Carolina Hurricanes weigh in on feud with Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are gearing up for a date with the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the NHL postseason. That said, both teams have developed a heated rivalry over the course of the regular season, and the Carolina Hurricanes have broken their silence regarding what potentially lies ahead.
Tensions between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes were at a boiling point by the end of the regular season.
In the end, no discipline was handed down.
Now, with these two teams set to clash in the playoffs, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour addressed the media to share his thoughts on how he sees the series playing out.
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour addresses the media
"It's playoffs," Brind'Amour said. "You know that that's going to happen. But you can't be reactive. You have to be the aggressor and not be reacting to things because you're going to put your team down. Special teams is where you win the series almost all the time. It always seems to come down to that."
"I've watched enough of them too to know that there's a reason they're a good team and one of the best this year," Brind'Amour said. "They don't give you games. You have to earn them. So I don't envision that they're going to be taking extra penalties. That's just not how you win. Yes, it's going to be a physical series, we understand that. It's playoffs so we expect that. But I don't expect a lot of unnecessary penalties."
Rod Brind'Amour also acknowledged just how strong the Washington Capitals are across the board.
From goaltending to their forwards and defence, he made it clear he respects the depth and talent the Capitals bring - and he knows the challenge that lies ahead.
"I don't see any weaknesses really and really, they did it all year," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Good goaltending, it starts with that and their defense is strong and you have scorers. They kind of have everything covered and they're very, very balanced and they come at you with every line."
The puck drop is set for Tuesday at 7:00 PM ET.
Previously on Capitals Insider
POLL |
MAI 4 | 31 ANSWERS Carolina Hurricanes weigh in on feud with Washington Capitals Do you think the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes have the biggest rivalry in the playoffs? |
Yes | 19 | 61.3 % |
No | 12 | 38.7 % |
List of polls |