The Carolina Hurricanes held a full skate at Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Thursday. The Vegas Golden Knights held an optional skate.
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Jack Eichel was among the last players on the ice at Vegas’ optional skate on Thursday morning ahead of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Knights centre was greeted by a big group of reporters at his stall upon entering the cramped visitors quarters in Raleigh.
Eichel took off his helmet and turned around to face the assembled media.
“Fire away,” he said.
Eichel then faced a series of questions about his goalless Stanley Cup Final.
“Had a few chances so far this series,” he said. “Obviously want to see them go in, want to see myself make a difference for the team, however that it is, and knowing I have to be better for us to win. Yeah, I just try to improve every game.”
Eichel has produced just two assists through four games of a high-scoring series.
“I’m not worried about Jack,” stressed Knights coach John Tortorella. “If there’s one guy that gets it and who accepts responsibility, he does. It’s an inch away from being up 4-3. It’s an inch away from tying it 4-4 on another chance. He has a faceoff chance, a faceoff-play chance. We don’t want to keep talking about chances. We do need him to score. We do need him to lead the way, but he’ll accept the responsibility. Good time for him right now.”
Time is running out. The series is knotted at two and the Stanley Cup will be in the building on Sunday night when the series shifts back to Las Vegas for Game 6.
Eichel, who finished seventh in Selke Trophy voting this season, has been a minus player in three of the four games so far.
“It’s been okay,” he said of his play. “You always want to be better. You’re always going to be your hardest critic. I think I’m probably my hardest critic. I always believe I can play better and do more and contribute more and that’s how I think now.”
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While Eichel is seeking his scoring touch, Jordan Staal can’t stop scoring. The 37-year-old Hurricanes captain has five goals through four games and has produced at least one goal in every game. A five-game goal streak would match the longest of his career (regular season or playoffs), with his only such run coming as an 18-year-old.
After Game 4, Tortorella admitted that Staal is “killing” the Knights from the net front.
“He’s a big man, and [when] he gets to those spots, it’s hard to move him,” Eichel said. “You try to take his stick away. He’s scored some big goals for them. He’s a competitor. For our group, it’s trying to get underneath his stick in those areas because he’s obviously tough to move. He’s been a big factor for them and he’s somebody we need to keep an eye on.”
After scoring 20 goals in 75 games in the regular season, Staal is now up to seven through 17 playoff outings. He is three goals shy of tying Corey Perry (10 in 2025) and Brett Hull (10 in 2002) for the most by any player at age 37 or older in a single postseason.
Size and savvy are fuelling Staal’s surge.
“He’s 6′4, I’m not going to say how much he weighs,” said Hurricanes winger Jordan Martinook with a smile. “He’s big. He’s strong as an ox and he’s hard to handle. And he’s skilled. Like, people forget how much skill he has and that’s a great quality to have when you’re in front of the net.”
For the record, Staal is listed at 220 pounds.
“I work out with him in the summertime for a little bit,” said Carolina defenceman Jaccob Slavin. “He’s a beast. He makes big weights look small.”
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Canes goalie Frederik Andersen did not take part in the Hurricanes skate.
“He skated this morning early,” revealed coach Rod Brind’Amour. “As far as the lineup goes, that’s all I’m going to talk about. Everybody’s available. That’s what I’m going to leave it at.”
Brandon Bussi occupied the starter’s net and is set to get the call for a second straight game after picking up the win on Tuesday. The 27-year-old, first-year NHLer is seeking to become the first goaltender in NHL history to make his first two career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final and win both.
“He’s confident in his abilities,” said Martinook of the waiver-wire pick-up. “He’s gained that confidence throughout the season with the way he’s played and the way we’ve played in front of him. He’s been able to make the big save at key moments, which is something you want out of your goalie.”
Andersen started every game for the Hurricanes during the playoff run before getting pulled in Game 3. Andersen did not dress for Game 4 with Brind’Amour saying the 36-year-old needed a break. Pyotr Kochetkov dressed as the back-up goalie on Thursday.
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The series has featured 33 combined goals through the first four games for an average of 8.3 per contest. In other words, it hasn’t been an easy series for the goalies.
The Knights are sticking with Carter Hart even though he has allowed at least four goals in each game so far.
Any concern about how Hart’s looking?
“No,” said Tortorella while cutting off the question. “No. [Not] at all.”
Hart owns an ugly .861 save percentage in the series. He was at .924 through the first three rounds.
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Tortorella stayed up to watch the New York Knicks pull off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history on Wednesday night.
“I wanted to go to bed, but when they got it down to 15 you knew something stupid was going to happen,” the 67-year-old said. “The same stupid stuff is happening in our series.”
All four games in the Stanley Cup Final have seen a multi-goal lead erased. Vegas blew a 4-0 lead in Game 3 before winning in overtime.
The Knicks trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 29 points on Wednesday before storming back. The Spurs still had a one-point lead and possession with the shot clock off in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox went for a layup, which was blocked, instead of maintaining possession and waiting to get fouled by the Knicks.
“He’s probably a very intelligent player,” Tortorella said. “I think the intensity and just the moment that’s going on in the Finals now, they’re human beings. It just overcomes you sometimes to do some stupid things. I don’t have an answer. Who can explain some of the things that’s gone on in this series?”
Tortorella previously pointed out that the Knights basically handed the Hurricanes the game-winning goal on Thursday by turning over the puck and then chasing the play into the corner.
“One thing, as a coach, you look for: as long as they care, as long as they’re trying, that’s all you can ask,” Tortorella said. “And there will be some crazy things that go on with it.”
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Can this Stanley Cup Final continue to deliver this level of craziness?
“Not ground-breaking news, but it’s going to be the team that allows one or two that’s going to be the team that kind of takes over the series,” said Hurricanes winger Taylor Hall. “We’re hoping that it’s us ... I don’t think you can expect a nine-goal game again tonight.”
Hall believes the Hurricanes are trending in the right direction.
“We like where we’re at,” he said. “The shot totals from last game were down a little bit. The third period was solid for us in defending the lead.”
The Hurricanes only played 13 games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals while the Knights needed 16 to navigate the Western Conference playoffs.
“We feel like we’re an in-shape team,” Hall pointed out. “We can go as long as this needs to go. And the fact we had three short series to start with, you know, we’re confident where we’re at.”
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Lines at Hurricanes skate on Thursday:
Svechnikov - Aho - Martinook
Hall - Stankoven - Blake
Ehlers - Staal - Jarvis
Carrier - Jankowski - Robinson
Deslauriers, Kotkaniemi
Slavin - Chatfield
Miller - Walker
Gostisbehere - Nikishin
Reilly
Bussi
Kochetkov
