Carolina sits one victory from hoisting the Stanley Cup, relying on a veteran routine and stubborn resilience to silence distractions and secure the franchise’s ultimate goal.
The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from hoisting Lord Stanley, but the series is still far from over.
It's one of the biggest cliches of the postseason, but the fourth game is always the hardest to win and if you catch yourself looking too far past the task at hand, you're going to get burned.
Luckily for the Hurricanes though, this team is one of the best at staying focused on the task at hand and taking things one day, one game, one shift at a time.
"Our night and day aren't going to change," said alternate captain Jordan Martinook. "It's going to be the exact same routine for us. We're going to be business as usual."
The Hurricanes have never strayed from who they are, being unapologetically stubborn to their game and their systems.
"In the eight years where we've been doing this with Roddy, it's the game we've built," said captain Jordan Staal. "It doesn't ever change. It's the same thing over and over again. It doesn't matter what the score is. Up, down, left or right, we're just going to show up and we're going to work and do the things that we do. I think we've done that consistently in these playoffs a lot better than in the past."
And sticking to that game entails treating every game like it's an important one. No matter the stakes, the Hurricanes approach every game the same way and that's what they're going to need to do in Game 6.
"You have to approach it like it's a normal game," Brind'Amour said. "You can't get ahead of yourself because then it'll never work. No one knows what's going to happen, but I know we're going to have to play our best game. I think we understand that. Yes, there's a ton of distractions, but you have to deal with it and that's the one thing that this group has done over the years is being able to focus on what they have to get done."
That's why guys like Sebastian Aho weren't overly excited talking about the big Game 5 win or the fact that they were so close to winning it all.
"The job is not finished," Aho said.
The team knows what their ultimate goal is and they haven't made it there yet.
The Hurricanes are a battle tested group, not just in this year's playoffs, but over the course of eight years in which the core group has been knocking at the door.
"We've been around a long time," Brind'Amour said. "I feel like, even though we have some real young guys that are really providing a lot of energy to the group, we have a group that has been through this. Maybe not this stage at this final moment, but they've been through a lot together and I just think there's a real good focus with those guys especially and everyone else is looking to them. That's where it helps to have those guys."
It's been evident in the way the Hurricanes have been able to close out series this year, being a perfect 3-0 in potential elimination games, where they've outscored opponents 13-5.
"It's just the mindset of once the game starts, just focusing on all the little things that we've done to get here and executing as best you can and finding ways to get a win," Staal said.
Carolina knows their biggest challenge is the one in front of them and they're prepared for the opportunity.
"It's gonna be a tough game," Aho said. "We expect their best, but we expect our best too. You just approach it the same way. All the games are important. You want to go 1-0 and hopefully we can keep that going."
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