The Canes lost 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators on Friday.
The Carolina Hurricanes just couldn't find the back of the net Friday night, falling 3-0 to Linus Ullmark and the Ottawa Senators.
The Canes generated looks and had a solid game overall, but it didn't matter as they once again found themselves in the loser column.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal spoke with the media. Here's what they had to say:
Rod Brind'Amour
On the game: We have a couple guys, and we've been saying this for a while, that need to be a little more around it. But I thought the game was, out of maybe the last handful, one of our better games. No odd-man rushes, I felt good about how we were defending, created enough chances where we had a couple of good looks, but their goalie played really well.
On the power play failing to convert: Would have liked to connect. The first one wasn't very good, but the second one created a couple of chances. But yeah, we'd have loved to score there, but that wasn't the difference in the game. They didn't score on theirs either. We needed to find a way to get one somewhere in there and the game might have felt a little different.
On Ottawa having the edge tonight: That's hockey. They got the one bounce and they created it on the first goal where we had the puck and we didn't get it out and they put it to the net and it finds a way in. Then they did a nice job defending and we didn't get odd-man rushes either. So we had to grind to get our opportunities. Thought we had a few, a couple went off the knob. An inch here or there and the game's a little different, but I liked the effort and the process, how we went about the game. I felt better, that's for sure.
On if the team has tightened up too much as of late: I thought we had a lot of good scoring opportunities considering that they're not giving up a lot. You look at what they've been doing the last little while, it's been pretty impressive. Like I said, you don't want to start opening things up. That's definitely been our problem. So I thought tonight was a step in the right direction and it could have easily gone our way.
Sebastian Aho
On the lack of 5v5 scoring: I have to be better, no question about it. But at the same time I think we have to find some chemistry between the linemates as well. Especially on the nights where you're not feeling it. It's just finding ways to create something and especially not giving them anything. Obviously today we played their top line and I don't think they got too many looks. So obviously played a pretty even game at 5v5. Both units obviously had a couple looks, but nothing crazy. I just have to be better. It's not always easy. Not always going your way. That's the time where you have to grind one out. I have to better and my line has to be better.
On if the team has tightened up their game too much: I mean, these last two games, I don't think we've been beat 5v5 at all. We played two good teams and obviously the last one we won. Today we played a good team and they scored a couple, but we had enough looks to score two goals and go to overtime or whatever. I think defensively, it was pretty solid overall, but yeah. The only thing I could probably say was those two power plays early on, we have to create a little bit momentum there. We had two looks in the slot and if one of those goes in, we start feeling it and stuff like that. But yeah, obviously have to be better, don't get me wrong, but I don't think 5v5, it was that terrible. Obviously we'd like to create more and score more goals, but that was a real good team and they played really hard and kind of a similar style like we do. Lot of high pace and not a lot of room out there. It went both ways in my opinion so it wasn't like they were dominating us at 5v5.
Jordan Staal
On the lack of 5v5 scoring: I think we had some chances tonight. They didn't go in obviously. Not what we've been used to seeing, 5v5. I think we needed a little more oomph tonight to get that goal and kind of get going. There were a few chances here and there. We made a couple of mistakes and they put them in. Special teams, PK was fine obviously. Power play had a chance to kind of get us going and didn't. We've been relying on that maybe a little bit too much this year, but our 5v5 play, there's a little more to get there.
On what the team can do to get a bit more at 5v5: I think we can be a little bit heavier in the offensive zone. I think we're a little bit one and done. Not really getting on our forecheck and just having heavy shift after heavy shift. There's a few sporadic ones here and there. When you start taking over games is when you start putting in three or four, getting calls and wearing teams down. There's times when you see it, but not consistently enough.
On Linus Ullmark: He played well. Hit a couple of knobs. But we didn't do a great job of getting in front of him obviously. But we had a couple of rush chances that he made big saves on. But in zone, we could have done a better job of getting in front of him for some of our point shots. When a goalie's playing well, you have to send more there and creating more and more. We didn't create enough.