WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Hurricanes Not Worried About Road Playoff Games

May 23, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. — Two wins in Buffalo this season should give the Carolina Hurricanes plenty of confidence going into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, but coach Peter Laviolette says now isn't the time for his team to put its fate in history.

"The players on the ice will decide who wins the game, not past history," Laviolette said after Tuesday's brief skate-around at the RBC Center.

Road games are tough for any team, he said. Winning teams don't care where they play.

"I think the buildings become louder. You look at our building last night. It's not an easy place for Buffalo to come in and play," Laviolette said. "In the same sense, I think that you get through it and then, eventually, when you get into the game a few shifts, it's just back to hockey. It's who executes and who plays with a purpose."

The Hurricanes and the Sabres enter Wednesday night's game with their best-of-seven series tied at one game each. The Hurricanes evened the series Monday night with a 4-3 win by capitalizing on the best power play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, converting on two of five chances.

They will have to win at least one of the two games in Buffalo to regain home ice advantage.

Carolina seemed quite capable of handling the road during the regular season. The Hurricanes won 21 games away from Raleigh, tying a franchise record; the team was fifth in road power plays at 18.8 percent (47 for 250) and tied for eighth in penalty kills (83.1 percent). They outscored opponents 141-133 on the road.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Hurricanes moved past Montreal by winning three games at the Bell Centre after losing two games at home to start the series. They split a pair of road games in New Jersey to return home to the RBC Center to take that series in five games.

Defenseman Glen Wesley, whose save of Jay McKee's third-period one-timer Monday proved to be crucial in the Carolina victory against Buffalo, said getting away from home has some upside, especially for players who may try too hard to keep the home fans happy.

"When you go on the road, there's no distractions. There's better focus," Wesley said. "I think, sometimes, it hurts you at home a little bit where you try and get too cute and try and make the perfect play or make the perfect pass for the fans instead of just doing the simple things and doing the right things you should be doing."

If that happens, the Hurricanes could come back to Raleigh with a chance to close out the series at home and move on to the Stanley Cup finals.

"We've got to find a way to get home ice back," Wesley said. "We need to play our best game of the series tomorrow night."