Rod Brind'amour eyes rest, recovery after Hurricanes sweep Senators

rod brind'amour is facing a familiar playoff tradeoff after the Carolina Hurricanes swept the Ottawa Senators: time to heal, and time away from games. He said Tuesday that a break of more than a week could leave the team a little rusty, even as he hopes Nicolaj Ehlers and Alexander Nikishin will be ready for the next series.

Ottawa Sweep For Carolina

The Hurricanes finished the first round without ever trailing, allowing five goals while scoring 11 in the series. Frederik Andersen backed that up with a.955 save percentage across the four victories, and Carolina now waits on the winner of the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh series in Round 2.

That sweep leaned heavily on Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, who combined for seven goals and nine assists and finished plus-11. Seth Jarvis said the group stayed connected through the physical stretches, and that mattered in a series where Carolina absorbed pressure without giving ground.

Ehlers And Nikishin Status

Ehlers missed Game 4 against Ottawa, while Nikishin was knocked out on a vicious hit in the second period. Brind'Amour said Tuesday that he was hopeful both players would be ready for the next series, and he added that Nikishin is trending in the right direction.

Neither Ehlers nor Nikishin practiced Tuesday. That leaves Carolina balancing two priorities at once: getting injured players back on the ice and avoiding the flat start that can come after a long layoff.

Waiting On Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh had won two straight games to force Wednesday's Game 6, with a potential Game 7 on Saturday. If that series goes the distance, Carolina could be off for more than a week before the second round begins.

Logan Stankoven said the time off is also good mentally, which fits a team that has already taken care of the first task. The next one is simpler to state and harder to manage: arrive for Round 2 healthy, sharp and without losing the edge that carried the Hurricanes through Ottawa.