The Carolina Hurricanes pulled off a miraculous comeback win over the New York Islanders taking Game 2 5-3 Monday night at PNC Arena.
The Canes were facing a 3-0 deficit at the halfway point of the game but goals from Teuvo Teravainen, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, Jordan Martinook and Jake Guentzel saw the Hurricanes come out ahead.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Jarvis and Martinook spoke with the media. Here's what they had to say:
Rod Brind'Amour
On the game: It was a special night, for sure. It's one of those games you'll probably look back on for a long time. Just a special game overall, especially with the way it unfolded. It was pretty special.
On wearing down the Islanders: They got ahead and I'm sure they thought that that should have been enough. The second period, to me, nothing was going in. I know we hit a couple of goal posts for sure and we were doing a lot of really good things, we just weren't getting anything. That to me was what I liked most about the game. That our guys just kept playing and obviously it worked out. That doesn't always happen when you're down three. That's a once in a lifetime type of game. I'm proud of the way they just kept playing.
On if he could pinpoint one player with the biggest impact on the win: I can't really pinpoint one guy. We had a bunch of guys that played really well. [Jarvis] was phenomenal, [Svech] was phenomenal... I could keep going. [Aho], [Staal], [Martinook]. Everybody was just on it. We gave them a couple that... wasn't how we like to start, for sure. Well we had a good start, it was just a couple plays that we didn't execute on and they did. The story is that we just kept going and that's what I love about this group. They don't stop.
On getting the first goal: It gives you hope. It gives you a chance. We went into that period down two and they got the third one, but to be down just two [after the period] so it wasn't just a total disaster of a period and guys felt good about how they were playing. The key is getting the second one and getting close and giving yourself a chance and that's basically what happened.
On the veterans keeping the team's mindset locked in: We know we have a good group and I'm always harping on them, but it certainly helps when they're getting the message and they're the ones that are doing it. I think there's a pretty good understanding in here on the way we want to play. But especially when you hear it from the new guys that just came in, that they're jumping on it, that's what you want to hear.
On Brett Pesce's status: That's not looking good. He's going to go get looked at tomorrow. So that's the big negative of tonight, for sure.
On Sebastian Aho: He was good tonight. He hit two goal posts too and he was around it all night. You know he's going to get his goals and points, but it's his overall game that I thought was really special.
Sebastian Aho
On the comeback: Obviously they did a really good job to use their chances and they kind of kept us off of good scoring chances, but that's how it sometimes goes in hockey. But the way we responded and came back shows a lot of character and says a lot about this team. We want to get a better start, but we have that belief in the room that we can come back from multiple goals.
On if he was frustrated by his lack of finishing earlier in the series: Just winning hockey games, that's it. I mean, we were down a goal so you're just trying to do whatever you can to score a goal and tie the game. I don't think about the personal stuff. You just try to help the team anyway you can. It doesn't matter who scores the goals.
On the dominant performance : We got to our game. We put a lot of pressure on them and obviously Turbo's power play goal got us some good momentum. Then we kind of just never looked back. Just kept pushing and pushing.
On sticking with their game: It's kind of a cliche, but that's kind of how we go about our business. Roddy's always on us that no matter down a goal, up a goal, down five goals or up five goals, it doesn't matter. We just try to focus on the next shift and play our game.
Seth Jarvis
On getting his first of the playoffs: It feels great. I had a lot of chances tonight and it's nice being back with my boy [Martinook]. He always helps me get out of slumps, so it's been fun and I'm just happy I can contribute.
On not getting too frustrated with all the posts and close chances: I say a few choice words to myself just to get the anger out and then it's just a mental reset. We have guys like [Martinook] and I think [Kuznetsov] was huge for us just talking all night and keeping us calm and composed. Just older guys that don't let us get too flustered. I mean you can go off the deep end a little bit, but we did a really good job of just keeping everyone in it, mentally composed and focused on the moment and that's ultimately I think what sparked that comeback.
On taking both games in the series at home: It's huge. You want to take advantage whenever you can especially in this building and give the fans a good show. To come out with two wins in a series that's this tight, it's huge and now it's just about shifting that focus to Long Island and making sure we're ready to go because they're going to want to win on home ice. So it's just about making sure we have the right mentality out there and trying to close it out but taking it just one game at a time.
Jordan Martinook
On getting the go-ahead goal: Just the momentum of us tying the game and the energy that it sends... I don't know really how to describe it. You just get this juice that hits you and then obviously get in on the forecheck and luckily I was able to pick him and make that play.
On facing a 3-0 deficit: I think, especially after we got that power play goal, obviously you don't want to go down 3-0 and we're going to make sure we don't make a habit out of that, but that power play goal was huge and that probably last eight minutes of the second period we were in their zone and it just felt like we were starting to take the game over and then the third period you just ride that momentum that you built in the second and try to just keep it going. In the third, it was just wave after wave. We were coming at them and not giving them anything which was key and then obviously when you push that hard you're going to hopefully get a couple and luckily we did.
On Seth Jarvis' goal: He's been incredible all year and he's a big game player. For him to get that one just to get us going. We felt like we were pushing and pushing but obviously we hadn't scored so for Jarvy to get that beautiful goal and get the place rocking. It didn't really end from there on out. Those are fun games to be a part of and I'm not going to sleep too good tonight.
On being part of a historic game: I still have to come down from it. I think you have to get home and take a deep breath and then maybe watch the highlights because when you're in it, you're in it and you're sole focus is on the game and there's some crazy things happening. Game tying goals and winning goals and then obviously all the stuff that happens at the end. It's crazy. So you just need to get home, take a deep breath and then maybe rewatch it because that's a fun one.
Closing comment: I have to give a shoutout to Tripp Tracy. He put a nice touch on my stick.
Jordan Staal
On the comeback: It was exciting. Memories. It was really cool. I mean... amazing. I don't know. All the things, all of the above. Obviously just a great effort from everyone to just stick with it. We kind of gave them a couple, but we started to take over the game and we just found ways. We knew that it could take until the last minute, which it did, and we found a way to get the 'W'.
On Seth Jarvis' goal: We were saying if we get one, we can get two between periods there. [Jarvis] has been a stud all year long and he found a way. He caught a couple of posts earlier as well as a few of the other guys, but he found a way to get us going. Obviously the momentum was on our side and a huge goal by [Aho] at 6-on-5. Just all the fun things combined in one game and a big win. We're going to have to find a way to keep it going on the road.
On the message entering the third period: You saw in the second period, we were at full control. It just wasn't going in yet. We just have to believe that if we stick with it, eventually it's going to go in the net. I thought the guys did a great job of staying on top of it, sticking with it, and that was basically it.
On if Rod Brind'Amour is going to need to be censored for his post-game speech video: He's not too bad with the mouth, but he obviously did a great job tonight making sure everyone was continuing to focus in on our game and the boys did a great job following suit.
On if the team ever got frustrated: It's the playoffs. It's not easy and every game is going to be hard and there's going to be frustration. You have to try to eat it and I thought we did a great job of sticking with what we needed to do. Obviously the first period was frustrating because we weren't very good and the second period we were good but it didn't go in. So we were happy with our game going into the third and we understood that if we got one, we could get two and we stuck with our game and found a way.
On having his brother, Eric Staal, at the game: It's always special having family in town. Obviously with what he's done here in Carolina Country and for him to be able to come and watch always gives you some extra juice. It was really cool and my parents were here too so I'm sure everyone was pretty pumped and we'll see them after the game here.