Cardiac Cane
Fansided

3 keys to Hockey Fights Cancer night at PNC Arena between Caps and Canes

By Conor Power

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 20: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates a goal by Seth Jarvis #24 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Staples Center on November 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 20: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates a goal by Seth Jarvis #24 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Staples Center on November 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – JUNE 6: Coach Peter Laviolette of the Carolina Hurricanes addresses the media the day after his team’s game one victory in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals June 6, 2006, at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – JUNE 6: Coach Peter Laviolette of the Carolina Hurricanes addresses the media the day after his team’s game one victory in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals June 6, 2006, at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Former coach and captain behind the benches

In 2006, we all know how that season ended. There was a relentless upstart team in Raleigh that blasted its way into the playoffs and rode a white-hot goaltender to the Stanley Cup for the first time in the history of the franchise as they would go through the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers to capture the historic trophy.

Peter Laviolette coached that team to a Stanley Cup and Rod Brind’Amour captained that team. These two will contest as bench bosses for the first time, and Carolina’s student gets to face the man who helped him master the playoffs to capture the cup. Poetic that it would be Brind’amour in his former teachers’ role, and Laviolette with the Canes rivals to make this story come true.

Laviolette employs a unique tactic in which he has his teams set up in a 1-3-1 formation to defend the blueline, retrieve pucks that are sent in deep, and put pressure on the puck carrier in an attempt to deny a clean entry to the zone. That means, it’s going to be very difficult to break the Capitals down, and Rod will have to figure out a solution to it.

Brind’amour teaches his team a shoot-first mentality, where shots from anywhere and everywhere are encouraged. Rod also has a way of getting the best from his players, and they’re going to need their coach’s leadership to guide them through a very difficult opponent from the US Capital. No game against Washington is boring, but this one, in particular, has an electric feel to it.

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