(Raleigh) His Florida Panthers had just recovered from a dramatic fourth overtime victory to open the Eastern Conference Finals when Paul Maurice ended his press conference with a question.
“OK everyone, see you in eight hours, mentioned the head coach, early Friday. Is this our routine now? »
That’s how it felt after the Carolina Panthers and Hurricanes had one of the longest games in NHL playoff history. A match that left the players with heavy legs and tired minds, when it seemed destined to continue.
PHOTO DAN HAMILTON, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVE
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice
Along the way, it was enough for Maurice to wonder aloud how long the two teams could hold out without risking injury. Players were able to gulp down snacks or drink liquids in hopes of holding on during the 15-minute intermissions between extra time.
Now the Panthers and Hurricanes have a compressed day off to rest, recharge and — in the case of the North Carolina roster, in particular — regroup ahead of Game 2, which is Saturday night.
PHOTO KARL B DEBLAKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brady Skjei
It definitely hurts. It was a long game, both teams gave their all from start to finish and they are feeling the effects today.
Brady Skjei
Both teams were coming off a long hiatus before this series, but they lost all that energy in the sixth-longest playoff game in NHL history (139:47), the longest in NHL history. two teams.
Nearly six hours passed between the first puck drop on Thursday night and Matthew Tkachuk’s goal with 12.7 seconds left in fourth overtime, ending that game shortly before the 2 a.m. kickoff on Friday. .
Five defenders played for more than 50 minutes, led by Panthers guard Brandon Montour (57:56). It was the ninth highest total by a skater since 1997-98. Ten other players played for at least 40 minutes. Nine players have made at least 60 appearances on the ice, including point guard Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns (71).
PHOTO JAMES GUILLORY, USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON
Goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky and defender Aaron Ekblad
The guards held on. Sergei Bobrovsky made 63 saves for the Panthers while Frederik Andersen (57) saved 57 pucks for the Hurricanes. It took 96 minutes of play between Stefan Noesen’s goal to tie the game early in the third period and Tkachuk’s goal to end the debate.
So it’s no surprise to learn that Noesen said he was “fast asleep” when he arrived home. Panthers player Eric Staal noted that the bus route to the hotel was “quieter than usual.”
“Even in some of the celebrations after our goal, it looked like the guys were just ready to take their gear off,” Staal added.
Those 20-minute overtimes are one of the most integral parts of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they’re a much different test than the three-on-three five-minute overtimes during the season. Still, Maurice couldn’t help noticing the ‘enormous cost’ paid by both teams and the creation of a ‘race to recovery’.
“It’s not a criticism, it’s a question, but at a certain point you wonder how long these men can push so hard without it becoming dangerous,” Maurice said during his conference. post-match press.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour got it right. He played in the team’s former record game, a third overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals. Maurice was in his first stint as coach – leader of the North Carolina troop.
“Extensions are good, insisted Brind’Amour. Usually it doesn’t last that long. I don’t think you can start changing the format. We do it in season because we need to, but I think we’re all in agreement, the guys who play want it to end the right way. »
Neither team trained on Friday. After all, they are technically ready to play two games in two days thanks to all this extra time.