it, but it's gotta be better. I'm sure if you ask anyone on there, they would agree with that. Giving up a goal and not scoring is never great. Not a good recipe. That was the biggest thing in the second period. They had a really nice goal. The other one was quite an impressive goal and then we found a way to battle back and tie the game. Then they had a quick one to end the game.

On taking it day-by-day: That's our whole lives, going day-by-day here. We have tomorrow. We're excited about tomorrow and finding ways to beat this team. It's going to be a new day tomorrow, it's going to hurt tonight. I won't get much sleep, but we'll have a new day tomorrow and we'll find a way to win one game. It's been our motto here for a long, long time, so we'll start with that.

On the message to the group: It's taking it day-by-day, one day at a time. Obviously you don't see a whole lot of comebacks from 0-3, but why not now. We have to start with one.

On Pyotr Kochetkov: He played great. Can't really say much other than that. It was good to see the kid play a good game.

Sebastian Aho

On the loss: It's tough obviously. Our backs are against the wall right now. It's tough. The good thing is we're still alive. It is what it is. It's hockey. We just have to find a way to win that game. That was the effort we needed, but the power play, we needed one goal there. That's it. Then it would have pretty much been a win for us. It's been tough.

On the second period: I felt like the second period was nothing but penalties on both sides. We killed three, I don't remember exactly, and then obviously we had our own power plays there, but there was not much 5v5 that period.

On if he can make any sense of the power play struggles: Yeah... I mean, it's... I don't know what it is exactly. I wish I would have an answer for you. I mean, if I had an answer, maybe we would score some goals every once in a while. They... I mean... again, I don't know. It's tough. They've done a good job at it, their goalie has made some saves, but having said that, that's not good enough. It's on us to find a way. Like I said before, we're still alive. There's still hope. We make one tweak to make our power play better, then I like our chances.

Andrei Svechnikov

On his 6v5 goal: I was in the slot and I kind of didn't shoot right away. I tried to hold it for a second to get the shot and it was successful.

On if he felt the team had the momentum heading into overtime: I mean, it happened so quick. I don't think there was any momentum. Just happened quick. Three minutes into overtime.

On losing another overtime game: Just frustrated to be down three games. But what's good about our team is that we never give up. Obviously it sucks, but we're going to be staying positive. We're going to take a day today and we'll see what happens.

On the power play struggles: Obviously it's very bad. We're trying to work but I guess we can't find it. We had a couple of good looks and had a couple of good shots. If it would just go in the net you would feel that confidence and feel all that other stuff, but we're going to work that tomorrow.

On every game being close: We're playing good. We're getting our chances and we've been playing in their zone a lot, but [Shesterkin] has been good for them. I don't know what we have to do, but we have to do something special here.

On the discussions in the locker room: What's discussed in the locker room, let's keep it in the locker room. Obviously we're going to work tomorrow and we'll see what happens.

On being down 0-3: What's good about our team is that we never give up. It doesn't matter what the score is. We're going to take it day-by-day and we'll see what happens.

On Pyotr Kochetkov: He was best player out there for us. Just making lots of saves and obviously not playing for a month is pretty hard. He looked unbelievable today.

On the gut punch of losing in OT after his late goal: It was a second life for us and we had lots of energy after that goal, but three minutes and that's what happens sometimes