There are any number of ways to explain the Canes' 3-0 victory over the Bruins in Game 2 of their playoff series.
Cam Ward, as Canes coach Paul Maurice said today, was "fantastic" in goal. The Canes cut down on their turnovers. Some line shuffling was effective. The Canes played harder, using the "muscle memory," as Maurice put it, of other big victories this season to get them another.
But another part, Maurice quickly noted, was the leadership and maturity of his team.
"We have really good leadership in our room, and I don't think we have the kind of hockey team right now that thinks this season has been good enough," he said. "A (series) win against New Jersey hasn't made the players feel, OK, we can enjoy our summer now because we've accomplished something.
"Part of that is having guys in your room who have won the Stanley Cup. They have a full understanding that they're not even halfway there yet.
"So you believe you can win and now's not the time to panic when you lose a game. And you win a game and you feel a lot better."
Such is the feeling among the Canes now. It's a 1-1 series, all square, with the next two games at the RBC Center.
But there's another not-so-distant memory for the Canes: after winning Game 2 against New Jersey to tie that series 1-1, Carolina came back home and lost Game 3 to the Devils. That's how quickly a series can turn.
Still, the Canes now know they can beat the Bruins after being swept in the regular season and then beaten 4-1 in the opener. They have that confidence.
"When you're a confident team you're more resolved," Maurice said. "When you think you can win you'll stay in the fight longer."
Maurice said the Canes came through the "fight" of the second game without any injuries that would affect the lineup for Game 3 on Wednesday.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at 
Comments
Oh, there was plenty of
Mon, 05/04/2009 - 16:33 — robotron2084Oh, there was plenty of "discussion". Craig Adams scored that goal, however the enhanced visual evidence wasn't available until well after the decision on "no goal" had been made (also right before the intermission). That would have led to an eventual 3-0 lead. Instead, it took a stellar save by Cam Ward on Pisani late in the 3rd period to preserve the win. That missed call could have had a monumental impact on the final outcome.
Just for the record, I
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 02:46 — hctimo787Just for the record, I distinctly remember it being Justin Williams poking at Markanen for the "nongoal" in that game 7, not Craig Adams.
injuries
Mon, 05/04/2009 - 15:23 — wxray1Esteban, there are no *announced* injuries. Every team has injuries at this stage of the game. Let's just hope ours are not too bad.
But yeah, I liked the line twiddling, and I like the focus of these guys. I know in the little organized sports I played, I would get very upset by bad referee calls. It can play with your mind. Good, bad, or just "playing it safe", the no-goal call last night had the potential to derail this team. It did not!
Hmmmm... I seem to recall this team fighting through a no-goal call in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final in 2006. These guys have character!
wxray1
Mon, 05/04/2009 - 15:32 — esteban1949what you say is true. i too hated and still deplore bad calls...but when dealing with the "frailties and flaws of humans ...we can all expect some of those...from time to time...even when they do STINK !!! hmmm i was out of the country when that happened...maybe we can ask Chip or Luke to go and check the records and see if there was a " discussion" over a no goal call in 2006 game 7 ...have a safe week...and if you get to go to the game...have fun !!!
Go Canes !!
Good point Mo
Mon, 05/04/2009 - 12:12 — esteban1949no injuries, the shuffling around helped. And the canes are still " focused" ! Thanks Chip...
Go Canes !!!