Time and space key for Canes' D

The Canes' 3-0 shutout of the Bruins in Game 2 was impressive and the Canes' improvement from Game 1 striking.

But where did the Canes improve the most, especially from a defensive standpoint, from the 4-1 loss in the opener?

"You have to look at the whole game," defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said after today's morning skate at the RBC Center. "We got the puck out of our zone, which meant less defensive zone time, and we had more chance of a rush. Just by doing little things, making smart plays in our zone and not turning the puck over in the neutral zone, makes a big difference.

"We didn't try to force the puck into the middle. The first game we skated up the wall and tried to make the pass into the middle and turned it over a couple of times. We didn't have any gap on their forwards. They had a lot of time and speed to go back and create a scoring chance."

And made the most of it. The Bruins' Michael Ryder picked off a Tuomo Ruutu pass and roared in on goaltender Cam Ward for a top-shelf shot and goal for a 3-1 lead.

"Last game, we just got the puck out and made them go all the way back to get the puck and come back," Seidenberg said. "We could move up and get a good angle on them.

"When you get a puck all the way down, we as a D can move up, too, and just make time and space tighter for them."

Defenseman Tim Gleason was another who used the "time-and-space" explanation.

"The less space, the less opportunities to make plays," he said. "I think we shut them down pretty consistently and we have to continue to do that, because they're a highly skilled team."

There also was a physical element to the victory. The Canes didn't barrel the Bruins over with vicious hits, but there was a conscious effort to put the body on them.

"It's not about running out of position to make a big hit," Gleason said. "It's just something where we have to contain them."