Brind'Amour Guides Hurricanes Through Physical Practice — Flyers Vs Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes used flyers vs hurricanes as a waiting room on Wednesday morning, hitting a game-like practice designed to match playoff speed and physicality. Rod Brind'Amour had his team work through battle drills while the club waits to learn whether Philadelphia or Pittsburgh will be next.
Brind'Amour Sets The Pace
Brind'Amour called the approach “a little bit of a guessing game on what's the best way to approach things,” and added, “You back off all the way and get you know really feeling really great, or do you worry about the edge coming off? So I guess you kind of try to play somewhere in the middle.” That middle ground was the point of a Wednesday morning session built to keep the group sharp without losing its edge.
Seth Jarvis liked the format. “It's nice to go out there and compete,” he said after practice. “We had a lot of battle drills, so it was good to kind of get that aspect. We sit for a few days, maybe you lose that. So it's nice just to go out there.”
Nikishin Back On The Ice
Alexander Nikishin also returned to the ice on Wednesday morning in a yellow, no-contact jersey after suffering a concussion on Saturday in Game 4 against Ottawa. Brind'Amour said Tuesday that he was “hopeful” Nikishin would be ready for the second-round game, and on Wednesday he said, “I think he's feeling good,” before adding, “Whatever he's got to do to get tested, it's all going along in the right direction.”
Nikishin skated alongside his line partner Shayne Gostisbehere during drills while taking precaution, and Taylor Hall laid out the path back in plain terms: “Concussions are never a straight line to coming back,” he said. “There are good days and bad days, and as you progress and go harder and harder, you might feel differently.”
Flyers-Penguins Holds The Key
The wait on Carolina's next opponent runs through Philadelphia, where the Flyers carried a 3-2 lead in their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins entering Wednesday night. The Flyers were scheduled to try to close out the series at home, and a Penguins win would push the matchup to seven games and likely delay Carolina’s next series even further.
If Philadelphia advances, the Hurricanes will face the Flyers. If Pittsburgh extends the series, Carolina stays in limbo a little longer. The Hurricanes also recalled Charles Alexis LeGault from the Chicago Wolves earlier this week, and if Nikishin cannot go, Mike Reilly is lined up as the seventh defenseman at full health. Carolina will not practice Thursday morning.
